Later this month, the UK’s first public e-cargo bike-sharing network will debut in east London, assisting consumers and companies in moving products using low-carbon modes of transportation. Eight new electric cargo bikes, each with a capacity of carrying up to 80kg, will be available for rent at four docking stations across Hackney. The Mayor of London and the tri-borough Zero Emissions Network are funding the project, which seeks to help households and businesses in Tower Hamlets, Islington, and Hackney save money, cut emissions, and improve local air quality.
Cargo Bike Share is the first of its kind in the country, according to Councillor Mete Coban, Hackney Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Energy, Waste, Transport, and Public Realm, and can help Hackney become greener after the epidemic. The Beryl app will be used to rent the bikes, and docking stations will be deployed later this month.
E-cargo bikes, according to Beryl CEO Philip Ellis, are by far the best and most time-efficient way to transport bulky or heavy things for last-mile deliveries or short excursions. He went on to add that replacing vans with a network of e-cargo bikes might change neighbourhoods, making them safer and more fun to live in and work in.
In recent years, efforts to get more Europeans on two wheels have intensified, with more towns devoting more time and resources to cycling-related projects. According to Jill Warren, CEO of the European Cyclists’ Federation, who spoke at the Velo-city 2021 conference in Lisbon last week, more riding can help achieve all of the sustainable development goals, the European Green Deal, and climate-neutral cities. The four-day conference, which took place both in-person and online, brought together cycling professionals from across the world to debate the industry’s most recent advancements.
Elke Van den Brandt, Brussels’ Minister of Mobility, received a cycling promotion award from the Danish Cycling Embassy on the sidelines of the event after formulating a strategy to treble the use of bicycles by city residents by 2030. He expressed his delight at receiving the prize by saying he wanted to share it with the people of Brussels in order to urge them to choose this alternative to tackle air pollution and traffic congestion in the city.
