More E-cargo bikes to be used in Bradford after successful funding bid

The joint bid by Bradford Council, Leeds Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority will see funding for 32 bikes, valued at around £160,000, in the area.

Ten of these will be coming to Bradford.

The bid was made to the Department for Transport and Energy Saving Trust.

The successful bid comes shortly after a new report that found E-cargo bikes were faster and more efficient at making deliveries in built up areas than vans, as well as cutting carbon emissions by 90 per cent compared to vans.

E-cargo bikes are electric bikes with large storage spaces on board. They have zero tailpipe emissions and are an efficient way of transporting cargo and making "last mile" local deliveries.

The report, by the Active Travel Academy at the University of Westminster, found that E-cargo bikes could drop off 10 packages an hour in built up areas, compared to six an hour for vans.

On average deliveries by E-cargo bikes were 60 per cent faster than vans in such areas.

Ecargo bikes to be trialled in Bradford

Although vans can travel on clear stretches of road much faster, traffic congestion and difficulty finding parking spaces meant vans were ultimately a much slower mode of delivery once in urban areas.

Bradford Council first introduced E-cargo bikes last year, with one such bike replacing the van used by the parks team at Lister Park.

The ten new bikes coming to Bradford will be used by groups such as Capital of Cycling, the University of Bradford and within the Council's vehicle fleet - with some being loaned to local businesses.

A Bradford Council spokesman said: "Bradford Council has been successfully running an e-cargo bike in our parks service. The bike has been based at Lister Park and has been used to help maintain the park and replaced the use of a van.

"It has proved to be very safe and quiet for supporting light repairs and transporting tools and equipment around the park.

"It’s also become a talking point and a good way to raise awareness of the possibilities of greener, more sustainable transport.

Two others e-cargo bikes purchased last year are being managed by the Capital of Cycling who are using them for their own activities and plan to loan them out to local businesses and organisations."

Referring to the 10 E-cargo bikes coming to Bradford, they added: "These will be used by Capital of Cycling, Bradford Bikery, Bradford University Student Union, Theatre in the Mill, Baildon Friends of the Earth and within our own fleet.

"Some will also be made available to local firms to trial.

Two multi-million pound Bradford transport schemes could finish up to 20 months behind schedule

"The Council believes, e-cargo bikes show great promise in reducing emissions and congestion, improving air quality and enhancing road safety.

"They are also very low cost compared with their fossil fuel equivalents."

When the funding was announced, Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, Leader of Bradford Council and Chair of West Yorkshire Transport Committee, said: "We are proud to be working with partners to bring the opportunity for employers in West Yorkshire to use innovative technology such as e-cargo bikes as part of their day-to-day work, and make use of the fantastic new cycling routes being delivered in the region.

"We know that the more short journeys made by bike, and on foot, will make our city centres cleaner and more pleasant places to be, and be part of our ambition to become a net zero carbon economy by 2038.”

20mph zones, cycle paths and tree planting - new look for Manningham Lane

Councillor Alex Ross Shaw, Bradford Council’s Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “We must explore and adapt to effective alternative modes of transport. E-cargo bikes are proof that deliveries can be carried out without the use of a van and are so much cheaper to run. So, we are delighted to have received this funding, as it will enable us to further develop the role of e-cargo bikes for local business. We will also be using some of the e-cargo bikes within our own fleet, for example, our outdoor education centres plan to use an e-cargo bike instead of a van to move equipment around for outdoor education sessions.

“The bikes have already been allocated to organisations in our district. However, some will be available via local organisations to be borrowed by other businesses locally. Any Bradford businesses interested in using an e-cargo bike or wishing to find out more can email eccu@bradford.gov.uk.”