The future of the global shipping industry is . . . bikes

john61ct

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DPD's cute mini-truck is actually an e-bike in disguise

https://www.fastcompany.com/90390171/the-future-of-the-global-shipping-industry-is-a-bike
 
So. I'm supposed to share bike lanes, etc with commercial delivery vehicles in dense city cores?

No thanks.

You'll find vehicles of similar size and role in many Asian and African cities, usually pedal powered, occasionally ICE, but there they have an established place in the traffic flow, not among bicycles and pedestrians.

They will generally operate as part of a hierarchy that places them above private cars, but below motorcycles, minibuses, and possibly bicycles.

Matter of fact private cars will be at the bottom of the totem pole most of the time, they take too much space to accomplish too little. You're an idiot if you drive a car in those cities.

But I don't see a place for delivery vehicles like this in our car centric North American cities, not without a major change in attitude when it comes to the place low/single occupancy private cars deserve on the streets of our cities.

I'm sure as hell not giving up any more of mine as a cyclist.
 
Its just an electric “Pedicab” with a dead weight load, and will suffer the same issues....slow, limited range, load limited, and still get stuck in traffic (if operated legally).
A Zero based courier service would be much quicker even if running multiple trips to deliver the same total payload
 
dustNbone said:
So. I'm supposed to share bike lanes, etc with commercial delivery vehicles in dense city cores?
Since that one has four wheels, it's not a bicycle in most places in the USA, probably Canada, EU, maybe Australia, so no, you wouldn't have to.

Unless they can get a change in law, they wouldn't even be able to use them most places, legally.



But I don't see a place for delivery vehicles like this in our car centric North American cities, not without a major change in attitude when it comes to the place low/single occupancy private cars deserve on the streets of our cities.
I'd venture that something like that little CDV would do a good job blocking traffic so it'll get run off the road pretty quick if they tried riding anywhere but back streets.

The only place I can imagine they'd be useful is if they were dropped off by a larger vehicle in a neighborhood with the local deliveries, and then picked up when done, here in Phoenix.


I'd love to see a change in transportation modes, but I know the trouble I would have using SB Cruiser in that kind of role, and it's probably about the same capacity (though much longer, because I have to have three wheels instead of four, to be a bicycle).
 

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Yes they are stupid to drive a car in those cities, but its a status symbol.
Maybe they'd be better off with an American Harley motorbike, then they'd have that status, as they wear Levi jeans, Nike shoes, Under Armor T-shirts, smoking Marlboro's, drinking Budweiser.


dustNbone said:
You're an idiot if you drive a car in those cities.
 
amberwolf said:
dustNbone said:
So. I'm supposed to share bike lanes, etc with commercial delivery vehicles in dense city cores?
Since that one has four wheels, it's not a bicycle in most places in the USA, probably Canada, EU, maybe Australia, so no, you wouldn't have to.

Unless they can get a change in law, they wouldn't even be able to use them most places, legally.
Yep. This is a major point that isn't even mentioned in the article. That said, it seems pretty clear to me that you can get these laws changed if you have enough money and influence. Look what Segway has managed to do with laws and their device.
 
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