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Boston officials say they are launching a small pilot program that will use e-cargo bicycles to replace delivery vans and trucks in Allston for a year, starting next month.
The trial, to be called “Boston Delivers,” was inspired by the surge in delivery traffic, double-parking and blocked sidewalks and bicycle lanes during the pandemic thanks to a surge in online shopping and food delivery apps like GrubHub and Uber Eats.
“The growth of car-based delivery services has negatively impacted our streets by adding congestion and increasing unsafe and illegal parking,” Boston Chief of Streets Jascha Franklin-Hodge said in a statement. “This pilot will help us explore alternatives by offering convenient delivery options that support neighborhood businesses while keeping our streets safe and moving.”
The city said it will subsidize the delivery costs for up to eight businesses, including restaurants, using money from Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and $345,000 of its own money, and will help some of those businesses start a delivery service. This program will also help businesses provide a delivery service where they may not already offer one by partnering with last-mile delivery company Net Zero to provide and manage the fleet of e-cargo bikes and related equipment, make the deliveries and manage the logistics. E-bikes are built off of regular bicycle designs, but have rechargeable batteries and small electric motors that can boost its hauling capability or help it sustain speeds of up to roughly 20 miles per hour.
In other major cities, e-bikes have become a key part of last-mile delivery infrastructure with the most extreme examples found in Dutch cities where established delivery companies like UPS use e-cargo bikes to deliver packages in the densest neighborhoods in part due to local roadway restrictions.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s office said it hopes to use the eight-business pilot to figure out the regulations it needs to change or establish to let more businesses start using e-bikes for delivery, in addition to infrastructure like delivery zones and sorting areas. In addition, Wu’s office said, the city hopes to signal to delivery service providers it is ready to embrace any e-bike-based delivery plans they have, and help the researchers at the Urban Freight Lab at the University of Washington gather more data on e-bikes’ potential.
