The surge in online shopping, accelerated by COVID-19, has driven up the demand for package deliveries, and that demand continues to rise.
As traditional delivery methods contribute to urban traffic congestion and pollution, cargo bikes - a staple of bike-friendly countries like Denmark and the Netherlands - are becoming a common sight in cities across Europe as a sustainable and efficient alternative to vans.
These larger, typically electric bikes with separate carriers can transport a wide range of loads, from small parcels to larger items, making them ideal for urban deliveries.
In Europe, it is estimated that up to 50 per cent of motorised trips involving the transport of goods in cities could be made by cargo bikes and bicycles, according to a recent study.
I’ve seen them, they’re neat, but are they something you own like a dolly cart or something you rent/borrow when you need it?
@SteveKLord
I was born in 1953 and my image of people doing labor like this , based on how we perceived people in low income countries, is of a person whose body was worn out by age 30
to a large extent progress is humans not having to do heavy manual labor
sheesh
Yeah, instead we buy gym memberships and toil away at the gym. Or die of a heart attack by age 45. Progress!
Sheesh.
The majority of cargo bikes, especially those used for deliveries, are electric and don’t require manual labor.
You seem to have missed the point of the article as it in no way was trying to propose more labor for working class people. In many ways it is trying to overcome the oppressive image that you have in your head. To a large extent, these changes are trying to advance human progress by overcoming the crises we find ourselves facing. You were born in 1953? That makes you about 70-71 but your profile says you’re 66 years old. That’s an odd inconsistency.
1
yeah, I lie about my age
2
re the 1,000x
if you read the comments in the thread you posted, several people point out this is just ludicrouis
so I"m not quite sure what I should have said to you when you post something that is absurd
seriously, what am I to say ?
I don’t want to silence this discussion because the “worn out bodies” comment is actually useful to be debunked and discussed
But pls read the slrpnk.net rules
There is space to disagree but be more constructive 🤝
Sir you are commenting in the wrong thread and the wrong community. Why do that here? I am not a moderator here. I did read all the comments a month ago when the discussion was current and active. You commented here in a combative way and then specifically went to an older post of mine and told me what "should be obvious to " me without any discussion of why or otherwise adding anything constructive. You received several downvotes and were asked to be more constructive. Instead you’ve doubled down here and repeated the insult.
Biking is not hard on your body at all. Plenty of people cycle well into their 70s.
even if this were true, it is true only if you have time rest and rejuvenate, and in particular rest after an injury
tht option often not available to people working at lower wage jobs
right ?
Are you suffering from an acute case of brain damage?
so, we take something that has the same size as a van,
The footprint of a cargo bike is at most a fourth of your average delivery van
and is at least 10 times slower
Cargo bikes are usually e-bikes, giving them a speed of at least 25 km/h. If you’re driving a van at 250 km/h in a city, that’s going to put you behind bars.
Baffling levels of ignorance.
The footprint of a cargo bike is at most a fourth of your average delivery van
yeah, no. the cargo bike needs width of a car lane and its not four times shorter. it will actually add to congestion when every car behind it has to change lane to go around.
maybe you have some really generous bike lanes somewhere, but they don’t lead to home of every one of your potential customer and, surprise, they also take a space.
Cargo bikes are usually e-bikes, giving them a speed of at least 25 km/h.
that’s top speed. top speed of the car is somewhere else. and the average speed for both of them is somewhere else and if you believe that average speed of a bike is going to be in the same category as average speed of the car, then go, fly back to other pigeons and tell them you won.
cargo bike is not efficient alternative to a car, because it is far slower and has much lower capacity than the car, so you will deliver less cargo in longer time. or same cargo in same time using a LOT MORE bikes.
that doesn’t mean and i never said they don’t have its use-cases, but claiming it will solve the traffic congestion is wild exaggeration.
If anything, electric bikes and scooters tend to get around FASTER than cars in European city centers
@14th_cylon @SteveKLord “A study from the University of Westminster, London, found that cargo bikes not only deliver faster than vans but also cut emissions by 90 per cent compared to diesel vans and when compared to electric vans reduce emissions by a third. “
found that cargo bikes not only deliver faster than vans
that must have been some seriously specific circumstances.
Specific as being in an European city.
Not enough space for stopped vans everywhere.
@14th_cylon @SteveKLord Which cargo bike models are the same size as delivery vans but with 1/50th of the capacity?
which cargo bike model has the same or better capacity as the van per footprint per time spent on the road?
I was so confused with your comment until i remembered there are countries without bike lanes. Still weird to claim them the same size as a van
this monstrosity, that can fit one backpack and bag of groceries into its cargohold, doesn’t fit in any bike lane, unless that bike lane is as wide as the one for cars. so it needs space in the car lane and is maybe slightly shorter, but that’s not really significant difference.
also do you imagine all bike lanes full of these? yeah, that would solve the congestion problem for sure ;)
Are you high? I live in Denmark, a country that has a high amount of bikes, and I see tons of those cargo bikes on the bike lanes each day. Parents bringing their kids to daycare, postal workers bringing letters and parcels, landlords bringing all their tools between apartment complexes around the city. Possibilities are endless.
You post a picture of a bike that’s as wide as its handlebar, which is not wider than a regular bike which also has to have enough space to fit its handlebars through and claim it is too wide for a bike lane. Also visible on this picture is a backpack, a grocery bag and a lot of empty space in the cargo-hold and claim it only has space for the backpack and a grocery bag. I feel it is not worth it to argue with you at all since you don’t seem to argue in good faith. Disappointing
This is an extra wide one, the picture description is complaining that it takes the whole one-direction bike lane (that’s a third of a road lane).
Ridiculousness.
I’ve used a cargo bike for my 60+ seat restaurant for over 5 years and I zip past all the idiots sitting traffic baking away in 30° August as our town goes from 70k to 350k with the traffic that comes with it.
Absolutely absurd that you’re hot take is something other than troll bait.
you own 60+ seat restaurant and you have time to do your own delivery? that is very trustworthy comment ;)
Look at any restaurant at any city in Europe.
You can’t even park a van for streets sometimes.
I have beer, wine, meats delivered. The rest I haul. We opened 5 months before COVID hit, and survived and are celebrating our 5th anniversary.
If you’re too car, country and consumer-ease centric to even fathom someone doing this, you need to check yourself and realize there is a big, wide world out there and people do more than shove door dash ordered McDonald’s into thier mouth hole to feed their insecurities.
this is lame, mod.
just because you don’t agree with post doesn’t mean it is not useful for discussion. are you so afraid of any kind of opposition?
