Good news in Cycling: February 2023 Edition

We’re warming up cold and snowy February with some good news from the cycling world. Here are some of the news stories from the last month that excited us to read.

Fiáin d’Leafy, Bike Auckland’s chief biking officer, decided to move houses by bike with 10 bikes and a few bike trailers. Would you move houses by bike?

Bike Shares are growing and well. Hawaii’s bike share Biki experienced a 600% growth since the pandemic. Now they’re eyeing up ebikes. On the Atlantic, Boston city employees not get a free membership to their local bike share, Bluebikes. Boston has a “commitment to active and sustainable transportation” and is encouraging city employees to bike as well as use transit to commute.

Something all cyclists can unite about is the danger and annoyance when it comes to cars parked in bike lanes. Nice, France has implemented a software that detects motorists parked in bike lanes and issues tickets.

Low-income Berkeley residents can apply for a free e-bike, a city-funded program will give out 50 e-bikes this spring!

Toronto Welcomes Bike Lane & Complete Streets’ Victories!

Grass roots, community advocacy in Toronto scored a big victory in recent weeks. A pilot project, established during the pandemic to encourage more residents to get outside, embrace the outdoors, explore their city & local communities via cycling and walking, survived another day!

On February 8th, 2023 Toronto City Council voted to accept the staff report and the recommendation of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee to make the Midtown Yonge Complete Street Pilot permanent. The Infrastructure and Environment Committee was unanimous in their support of the project and Council voted 22 to 4 in favour of making the pilot permanent. This is not only a victory for the Yonge Street bike lanes from Davisville Avenue to Bloor Street, it also extends to the very successful #CafeTO venues along the same route. This initiative was endorsed by local advocacy group #Yonge4All who gathered over 8,000 signatures from the public in support of the project, 1,000 of whom sent personal emails to City Council. Sixty-four empassioned supporters came in person to speak at City Hall before Council.

City News conducted an awesome interview with the leader of Yonge For All, Robin Richardson, prior to the final decision.

The Midtown Yonge Complete Street is only the initial piece to a greater vision for the core of Toronto along Canada’s most famous street! With detailed designs beginning in 2023, ReImagine Yonge, will revive the corridor between Sheppard Avenue and Finch Avenue and YongeTOmorrow (with plans for implementation in 2024) will enliven the area from College to Queen. 

No Assembly Required - Ikea’s Solar E-Cargo Bike Delivery Goes Global!

Delft, The Netherlands

Throughout 2022, an Ikea Store in Delft, The Netherlands tested product delivery in the city centre via solar powered e-cargo bikes. This year-long pilot project (in tandem with another one in Vilnius, Lithuania) was deemed such a success that it is now being offered as a transport delivery option at any Ikea store who wants to embrace this green mode, internationally. 

In a recent corporate release, Ikea’s Sustainability Manager Helene Davidsson stated,” The solar-powered cargo bike will be a valuable addition to last-mile service, as it offers a quiet, emission-free alternative that can also bypass traffic congestion.”

The SunRider Trike can carry 90% of Ikea’s goods. The SunRider is described as being “up to 100 per cent” solar charged with panels built into the rear cargo box. The solar panels provide an average of 65-70 % of the charge needed for daily deliveries and up to 100 % on sunny days, with a range of approximately 100 km, or 62 miles per charge. The SunRider cargo bicycle has a 1.6 kWh lithium-ion battery charged using the integrated 545Wp solar PV panels. The cargo compartment can fit 1 standard EU pallet and can carry up to 150 kg.

“We want to meet more people, and many of our future customers will live in cities with limited access to transportation,” she said. “This challenge provides a great opportunity to explore new ways of making our products available.”

In many cities in the E.U., Ikea has already been renting out e-cargo bikes to their customers  who desire a more eco-friendly option to bring their products home, for several years. 

“Klimatsmart! ” : Swedish for “climate clever” or “living in a way that is beneficial to the environment and climate”.