I learned about cargo bikes a few days ago…and yeah, they look like a real alternative to cars.
Electrified ones especially, but tradespeople in my area often need to drive 100+ miles a day. Carrying ladders, extension cords, cordless tools, and a couple hundred pounds of other parts and supplies.
It’s also our lunch spot (for those that pack our own) and runabout to get a missing part when needed.
In a city, for handyman work, I could probably set something up and be comfortable and happy. Outside that it’s a stretch and would require changing a lot, or simply offsetting the heavy vehicle use to another user.
Offsetting doesn’t work. It’s a myth, you can’t undo your carbon footprint by using a bike later.
That said, I agree that the cargo bike solution wouldn’t work for trades people. There needs to be a middle ground that isn’t an just an EV.
I don’t mean carbon offsetting, I mean that the vehicle use will be shifted to delivery vans if tradespeople can’t bring large parts with them long distances. And Uber might have to fill the gaps for short missing parts trips, which may be less efficient.
