Whether they're hauling parcels or children, cargo bikes are becoming a familiar sight in German cities as the nippy, clean alternative to cars and delivery vans - and shaking up urban transport in the process. A desire to go green has been key to the rise of cargo bikes in a country where dozens of smog-choked cities are considering diesel driving bans to combat air pollution.
"The diesel scandal is a major incentive," said Arne Behrensen, one of the top promotors of cargo bikes in Germany, a mode of transport as old as the bicycle itself which refers to a two- or three-wheeled bike with a fixed load carrier, usually at the front.
Financial incentives, more choice in models and the promise of zipping past rush-hour traffic in the bike lane have added to the appeal. "In the '90s, we were happy to sell one a year," said Gaya Schuetze of Berlin's Mehringhof bicycle shop, one of the capital's leading cargo bike centres.
"Then we noticed more and more interest, first from families and then companies." Commonplace in northern Europe until the mid-20th century, freight bikes were used to deliver everyday essentials such as milk, bread and newspapers.
But these heavy, unwieldy bikes quickly fell out of favour and into oblivion as motorised vehicles gained ground. The cargo bike's revival began some two decades ago in cycling-mad Denmark and the Netherlands, blessed with flat landscapes and comfortable bike lanes, before reaching Germany. Today Germany is Europe's largest market for cargo bikes in terms of volume - with industry data showing sales for electrically assisted cargo bikes alone surged to 21,000 in 2017, 42 percent over the previous year. Over the years, cargo bikes have evolved from bulky two-wheelers that required serious leg muscle. Modern upgrades offer lighter frames and more spacious carriers, while e-cargo bikes have allowed the less physically active or those living in hilly areas to also jump in the saddle.
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