Cross River Partnership urges new initiatives for last mile cycle logistics

A new report by Cross River Partnership (CRP) is urging new initiatives and servicing facilities to boost the last mile cycle logistics industry.

CRP, a public-private infrastructure organisation, said that while bike deliveries have occurred for well-over 100 years there has been no wholesale adoption of cargo bikes for last mile deliveries and take up seems to be lower in the UK than other countries.

It said logistics complexities help to explain this, including the historical decline in the availability of land for logistics facilities in London and knowing that operators will always respond to their customer’s demands.

CRP also acknowledged that the total volume of goods required in central London requires a combination of vehicles, including HGVs and vans that have greater capacity.

Part of CRP’s recommendations include increasing the number of servicing facilities for cargo bikes and establishing a network of ‘kissing points’ for couriers to drop off/bring back collections and charge their e-bikes in London.

Tom Linton-Smith, project manager at Cross River Partnership, said: “Cargo bikes are part of the clean transport mix that is required to keep the city moving, building resilience as we deal with the challenges of economic recovery, congestion, air pollution and the climate emergency.

“In this report we have exposed the challenges and suggested opportunities to work together in new ways to increase their use in London and other cities through knowledge sharing and collaboration.”

Download CRP's 'Enabling last mile cycle logistics' report here.