Cargo bikes in Rio are everywhere. Every little shop has its own tricycle and a person dedicated to deliveries: they are called triciclistas and they represent 40% of all cycling traffic in the city center.

Therefore, it is no wonder that this session was well attended, also considerinf the great panelists it featured: Amanda Fernandes Ferreira, PhD student in Civil engineer at the National University of Taiwan, presented the results of her research on the use of cargo-bike as an alternative for freight transport in dense urban centers; Jochen Maes, consultant for Transport, Infrastructure and Mobility at Ecorys, talked about the economic sustainability of these systems in this highly competitive sector; Britta Peters, from the City of Hamburg, showcased Trashh, a great initiative ongoing in Hamburg, where e-cargo bikes are used as duty vehicles for waste management; Claudio Olivares, Director of Bicivilizate, gave an account of the diversity of uses cargo bikes are put to across the whole South American continent; and Fabio Nazareth, contributor and consultant in Cycle Logistics at Transporte Ativo, reported on a survey the organisation has carried out, which shows that: “44% of shop owners that use cargo bikes for their daily deliveries say they do so because cycle logistics is faster, more agile and ultimately more efficient than the other options, in dense urban environments”, concluded Fabio.

We talked about the sustainability of these systems, about the social and environmental benefits of cycle logistics, about competition with motorized delivery, about the wide variety of services and systems in Europe, South America, South East Asia, and beyond. The excellent presentations led to a very interesting discussion between city officials, activists and researchers about how to improve the sector and ensure its expansion.

As a final call, Claudio Olivares announced that a Cycle-logistics conference will be hold on November 14-15 in Cartagena, Colombia: check out the website and register now to attend!