Transport for London’s (TfL) first ever Cargo Bike Action Plan was launched at the National Cargo Bike Summit in Guildhall, London, at the end of March, marking a milestone for the growth of cargo bike cycling within the capital.

Under the new action plan, TfL will work with councils, businesses and freight industries to transform how deliveries and servicing journeys are made within the capital, by promoting the growth of cargo bikes and associated infrastructure and addressing the barriers that inhibit or prevent a shift from vans to cargo bikes.

TfL says the safe, clean and efficient functioning of freight in London is vitally important to the economy and a healthier and more sustainable city for all Londoners. The use of cargo bikes for freight and servicing trips is becoming more widespread, with major businesses including Amazon and DHL using them for deliveries because they are faster, cheaper and greener. 

The model estimates that cargo bikes could replace between one and two per cent of van kilometres across Greater London by 2025 and between one and four per cent of van kilometres by 2030. Carbon savings resulting from cargo bike growth across Greater London could be between 10,000 and 30,000 tonnes of CO2 a year by 2030.

Key actions within the plan include: 

• Monitoring movement by cycle type to identify usage patterns and project future growth.
• Further develop the demand model to help better understand where in London demand for cargo bikes is likely to be highest.
• Continue to work with boroughs to identify opportunities for short-stay parking facilities for bikes.
• Developing a London safety standard for cargo bikes that adopts best practice.
• Update and publish revised cargo bike safety guidance for operators and riders that provide advice on safety and operating practices for both riders and operators.
• Using procurement as a policy lever for suppliers to support sustainable last-mile deliveries and cargo bikes.
• Promoting cargo bikes as a preferred mode when planning TfL or supporting borough schemes, including Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and borough-led vehicle emissions-based schemes.

One of the key areas in providing success for the plan is providing secure, appropriate, short term and long term cycle parking infrastructure for cargo bikes and this has been given its own section (page 18).

Over the past 24 months, Falco has been working with cargo bike cyclists and councils in order to design numerous options for the safe, secure storage of cargo bikes. This has led to the development of the purpose-designed FalcoCargoBox cargo bike storage solution.

The FalcoCargoBox has already been used for numerous cargo bike schemes across the country, including the UK’s first ever e-Cargo Bike Share Scheme for the London Borough of Hackney, a network of six cargo bike lockers for the University of Bristol, Climate Action Ilkley e-cargo bike hire scheme and NHS Grampian.

Providing convenient, high security parking, the FalcoCargoBox was the UK’s first purpose designed storage solution to meet the growing trend for cargo, e-cargo and adaptive bikes.

Two securely locked front doors open to provide easy accessibility from the front and an innovitve gas-strut assisted lid can be opened to provide easy accessibility from above. Together when fully opened, the FalcoCargobox is an open and spacious cargo bike storage solution that is easily operated.

In addition to Cargo bikes, the cycle locker is ideal for storing all types of non-standard silhouette bikes including; adaptive bikes, recumbent bikes, tandems, tricycles, oversized and upright and as well as bike trailers.

The FalcoCargobox is a secure lockable unit and as such is an ideal solution to compliment residential streets, highstreets, car parks, rail stations, transport interchanges and recreational areas.

One of the great features of the FalcoCargobox is how attractive it can look. In line with it’s sister product the FalcoPod, with some imaginative designs you can lift your drab bike locker into the realms of a chic cycle parking facility, like images attached! It’s smooth exterior cladding makes it ideal for the application for graphic designs and ‘wraps’!

A copy of the Cargo Bike Action Plan can be viewed by clicking here.

Falco’s technical team can provide full support and guidance on implementing secure cargo bike storage for your cargo, e-cargo or adaptive bike scheme including free UK-wide site surveys, free CAD design and schematics, free rendering graphics to help visualise your cargo bike scheme as well as complete manufacture, supply and installation. Please contact the technical team on 01538 380080 or by email at sales@falco.co.uk.