Beate Kubitz Associates are giving technical and strategic advice on the Urban Freight Project, an ongoing trial of bike logistics by the West of England Combined Authority.

Funded as part of the West of England’s Future Transport Zone, the aim of the project is to demonstrate the capabilities of cargo bikes. Initial partners include large institutions such as the University of the West of England and Bristol Royal Infirmary, who have been supplied with e-cargo bikes to substitute for some of their conventional vehicle fleet use. Further planned phases of the project include an online local shopping platform with integrated bike delivery, and shared public e-cargo bikes.

The trial has presented a number of challenges including procurement of bikes, service agreements and insurance. Drawing on our experience of similar previous initiatives and setting up our own e-cargo bike delivery service, the project team has been able to deliver the first phase and will be monitoring and evaluating its benefits with the aim of scaling up.