Can pedal power and e-cargo cycles realistically compete with vans, the “last mile” delivery king?
SYSC’s project looking into decarbonising road freight transport in South Yorkshire explored how carbon emissions from short distance and last-mile deliveries contribute to road freight emission. It also set out to evaluate the potential of eCargo bikes as a sustainable alternative in city centre scenarios, particularly the challenge of short-distance, “last mile” deliveries.
As part of SYSC’s Consolidated Research Report, two case studies have explored those challenges. “Modelling the Impact of e-cargo Bikes for Last Mile Deliveries in South Yorkshire” mapped delivery densities, road speeds, and "subtour" requirements to see where eCargo cycles actually outperform vans in terms of time and efficiency. Alongside the data, qualitative research investigated the socio-economic landscape in “E-cargo Cycle Schemes: Lessons for Policy Design”. By speaking with local stakeholders, the team identified the "on-the-ground" barriers to the use of e-cargo cycles.
Key Insights
The modelling exercise found that there is great potential for e-cargo cycles to replace a significant proportion of last-mile deliveries in South Yorkshire’s urban areas, especially where there is a high density of businesses and housing. Feasibility was found to be particularly high in Barnsley and Rotherham; across the areas of 80 km2, e-cargo cycles still take less time than vans, despite making a mean of 5.9 and 6.2 subtours (between which more packages are picked up from the depot). In Sheffield, e-cargo cycles outperformed vans no matter the number of stops when the delivery area was 16km2 or less. In Doncaster, feasibility is high for e-cargo cycles up to 12 stops but is always outperformed by a van after 26 stops. This is due to lower business density and faster arterial routes that favour vans.
Whilst the modelling demonstrated strong potential for e-cargo cycle deployment, the accompanying qualitative research found significant challenges such as business resistance to change, the safety and security of both riders and e-cargo cycles as well as a lack of local authority resources to support the transition. However, a clear role for local government emerged, alongside continued commitment to invest in cycling infrastructure; supporting the normalisation of e-cargo cycles through trials and their incorporation into internal fleets, with one interviewee noting “People are not going to start seeing this as an alternative unless they start seeing them”.
Lessons for Policy Design
Also available is a policy paper, "E-cargo Cycle Schemes: Lessons for Policy Design", by Mia Rafalowicz-Campbell. This report has brought together the key themes, takeaways and policy lessons for the implementation of e-cargo cycle schemes in the UK. While it is a growing sector, outside of pockets of mainland Europe e-cargo cycles remain a niche technology. Increasing their uptake among businesses and public alike requires work on a number of fronts. This policy paper seeks to provide recommendations for future trials of e-cargo cycle schemes, collaboration between public and private sectors for successful implementation and challenges to e-cargo cycle models.
