More than 20 Sheffield businesses get e-cargo bikes thanks to council bid

Twenty six businesses in Sheffield have been given e-cargo bikes thanks to a successful bid by Sheffield Council.
Allan Shaw,  who volunteered to help deliver veg boxes for Barra Organics, using one of the bikes.Allan Shaw,  who volunteered to help deliver veg boxes for Barra Organics, using one of the bikes.
Allan Shaw, who volunteered to help deliver veg boxes for Barra Organics, using one of the bikes.

Those who signed up to the scheme included yoga instructors, architecture firms, a medical centre, blacksmiths, cleaners, a church and various food stores.

The council was granted 32 e-cargo bikes from the Energy Saving Trust - the highest number out of 18 successful local authorities.

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Councillor Bob Johnson, cabinet member for transport, said: "It is fantastic to see local businesses being able to use e-bikes as a viable alternative to van deliveries.

“As a council we are always keen to introduce innovative methods of travel into our city that have a really positive impact on our environment. Given our current circumstances there is no better time to encourage more active and greener travel in to the everyday business model.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how all our qualifying businesses use the bikes I and hope that this will encourage more companies to consider alternative modes of transport wherever they can.”

Businesses who take on one of the e-cargo bikes are required to pay 10 percent of the cost - which does not include protective equipment such as helmets and hi-vis clothing.

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Moya Sketchley of Barra Organics, one of the traders who are using the scheme, said: "The bike is just fantastic. The attention to detail in the design is phenomenal it feels great to ride.

“The covered flight case was great for veg boxes and comfortably accommodated five plus orders, so it genuinely helped take up some of the strain off the van drivers for local deliveries.

“It has been such a positive experience to see how the e-cargo bikes work in practice. I am very grateful to the council for facilitating this and now genuinely excited about the potential for e bike powering our local deliveries in the future."

The project was also praised by opposition councillors.

Councillor Ruth Mersereau, representative for City ward, said: "I think it's great news, I know a lot of businesses in the city centre were really interested and wrote to the city council about it so there is a lot of interest.

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"I think they will be great for delivering in the city centre because they are non polluting, they are quiet, they take up a lot less road space and they can easily get around the city centre - much more so than vans.

"E-bikes are a great way to get around Sheffield, I have one myself and it's quicker than any other way of getting across the city."

Coun Tim Huggan, Liberal Democrat shadow cabinet member for climate change, said: "Now that we will have a number of electric cargo bikes to transport goods around the city, Sheffield Council must now put the infrastructure in place for the bikes to be used to their full potential and to make the proposed low emission zone become a reality.

"This means that the council must invest in cycleways, adequate bike storage and the transformation of our city into a cycle friendly place."

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The full list of Sheffield businesses who got an e-bike as part of the scheme are as follows:

Bhaji shop

Regather

Unwrapped

Paul Testa Architecture

Smart Metering Technologies

Russell Bike Shed

Bike Rehab

Sun Moon Yoga

Barra Organics

Steamyard

GT Blacksmiths

Wallsmiths

Down To Earth

Lab4living

S11 Cleaning

MMKNIVES

Bullion

Love to Ride

Bluebell Energy

Wincobank Medical Centre

Nathan Dainty Photography

DNCA

SCX Special projects

St Marys Church

Foodworks

Foodhall project