The smart and simple bicycle has many forms. The cargo bike is the vehicle that seems to lose all need for cars in city centers altogether. During the pandemic, both delivery companies and commuters started to search for alternative methods of transportation, familiarising themselves with the capable cargo bike.
Our cities are under transformation
One of the biggest impacts of reducing carbon emissions in the transportation sector comes from freight companies, it is noted that over 60% of the world’s CO2 emissions come from the transport sector, making it a logical place to start from when thinking about reducing the carbon footprint and minimizing congestion in urban areas first. Especially when 80% of urban trips fall under 5 miles.
Climate change, solutions to a better more sustainable future are hot topics that get a lot of attention. Does it change the way we see a company if they take our parcels to us carbon neutrally?
Children and cargo bikes
Among reasons like flat landscape, poor weather conditions, long distances and lack of infrastructure, the most often mentioned reason for not cycling is having to take children to kindergarten and school.
Pärtel Peeter Pere, The Cycling Mayor of Tallinn and a father of three says he has used cargo bikes since he lived in Stockholm Sweden: “We saw how easy and practical they were and got our own. The kids love it, we don’t have any need for a privately owned car and we’ve never looked back. I see transportation as a way to spend time with the family, not just getting from one place to another.”
He mentions that once you get a hold of it, you do not see the obstacles but anticipate to your daily rides with the family or by yourself. He recommends getting an electric one to be able to take on longer distances and to move around seamlessly.
The future commuter is smart
High-end bicycles need high-end solutions: when you visualise the future city, you’ll get excited instead of worried.
Hagen Bikes CEO Kaspar Peek says cities will go under transformation in the next few years: ” We are seeing a vast transformation of our cities and people’s habits. Our sales are up 5x from 2020 and most of our customers are making a switch from cars to bicycles. They sell their cars to buy a cargo bike or substitute the main shorter trips, their everyday commute. The trend is only starting, with lowering the speed in city centers, widening pedestrian lanes and creating proper bicycle lanes, the effect will be seen the fastest, just like in Paris, which transformed in a year after policies were carried out.
People want to live longer, healthier and greener and by doing so, transform our cities into more livable environments.”
According to Bikeep statistics, bicycle use is up by 30% from last year, indicated by their parking numbers. The trend is rising for two years in a row, showcasing record numbers in the coldest seasons and regions since the pandemic began. Bikeep CEO Kristjan Lind said it has been a journey: “It is remarkable that in the last decade, conversations around cycling have shifted from why it is needed to what extent it is needed. It’s refreshing that from private use, we as a society have moved to corporate use including couriers, freight companies and even house movers! Our partner in Denmark has called cycling the Swiss knife, meaning it has the solution to most of society’s concerns”.
Hagen Bikes:
Hagen Bikes is one of the fastest-growing cargo brands established in Denmark in 2014. Today, Hagen riders can be found in 12 countries around Europe and in the end of 2021, Hagen Bikes went public with their IPO on Nasdaq’s First North market with the offer over-subscribed 14,9x.
Bikeep is an award-winning global micromobility enabler. The company provides secure micromobility parking and charging facilities globally – operating in 21 different countries. Its technology has been successfully used by municipalities, commercial and residential real estate globally to fight against soaring bike theft and to increase bike usage.
