Cargo bike use doubles in London across last two years

New analysis of TfL data by Clean Cities has found that that cargo bike use increased across London by 104% from 2022 to 2024.

Recent research by Clean Cities has found that diesel vans are now the biggest road source of NOx emissions in central London, making Cargo bikes a key way to shift London’s deliveries to cleaner methods.

Although the increase in cargo bikes is welcome, there is a lot more to do to continue the progress - the  data reveals a slightly slower increase in cargo bike adoption from 2022-23 to 2023-24, showing the need for the Mayor of London and London Boroughs to incentivise businesses and residents to use cargo bikes more often. Campaigners are calling for the provision of new grants for small businesses and residents to support the purchase of new cargo bikes. 

It comes as the sixth edition of the Cargo Bike Cruise is organised by the Sustainable Urban Freight Association (SUFA), Clean Cities, and Team London Bridge. The event brings together the largest convoy of cargo bikes in the world to celebrate London’s freight revolution. 

Zak Bond, Clean Cities Campaign Manager said: “Our analysis has shown that diesel vans are now the biggest road source of dirty air in central London. Shifting as many deliveries as possible to cargo bikes is essential. This increase in cargo bike use is a strong start, but local authorities must do more to support residents and businesses to use cargo bikes. That should include new grants which help those who need it most with the high upstart cost of a cargo bike”

Lee Pugh, Co-Chair of SUFA and Founder of Colchester eCargo said: “Cargo bikes are the among greenest forms of transporting goods and critical for the UK’s freight infrastructure. From parcel deliveries and shopping to waste disposal and recycling, cargo bike operators from Glasgow to the Isle of Wight are working hard to replace polluting cars and vans, reducing air and noise pollution as well as tackling climate change. 

“It’s great to see progress being made in London and across the UK. The Sustainable Urban Freight Association will lead a delegation to the International Cargo Bike Festival in Utrecht next month, where we will highlight this fantastic increase in delivery miles and work together with our European partners to accelerate the transition to cargo bikes and cleaner, more ethical goods transport.”

Jack Skillen, Director of Sustainability and Place at Team London Bridge (the Business Improvement District), said “The Cargo Bike Cruise shows how transformational the shift to cargo bikes can be for a business district like London Bridge, making deliveries less polluted, less noisy, and removing traffic and stress to create healthy streets. Our Cargo Bike Service Directory is helping businesses to take emissions out of their supply chains, with 100 services, from couriers to office supplies to waste, available locally on cargo bike. We encourage authorities to support this momentum, and operators and service providers to change their own logistics to cargo bikes where feasible. The Cruise is made up of inspiring businesses leading the way.”