Impact on Urban Health endorses cargo bikes for decarbonising freight

The Impact on Urban Health, part of Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation, has published several policy recommendations to transform the UK’s freight industry, which makes up a total 15 per cent of total miles travelled in London.

Its research shows that LGVs and HGVs were responsible for 28.5 per cent of all of London’s NOx transport emissions in 2019. With air pollution contributing to up to 43,000 deaths a year, decarbonising freight fleets is a key mission of Impact on Urban Health.

Among other initiatives to modernise the UK’s freight system such as developing large-scale smart delivery networks such as the Active Last Mile, Impact on Urban Health recommends the economic incentives for business that use e-cargo bikes. 

Research shows that the social and environmental cost of diesel vans is 8 times that of e-cargo bikes, and they urge the government to offer either interest-free or fixed low-interest loans to small to medium sized businesses (SMEs) to allow them to be able to afford the investment. This would build not the success of the eCargo Bike Grant Fund, a local authority scheme funded by the Department for Transport (DfT) that gave £700,000 to small business and individuals between 2019-2022 to encourage the switch to greener, electric transport solutions.

Impact on Urban Health also recommend bringing in road pricing incentives for low-polluting vehicles, like electric vehicles (EVs). They explain: “We recommend the DfT introduce a tiered payment system for commercial road use in cities to incentivise the use of environmentally friendly vehicles, like cargo bikes. Fees would be based on vehicle pollution levels and should consider health-damaging particulate matter, not just carbon or nitrogen oxide.”

This scheme would reward sustainable business practices and offer an incentive for business to make the switch to carbon-free fleets, like eHGVs or e-cargo bikes. Impact on Urban Trust also recommends rewarding business that reduce their air pollution from freight fleets.