Biggest Cargo Bike Cruise highlights growth in clean deliveries

More than 80 cargo bikes have congregated in central London take part in the fifth annual Cargo Bike Cruise, lending support to the new Clean Cargo Capital campaign.

Clean Cargo Capital aims to accelerate the uptake of electric and pedal powered vehicles by businesses.

The cruise began and ended in  London Bridge and the couriers, plumbers and electricians taking part were joined by Stella Creasy MP and Luke Taylor MP in the largest convoy to date.

According to analysis by campaign group Clean Cities, London saw a 63% rise in the number of cargo bikes between 2022 and 2023 

Transport for London have calculated that by 2030, cargo bikes could replace up to 17% of the vans currently operating in the capital, which would replace more than 62 million van miles and save around 30,000 tonnes of CO2 each year.

Despite the obvious benefits of transitioning to clean deliveries, none of the £100m that Transport for London are using to scrap non-compliant vans, is being used to incentivise their replacement with cargo bikes.

As such campaign groups like Clean Cities are calling for a ‘Green Deal for Freight’, with remaining funds allocated to a ‘Bikes for Business’ project providing advice and subsidies to London businesses wanting to adopt cargo bikes.

The group are also calling for a fairer Congestion Charge to reflect the environmental impacts of different transport modes, and a solution to the river crossing problem, exacerbated  by the fact that Transport for London’s plans for the Silvertown Tunnel do not currently allow for cargo bikes.

Jack Skillen, Director of Sustainability and Place at Team London Bridge, the business improvement district, said: ‘In this area alone over 200 businesses have made a switch to cargo bike, whether it is for transporting legal contracts, blood samples, stationary or waste.

‘The change in London Bridge has been dramatic, and is having such a positive impact on the environment and the public. But there are barriers limiting progress, so we need partners, including the Mayor, local and national governments to share our vision if we are going to see this positive transformation continue across London.’

Jemima Hartshorn, Founder, Mums For Lungs: ‘We know that a quarter of a million children in London have asthma and that comes at a huge human and financial cost to all of us. When every breathe we take has toxins in, the impact of this crisis is one that affects each and every Londoner, but it is a crisis that is avoidable.

‘As demonstrated today with the Cargo Bike Cruise, there are alternatives to the dirty diesel and petrol vehicles we see on our roads in still increasing numbers. We must see London transition to a cleaner and greener city, we must incentivise businesses to adopt not only electric vehicles but innovative and yet simple solutions such as the cargo bike.

‘Whether it be grocery deliveries or a local electrician, the humble cargo bike is being shown as an impactful tool in decarbonising local economies and cleaning up London’s air. We need to see further support from the Mayor for businesses to take part in this pedal powered revolution.’