Ram Quarter hosted a Clean Air Day cargo bike event organised by Wandsworth Council last week. The aim of the event was to inspire innovation in low emission transport. The event was attended by residents, community groups and businesses.
Clean Air Day is an annual event, and the UK’s largest air pollution campaign, bringing together communities, businesses, schools and the health sector. Ram Quarter was pleased to support the Council and local community in this networking event in the development's historic Bubbling Well Square.
Pioneers in the cargo bike world attended to lend their support and expertise: cargo bike courier companies Ecofleet Mindful Deliveries and Pedal Me were on hand to talk to visitors and to give advice on the use of cargo bikes; businesses and council teams which use cargo bikes for their logistics were also present; and others who were simply curious about how to get started participated too.
Air pollution is responsible for an estimated 6 million sick days each year in the UK, with scientists estimating that air pollution cuts British people's lives by an average of six months. Air pollution is also estimated to cause about 36,000 deaths in the UK per year - that's almost 100 per day. In addition to the health advantages, there is a strong economic argument for the use of cargo bikes: data from Transport for London show that businesses that use cycles for local deliveries can save between 39%-64% on delivery costs.
Wandsworth Borough Council's cargo bikes page gives information on how to access cargo bikes, cargo bike repair shops, and case studies of how other organisations have used them.
Ram Quarter looks forward to supporting the Council and the local community at further such events.