Spirit! of the cargo bike - easy eco friendly way!

bija · October 26, 2008

In this age of keeping our footprint on mother earth simple, and soft sandals.

Why not go full tilt and eco friendly. Go cargo bike (can be set up with electric motor too):

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bija · October 26, 2008

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http://bakfietscargo.blogspot.com/

bija · October 26, 2008

TRANSPORTATION

Why pay for gas and parking? Go Dutch

They transport kids, haul groceries and work the glutes. AARON CLARK finds a rustic ride with a progressive vibe.

<table style="width: 430px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td class="grayBoxTopLeft"></td> <td class="grayBoxTop" valign="top"></td> <td class="grayBoxTopRight"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="grayBoxLeft"></td> <td class="grayBoxMain" valign="top"></td> <td class="grayBoxRight"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="grayBoxBottomLeft"></td> <td class="grayBoxBottom" valign="top"></td> <td class="grayBoxBottomRight"></td> </tr> </tbody></table> A bakfiets cargo bike, parked outside of a post office in Portland, Ore, and locked to a traditional road bike. (AP Photo/Aaron Clark)

Wednesday, 12 September, 2007, 17:52 EDT, US

PORTLAND, Ore.

<table style="width: 170px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td class="grayBoxTopLeft"></td> <td class="grayBoxTop" valign="top"></td> <td class="grayBoxTopRight"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="grayBoxLeft"></td> <td class="grayBoxMain" valign="top"></td> <td class="grayBoxRight"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="grayBoxBottomLeft"></td> <td class="grayBoxBottom" valign="top"></td> <td class="grayBoxBottomRight"></td> </tr> </tbody></table> Brooke O'Steen, seated, and Ty O'Steen, pedaling, and their daugher Emma Jade in their bakfiets cargo bike. (AP Photo/Aaron Clark)

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When Ty and Brooke O'Steen gave up their Toyota Prius hybrid car in favor of a cargo bike, most people felt sorry for them.

"When we turned our car over to the bank they said 'Oh, we're so sorry you are losing your car,'" said Ty O'Steen, 26, who says he works less and spends more time with his wife and 1-year-old daughter Emma Jade after the couple made the switch. "We've never felt destitute without a car."

Urban, middle-class families from Boston to Portland are finding that they can give up their gas-chugging cars for the pedal-powered cargo bikes, whose sturdy wooden boxes allow them to run daily errands like toting kids to school and transporting groceries.

These days, when the O'Steens need to go to the supermarket, visit friends or just want to get out of the house, they hop into their Dutch-built cargo bike -- known as a bakfiets in Dutch -- and cruise to the grocery store, the post office or the park. The O'Steens say the vast majority of their needs are met with the bike that can carry up to 175 pounds in the cargo area alone, which includes seating for two small children.

Used for a decades by Dutch workers to deliver milk, meat and bread, the cargo bike is increasingly being used in bike-friendly U.S. cities where driving a car -- even just a couple miles away for groceries -- can suck up a whole afternoon.

"Demand has exploded" in the U.S., says Dan Sorger, who along with wife Maria Salve runs The Dutch Bicycle Company and imports bakfiets from Holland. Sorger has sold about 200 bakfiets -- which usually retail for around $3,000 -- over the last few years, and plans to open a flagship store in Boston this month. Sorger said bike stores recently started selling cargo bikes in Seattle, Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, Canada.

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DELIVER US FROM PETROL

Even businesses are getting into the act. Old Town Pizza in downtown Portland has used bicycles for most of their deliveries the past four years; six months ago, the company purchased a cargo bike.

"We can cater a dinner for 20 to 30 people and deliver it on the bakfiets," said owner Adam Milne. "Before, we didn't have that capacity."

Geoff Brandenburg, the pizzeria's resident mechanic, said the bike's sturdy build and maneuverability make it easy to use. "It's better for employees too, because it's kind of like a built-in health system," said Brandenburg.

In California, the city of Brisbane recently purchased a cargo bike for volunteer John Quilter, who has helped litter-clean up for the last 20 years. The bakfiets allows Quilter to more efficiently haul and separate trash and recycling debris.

At Clever Cycles in Portland, which opened in June, co-owner Dean Mullin said he sold 20 bakfiets before the store was ready for business. "Basically I was selling them on the sidewalk but it was definitely a good way to get these things rolling around," said Mullin. Like many of his customers, Dean says, he and his wife and four kids sold one of their cars after they bought a cargo bike.

"Now the car we have sits there and we are thinking about getting another (cargo bike) because my wife and I argue about who gets to take the bakfiets," said Dean. "We would probably be the first family in Portland to have two. It's kind of hard to justify."

http://asap.ap.org/stories/1724803.s