As many communities experience an increase in the amount of bicycle traffic on the roadways, it makes me curious - will bicycles begin to make the leap to working vehicles in smaller communities? Here in East Lansing, Michigan - a university town - there would seem to be many opportunities for bicycles to take on the role of working vehicles. Where do you live? Do you see bicycles as a viable working vehicle in your town?
From the New York Times:
New York City’s bike messengers remain a fixture on the streets, having weathered the advent of the fax machine and, of course, e-mail. Now, with the cost of gas pummeling courier companies that rely on motorized vehicles, a few enterprising cyclists are using the opportunity to generate more business.
A small but growing number of pedal-powered messengers are outfitting their bicycles and, in some cases, tricycles, with boxes and flatbeds on which they can load hundreds of pounds of cargo.
“Eighty percent of the jobs done in a van I can do,” said Hodari Depalm, the owner of Checker Courier, a cargo messenger company in Manhattan that says it can move up to 200 pounds of documents by bike. Mr. Depalm said his two-man messenger business had increased by 20 percent within the last year.
Gregg Zukowski has had similar success. A couple of years ago, Mr. Zukowski, the owner of Revolution Rickshaws, a fleet of pedicabs in Manhattan, replaced the passenger seats on a few of his tricycles with flatbeds and lockable cargo boxes capable of carrying up to 550 pounds of goods. He started using the tricycles to make deliveries for bakeries and catering companies and was even hired last month to help a man move into a one-bedroom apartment.
“We’ve joked about doing funerals,” Mr. Zukowski said. Mr. Zukowski’s business is catching on swiftly enough that he hopes to have as many as 30 of his tricycles on the road in the next 18 months.
The messengers can appeal to customers by charging less than couriers who use cars or vans, and to their consciences by pointing out that they are not hurting the environment.
Meanwhile, car and van couriers in New York City are struggling with mounting fuel costs. Local companies are passing the cost of gas on to the customer. Some apply a flat fuel surcharge, while others try to negotiate delivery rates with each of their clients.
