The eCargo Bike Delivery Project in Colchester has been revived throughout December, offering free delivery of parcels across a 5.5 mile radius in the city. The project has run previously in Colchester and has now returned for the full month of December, offering shoppers the chance to get their goods delivered for free by e-cargo bike.
Originally, the project was set up as part of cleaner transport alternative initiative in Colchester. The scheme has been paid for by Local Air Quality Grants from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and throughout December, the service is being offered to users for free.
The trial works as follows: customers go into a shop in Colchester, when making their purchases they can ask for home delivery by eCargo bike. This is arranged as either same day or next day delivery, allowing customers to spend less time lugging shopping around and more time in the town. It's free for both customer and for the businesses involved to use the service.
Whilst it removes potential vans and other delivery vehicles off the roads, it can also help to promote a more sustainable way for customers to get in and out of Colchester. Without the need for cars to carry their shopping, more people could opt to use public transport or even cycle in.
The organisers say that up to 30 packages per day have been delivered so far, including Christmas gifts and food. The co-founder of the eCargo Bike Delivery Project, Lee Pugh, said:
“It's a fantastic alternative to vans and small cars for deliveries around Colchester. We are by no means the only answer, but we are a part of the bigger picture around climate change."
Pugh also commented that this year's trial was "going well", and that the last few days in the run up to Christmas were "really busy."
Electric cargo bikes are certainly rising in popularity from a last-mile delivery perspective, and they offer benefits such as being more environmentally friendly and can actually be quicker when riding through busy cities than vans would be for the same journeys. One of the big motivations for Colchester to get behind this project, however, was to improve air quality in the city.
We reported on the launch of the Colchester eCargo Bike Delivery Service back in 2021, when it was used primarily for the distribution of foodbank parcels. In the last 12 months, however, it's grown into an independent business of its own, and now works alongside Colchester City Council's Cargo bike and other cycling activities.
It’s not the first of its kind, either, with Wellington in Shropshire offering a similar service where town shoppers can get their goods delivered by e-cargo bike.
You can find out more about the project on the eCargo Bike Delivery Project Colchester website.
