BID backs bike scheme to cut Christmas emissions

Online shopping deliveries increase by nearly two-thirds during the festive period so Business Improvement District (BID), Team London Bridge, is working to tackle high emissions this Christmas by encouraging businesses to switch from diesel and petrol vehicles to cargo-bikes. 

The Bikes for Business scheme launched in April this year with the aim of getting 15% of all businesses in central London to switch from large-goods-vehicles (LGVs) to zero-emission cargo bikes.

Since then, around 50 cargo-bike deliveries have taken place every day in the London Bridge area alone.

According to Team London Bridge, more than three-quarters of Londoners are concerned about the environmental impact of their online purchases, with four out of five customers saying they would be open to carbon-friendly delivery options if they are easily available.

Switching to cargo-bikes will, therefore, allow businesses to get ahead by adopting environmentally friendly transport methods that will future proof their businesses.

Team London Bridge has said that the adoption of these cargo-bikes will bring significant benefits to the city.

An estimated 9,400 premature deaths are caused by exposure to air pollution in London annually, if all delivery organisations were to switch to cargo-bikes it could save up to 450 lives each year.

Replacing just 15% of all LGVs with cargo-bikes would also remove 28,750 lorries from the streets, which will greatly reduce congestion in the city.

Chief executive of Team London Bridge, Nadia Broccardo said: ‘As the festive season approaches, increasing numbers of people get their Christmas shopping delivered to their place of work as it is often more convenient.

‘They are also rightly demanding greater customer choice in the availability of carbon-friendly delivery options.

‘This creates a real opportunity for businesses to improve customer satisfaction as well as reducing the environmental impact of delivery vans clogging up the roads and polluting our streets.’

In related news, the start-up company Magway has developed a way to reduce air pollution and traffic congestion by transporting online orders through a network of pipes.

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