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Innovations in cycling mobility for sustainable cities
Published in Michèle Pezzagno, Maurizio Tira, Town and Infrastructure Planning for Safety and Urban Quality, 2018
E. Conticelli, A. Santangelo, S. Tondelli
Using cargo-bikes for delivering goods helps covering the last mile trips within dense urban areas. This new delivery system is commonly based on the creation of micro-logistic centers placed in the outskirts of the inner city where goods are carried by trucks coming from the main logistics centers located in suburban areas and redistributed by cargo-bikes within the city centre.
Innovative solutions in last mile delivery: concepts, practices, challenges, and future directions
Published in Supply Chain Forum: An International Journal, 2023
Wassen AM Mohammad, Yousef Nazih Diab, Adel Elomri, Chefi Triki
Alternative solutions for the delivery process have been established for the heart of large cities featuring traffic jams and vehicular congestion. One of these solutions is the cargo bike. The mode of operation of cargo bikes can be manual or electrical, and they are already being used in several European countries. Both manual and electrical modes of operation give bikes an environmental advantage over traditional vans operating with a combustion engine and would contribute to a sustainable last mile logistics (Boysen, Fedtke, and Schwerdfeger 2021). Their use has been studied in Antwerp, Belgium and Vienna, Austria in (Arnold et al. 2018) and (Anderluh, Hemmelmayr, and Nolz 2017), respectively. Recently Amazon has announced that it will be launching a fleet of cargo bikes to replace thousands of van deliveries in London (Butler 2022). Cargo bikes provide several benefits, as they can be used for delivery trips to customers in areas that are difficult to reach by traditional vehicles, areas with limited access (only accessible through sidewalks or pedestrian paths), and areas lacking parking spaces (Anderluh, Hemmelmayr, and Nolz 2017).
Why cycling matters for electric mobility: towards diverse, active and sustainable e-mobilities
Published in Mobilities, 2018
Cargo e-bikes have also received academic attention, both in terms of personal and business use. Cargo bikes are designed to carry loads and to facilitate this they might have two, three or four wheels and can feature a partial or full enclosure and/or a trailer, presenting specific design considerations for bike and environment (Cox 2008). The extra load carried makes electric assistance a key feature of many modern cargo bikes. In the light of the growing popularity of online shopping and home delivery there is a growing issue around last-mile delivery to which cargo e-bikes present a sustainable solution. The existing and potential of implementation across Europe has been discussed (FGM-AMOR, ECF, Outspoken, and CTC 2014) and Gruber et al. consider the ‘substitution of cars by electric cargo bikes for inner-city courier shipments’ and identify that ‘[c]ritical factors for actual implementation appear to be electric range, purchase price and publically available information’ (Gruber, Kihm, and Lenz 2014, 53).
Recreational bicycling as a “gateway” to utility bicycling: The case of Charlotte, NC
Published in International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, 2018
Much existing research presumes, implicitly, that the transition from “non-cyclist” to “cyclist” is a single event stimulated by either change in the built environment, change in the characteristics of the traveler, or some combination thereof. Studies that focus on this transition over time, however, show how the practice of riding a bicycle changes in complex ways not easily captured by cross-sectional data. Employing interview data and travel diaries with employees at the University of Surrey (UK), Gatersleben and Appleton (2007) find that perceived barriers to cycling change as individuals gain experience riding to and from their place of work. For example, over a study period of two weeks during which research subjects began to cycle to work, participants found bicycle commuting less and less intimidating, and began to appreciate the benefits of flexible transport they had not perceived before. Perhaps most importantly, the majority of subjects signaled their intention to continue cycling to work after the completion of the study. The authors emphasize that behavioral change is a slow process that requires persistent attention and positive feedback. Similarly, a study by Bonham and Wilson (2012) focused on the transportation practices of Australian women find that the practice of bicycle commuting retreats and returns to individuals throughout their life course in a cyclical (rather than linear) pattern. Changing perceptions of “coolness,” dynamic parental and work responsibilities, changing friendships, and changes in health status open and close opportunities for cycling over a lifetime. Qualitative changes in equipment may also influence the frequency of bike trips. Recent work by Riggs (2016) suggests that access to a cargo bike—a type of bicycle that allows a rider to transport a small load (e.g., a child or groceries)—can stimulate more frequent cycling and reduce daily automobile trips by half.