by Walther Ploos van Amstel
Wehkamp starts with delivery on cargo bikes. After several successful pilots, Wehkamp, DHL and Fietskoeriers.nl join forces. In 12 cities the couriers of Fietskoeriers.nl deliver, in the ‘last mile’, part of the packages from Wehkamp at home.
The impact of urban mobility, and urban freight transport in particular, on the liveability of an urban area is elevated. Growing urban road congestion in most European cities, to which urban freight transport is an active contributor, vehicle emissions and road safety are big challenges for society.
The mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, has announced a crack-down on 50.000 e-bikes delivering goods. At a press conference he complained: “We can’t have a situation where people feel unsafe crossing the street or even walking down the sidewalk. We can’t have a situation where someone is suddenly facing an electronic bicycle coming …
Containerization will play an important role in success of cargo bikes. This research paper by Tom Assmann and Fabian Behrendt presents a quantitative model to determine economically viable container heights for three-wheeled rear loading cargo bikes in crossdocking and intermodal truck-based last mile distribution schemes.
The advent of new technologies in last mile deliveries is about to cause a disruption in the traditional business model applied in city logistics. In this context, identifying new business and operations models and vehicles that could be applied for last mile deliveries in urban areas becomes crucial
Over 110 innovative solutions for decarbonising EU transport were submitted for the European Transport Innovation Challenge 2017. The 12 winners offered solutions in a wide range of transport applications; futuristic systems for moving people and freight in cities, services for people with reduced mobility and emergency services, a robot platform, parking, railway and cycling.
The International Cargo Bike Festival 2017 Magazine is available online presenting relevant case studies on the use of cargo bikes in urban freight; Urban Arrow, LEVV-LOGIC project, DHL and more.
Munich (D) has introduced a system of micro depots, which aims to boost the number of commercial same-day cargo bike courier services. The micro depots serve as handover points and linkages within the logistical service chain in order to reduce delivery distances, time of travel and emissions caused by motorized deliveries.
In cities everywhere, people on bikes are clamoring for more space on the roads. Towns in the Netherlands have gone further than almost anywhere else in securing that space. But, the past month has shown that even the Dutch might be struggling to keep up with the demand for bike lanes. Citylab reports about it.
The number of light commercial vehicles in cities is growing, which puts increasing pressure on cities in terms of pollution, congestion, accessibility and loss of public space. One of the opportunities for improvement may be found in the use of light electric freight vehicles (LEFVs), including cargo bikes.