Some of the rider volunteers being trained by Phil Wade of Breaking Cycles CIC for Level 3 Bikeability 
Volunteer Roly and SLACC Trustee Chris take delivery of the Raleigh pro-bike on 5 September 
Volunteers Christine and Jo collecting produce from the Sizergh National Trust estate garden. 
Pierre tending to the Kendal Town Council allotments 
Volunteer Christine successfully completing the bike’s first collection from Lovingly Artisan 
Volunteer riders Erin and Rod picking up waste food from Sainsburys 
Cropshare collection and delivery for Growing Well customers… 
Volunteers Rod, Roly and Liz on a laundry run for the Fleece Inn 
National Trust Ranger Sam trying out the bike at Sizergh Castle 
Woolly Saddle riders at the Simply Repair cafe being fuelled by delicious food from the Waste into Wellbeing project 
Volunteer Rod taking the bike for its weekly service at Mapdec 
National Trust Ranger Sam and Director General Hilary McGrady trying the cargo bike at Sizergh Castle 
Volunteer Liz on a food collection at Sainsburys 
Produce from Sizergh safely delivered to Paul at Waste into Wellbeing 
No need to move these beauties by car! 
Volunteer Christine at the Staveley Community E-bikes launch event 
Jo testing some of the cycle infrastructure! 
Volunteer Liz carrying her drum to Torchlight 
Karen interviewing the Bicycle Mayor of Cumbria for Kendal Cycling Club TV 
What is a cargo bike?
Cargo bikes come in all shapes and sizes but essentially they are bikes that can carry a lot of stuff, and in some cases people. They can have two or three wheels, they can have big boxes at the front or back, and some even look like miniature vans. For the Kendal trial, we used an E-cargo bike that allowed riders to shift loads uphill of up to 100kg with a charge lasting 30-40 miles.
Cargo bike delivery businesses and social enterprises in urban and rural areas have sprung up in the last couple of years across the country in response to the pandemic, and their bikes are proving to be perfectly suitable replacements for vans, helping to cut emissions, reduce congestion and providing efficient, green logistics solutions. Find out more about the benefits for business on the Raleigh website here.
We concluded a 5-week cargo bike trial in Kendal in October 2022 and are pleased to share some of the findings below.
Report headlines
What happened during the trial?
In partnership with Kendal Town Council, we loaned an E-cargo bike from Raleigh, free of charge for a trial period of 5 weeks.
The project was made possible thanks to 13 amazing volunteers and a £500 grant from Kendal Town Council to match the fund provided by SLACC. The largest cost was cargo bike level 3 Bikeability training for 12 riders in order to comply with the terms of insurance.
Business deliveries and collections
We carried out some trial collection and deliveries for the Waste into Wellbeing project and engaged a few businesses to join us in the trial. We made courtesy calls to businesses around town and received an enthusiastic response from businesses such as Farrers and Absolute Printers. We also offered cropshare pick-ups for Growing Well customers.
Awareness events
We attended community events including the Torchlight Festival, Great Big Green Event and Staveley Community E-Bike Launch to raise awareness of E-Cargo bikes.
What next?
You can read the full report below and we will be updating this page as the project progresses. There will be more opportunities to get involved, so please do get in touch if you are interested to volunteer in 2023.
Email us at sltransition@gmail.com
Download the full report
2024 update. What next?
- Based on the experiences and recommendations from the 2022 trial, some project scoping work is taking place to develop further testing and trial opportunities.
- Currently, we are searching for bike storage space for a potential bike library with research on associated costs and resources required.
- We’re creating a plan to engage potential users of the bikes and trial activity through the volunteers.
- We’re re-establishing contact with the key businesses and partners involved with the cargo bike trial to gather further insight.
- We’re working with partners to identify potential sources of funding.
- By May 2024, we hope to have found some assessed options to provide us with enough detail to apply for funds to make things happen.
Case studies and useful links
Cargodale CIC – Zero emission delivery in Calderdale
Cargo Bike Movement – Scotland’s first dedicated cargo bike hub
Farr Out Deliveries – Award-winning zero emission logistics business in Edinburgh
Cycling UK – how cargo bikes are changing the logistics industry
Islabikes Cargo bike deliveries trial
Interview with MP Smarter Travel – Getting started with bikes for business