Londoners eager for delivery by climate-friendly cargo bike

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CARGO REVOLUTION, is a new campaign to champion cargo bikes as a scalable, economical and zero emission solution that can be adopted by businesses, supported by Impact on Urban Health and run by Glimpse with Clean Cities Campaign, MP Smarter Travel and Team London Bridge.

More than half of Londoners consider climate change impacts an important factor when it comes to ordering goods, a new YouGov poll has found.

56% rated climate impacts a 4 or 5 as a consideration for making or receiving deliveries on an importance scale of 1-5. This is in contrast to only 17% who gave them a 1 or 2, deeming them less important.

The proportion is the same for London residents from higher and lower income backgrounds, and is broadly similar across age groups, with 45-54 year olds the most motivated by climate considerations (60% rating climate impacts a 4 or 5 out of 5 in importance).

The finding follows research by the University of Westminster showing that delivery services by cargo bike in London can be 60% faster than those performed by van, as well cutting overall carbon emissions compared to delivery by either diesel or electric van^[1].

“Three billion miles were driven by vans in London last year – an increase of twenty per cent in the past decade,” says Oliver Lord, UK Head of Campaigns at the Clean Cities Campaign.

“It’s shocking that the number of diesel vans in the UK has increased by almost a million since 2015, speaking to an urgent need to decarbonise our goods and services and clean up our air. And while it’s essential for vans to go electric, we can’t just replace one for another, because we’ll still end up with noisy, polluted and gridlocked cities.

“It’s time to think outside the delivery box. We’re calling on everyone to join the ‘Cargo Revolution’ by supporting and celebrating businesses that are switching to cargo bikes and helping to rid our cities of dirty diesel for good.”

On Wednesday, London welcomed its first ‘ride-thru’ in Borough Yards, with a cheeky nod to US 1950s drive-thru culture.

Everything for the evening – set, entertainment, food and drink – was brought to the space by cargo bike: demonstrating the power of this transport mode to take over the heavy lifting from vans.

A showcase of local businesses who have already made the switch to cargo bike. Cycle mechanics offering free servicing for the first 5 guests to arrive by bike. The Mayor of London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner Will Norman was also in attendance.

^[1] Research led by Dr Ersilia Verlinghieri, Senior Research Fellow at the Active Travel Academy, University of Westminster https://www.westminster.ac.uk/news/using-cargo-bikes-for-deliveries-cuts-congestion-and-pollution-in-cities-study-finds

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