Dublin City Council and bike sharing operator Bleeper have launched a scheme which will enable businesses in Dublin city to trial an electric cargobike for a six-month period.
The project will give businesses access to e-cargobikes at a discounted rate, enabling them to replace trips which would otherwise have been taken by car or by van.
The pilot scheme, which begins in September and will run for an initial six months, is now open for applications to any business based in the Dublin City Council area and which can also provide secure off-street storage for the e-cargobike.
The pedal-assist electric cargobikes will be available to businesses at a discounted rate of €100 per month. The bikes have a cargo carrying capacity of 60kg, with a battery which can last for up to 160km and can be fully recharged in 6 hours.
Jennifer McGrath, Head of Micro Mobility in Dublin City Council, said, “the aim of this pilot scheme is to introduce more businesses to cargobikes and let them experience the benefits of them first-hand. We’re offering a low-risk and low-cost opportunity for businesses to try out a transportation solution which is better for the climate, better for the environment, better for staff wellbeing, and better for the bottom line.”
Bleeper CEO, Hugh Cooney, said, “we’re delighted to work with Dublin City Council on this project and we expect it to be extremely popular,. Businesses are looking for ways to be more efficient and eco-friendly, and cargobikes offer a solution to that by being cheaper and cleaner to run. And they’re a lot of fun to cycle too!”
“Bleeper has been operating a similar cargobike project with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council this year and the Dublin City Council scheme aims to build on the success of the DLR project.”
Some Dublin businesses have already embraced cargobikes and they were on hand at today’s launch to endorse cargobikes and encourage other businesses to try them out for themselves.
Peadar Rice, who runs Small Changes wholefoods store, said, “we use our cargobike for deliveries to customers as well as transferring goods between our two stores in Drumcondra and Inchicore. We choose to use a cargobike because of its small ecological footprint but it’s also a very practical decision: Cycling is the most convenient and efficient way for us to get around the city. Sitting in traffic would be a waste of time and money.”
Those sentiments were echoed by William Despard, owner of the newly-opened Irish Food Emporium on Duke Street in Dublin 2.
Despard said, “in twenty of years of running Bretzel we have always had a green focus, with bike trailers & electrical vans and now the delivering of goods by cargobike at the Irish Food Emporium. Cargobikes make sense from a business perspective because they are the quickest and most reliable way to transport goods in Dublin city centre.”
“The new cycling infrastructure around Dublin city has definitely helped in terms of getting around via bike. It is much more relaxing to cycle on the segregated routes than when you’re sharing the road with motor traffic. It takes a lot of the stress out of delivering by bike.”
Source: Dublin City Council
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