Cairgo Bike working on 3 Ts: Training, Testing and Trial

Training, Testing and Trial

The project offers an opportunity to introduce the cargo bike as a realistic and emission free urban transport option for a wide target group - from private citizens to even large professional companies. This involves organisation of information, testing and training sessions: to familiarise people with types of cargo bike; to explore potential utility in terms of their day to day transport needs; to provide guidance on how to ride and use (technique and safety) these alternative “vehicle” solutions. Interested individuals or businesses can then register to take a cargo bike away for a trial period of two to three weeks. This activity is a very tangible and visible element of the project but is not carried out in isolation, it is a product of communication, it connects with awareness raising and conversion - moving people away from the use of fossil-fuelled vehicles to  active transportation. It is linked to the possibility of grant subsidy for SMEs offered by Brussels Capital Region, it opens the door to facilitate take up of sharing (loan or share of trailers, cargo bikes through other actors in the Cairgo Bike partnership). Finally it is not a completely free ride because candidates are asked/required to log their experiences and some to wear an aethalometer to monitor black carbon levels encountered during their day to day activity.