Ideas for promoting bike logistics

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Bike logistics is increasingly being promoted by advance cities, but there are others which have to change its politics and really promote the use of bicycles in deliveries. Here mayors have some ideas:

  • Allow trailers plus bikes: Surprisingly, trailers are not allowed in some cities and should be legal as they are essential accessories in bike logistics. Some of them can carry 200 kilogram and electric motors make it easy for cyclists.

  • Knowledge: Mayors should know the projects related to bikes already in development in their cities. They should listen to urban bikers since they share a specialized vision regarding sustainable, urban mobility such as tips, difficulties, challenges and needs. This is important to avoid false steps, and waste of money and time.

  • Space: Bike logistics focuses on the last mile. Cities have normally had empty public spaces, even buildings. One way to give life to them is councils yield them to bike logistics. Bike logistics can not develop often due to the fact of the impossibility of renting a 200 squared meters in downtown. This would solve a recurrent problem.

  • Transfer: The more cargobikes are seen in a city, the more cargobikes will be on that city. If councils transfer a cargobike fleet to firms and citizenship, they popularize them. Moreover, as this is not a bike sharing service, such bikers end buying them after testing cargobikes.

  • Economical support: Subsidizing cargobikes in several countries have demonstrated it as a good attempt to increase cargobike use and enhance bike logistics.

Copenhagenize index

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The Copenhagenize index is a well-known index for every person who wants to know about urban biking. It punctuates cities from more than forty countries based on several points. It gives hints and demonstrates how to do good things to promote urban biking development. It shows that not only bicycle infrastructure is important, but also advancing towards cities for people. The Copenhagenize index is not a competition, rather a showcase of actions to enter this club and a road map about successful actions for specialists.

The Copenhagenize index has three pillars: a secure and connected bike infrastructure, specific politics to increase urban biking, and budget and support. Regarding the last point, Utrech (the number one in the 2025 edition) invested 66€ per year and citizen in urban biking. Additional issues such as 89 bike parking every one thousands inhabitants or almost one third of total displacements were done by bicycle made Utrech to appear on the Copenhagenize index. These and many more ideas can be extracted from it.

What is advisable when you want to start or continuing pedaling when after moving to an other country to work?

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It is normal that some doubts appear when moving to a different country. Some of them are related to biking.

It is logical that different countries follow alternative justices over using a bicycle daily, so the first tip is to take into account the local laws regarding it. Receiving a fine for not knowing the local law when pedaling is discouraged.

Next, choosing your future bike (if you did not bring it with you) is essential and for that take a look at the bicycles that local bikers drive. For instance, if the city/country is hilly, ebikes and mountain bikes use to be preferred. If in a flat city, a city bike is usually acceptable. Buying a first hand or thrift bicycle depends on your economic situation. However, never buy a bike without bill as it could be robbed and thus you would contribute to bicycle thefts.

Another tip is to look at local bikers: how they ride, where they go, what garment they wear regarding local climate. This allows you to anticipate the best behavior while riding.

Finally, if you want to meet bikers and make friends, one of the best ways is to participate in the Critical Mass.