New York City is launching a six-month pilot to encourage the use of e-cargo bikes by package delivery companies like UPS, DHL, and Amazon, allowing 100 vehicles access to free commercial loading spaces.
This is a big deal since e-cargo bikes have been in use in Europe for a while now, but not so much in the US.
Their benefits are several-fold:
City of Bikes: With virtually no biking culture only a few years ago, Paris is now seeing staggering bike adoption, creating a blueprint for other cities. The rapidly growing infrastructure, primarily a large network of protected bike lanes, was enabled thanks to bold leadership from Mayor Anne Hidalgo.
The saga continues: With a history of global press coverage and no shortage of customers, the maker of the ultra-efficient solar electric ELF, Organic Transit looks for buyers to continue their mission of convenient and sustainable personal mobility.
City of Bikes: With virtually no biking culture only a few years ago, Paris is now seeing staggering bike adoption, creating a blueprint for other cities. The rapidly growing infrastructure, primarily a large network of protected bike lanes, was enabled thanks to bold leadership from Mayor Anne Hidalgo.
The saga continues: With a history of global press coverage and no shortage of customers, the maker of the ultra-efficient solar electric ELF, Organic Transit looks for buyers to continue their mission of convenient and sustainable personal mobility.
New York City is launching a six-month pilot to encourage the use of e-cargo bikes by package delivery companies like UPS, DHL, and Amazon, allowing 100 vehicles access to free commercial loading spaces.
This is a big deal since e-cargo bikes have been in use in Europe for a while now, but not so much in the US.
Their benefits are several-fold:
Leaps and bounds: In just a few short years, bold bike infrastructure construction has catapulted Paris to 8th place on Wired’s list of most bike-friendly cities, and drove a 54% jump in bike ridership in just one year.
Bike and Rider: Even Car and Driver cannot ignore the coming groundswell of micromobility, highlighting Deloitte’s estimate of a 50% surge of ebike sales and a global fleet of 300 million total units over the next 3 years.
“Bicycles could save the world:” Bicycle mayors have spread to 91 cities worldwide, bringing much needed focus and leadership to this powerful yet underinvested mobility mode which not only provides personal transport, but boosts health, decreases pollution, creates independent kids, and strengthens social connections.
Scooter synergy: Real estate developers and scooter providers see a budding new business model in providing tenants a fun, easy, and inexpensive mode of mobility—while simultaneously growing a micromobility customer base and potentially helping reduce large and expensive car parking.
There’s a quote that’s stuck with me for some time from Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom: “You know why people don’t like liberals? Because they lose. If liberals are so f***ing smart, how come they lose so goddamn always?”
American urbanists and bike advocates are smart, or at least well informed. We know how important cycling is. We are educated about cycling cities in other parts of the world and how they are so much better for health, well-being, economics, traffic, pollution, climate, equity, personal freedom, and on and on.
Micromobility’s gender gap: Concerns over safety as well as comfort due to the lack of adequate micromobility infrastructure continues to be leading cause of a huge gender gap for cycling and scooter use alike, according to a new study.
Euro trip: Ford’s e-scooter unit Spin begins hiring in preparation for a major push into Europe, as Shanghai-based Doinnext aims for the European full-sized scooter market with hopes of standing out of the crowd with their stylish mopeds.
But do they replace car trips? A new report from Santa Monica’s scooter pilot reveals that almost half of all scooter rides do in fact replace trips otherwise taken by car. That’s a good look for sustainability!
Coming-out party: Chinese e-bike component manufacturer Bafang Electric IPOs on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, raising 168 million Euros with plans for investments in motor and controller manufacturing, lithium ion batteries, international marketing, and R&D.
There are lots of great urbanist reading lists out there.
But if you’re looking for something a little outside the usual urbanist wheelhouse, you might enjoy this diverse list!
While these selections aren’t strictly cannon, they share a perspective shifting quality about streets and our daily reality that we think you or someone you love who lives in and/or interested in cities will greatly enjoy.