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By Chris and Melissa Bruntlett<br />
When historians tell Vancouver’s cycling<br />
story, 2008 will be seen as a turning point,<br />
with a crucial shift in strategy from sport<br />
to transport, designed to attract the<br />
“interested, but concerned”. We had an<br />
existing network of greenways, sharrows,<br />
and door-zone paint, but then the City<br />
started to build a network of protected<br />
bike lanes, one street at a time.<br />
Suddenly, more families were looking for<br />
practical ways to move their children<br />
around. <strong>Cargo</strong> bikes provided exercise,<br />
fresh air, family time, and were easier<br />
than walking or transit.<br />
There was also a rise in bike-based food<br />
service businesses, offering everything from<br />
coffee, cream puffs, and popsicles. These<br />
businesses wouldn’t have existed eight<br />
years ago, demonstrating the potential<br />
for bike infrastructure as an incubator for<br />
entrepreneurs.<br />
Shift Delivery is a worker-owner logistics<br />
co-operative formed in 2011 by a group<br />
of SFU graduates, and funded through<br />
non-profit grants. They now have a fleet of<br />
eight electric tricycles, and a staff of twelve;<br />
delivering produce, baked goods, catered<br />
meals, office supplies, and dry cleaning<br />
across Vancouver.<br />
This helps battle aggression, depression,<br />
and dementia, and creates opportunities<br />
for intergenerational interaction.<br />
It’s important to note many of these people<br />
were motivated by efficiency and economics,<br />
rather than altruism. <strong>Cargo</strong> bikes have been<br />
an unexpected byproduct of better bike<br />
infrastructure. They represent the tip of<br />
the iceberg, as cargo bikes can replace<br />
50% of all urban freight. This would have<br />
a huge impact on sound and air quality, on<br />
road safety, and on public health. To that<br />
end, all Vancouverites will benefit from our<br />
cargo bike revolution. We’re excited to watch<br />
it unfold.<br />
Chris and Melissa Bruntlett are the co-founders<br />
of Modacity, a creative agency focused on<br />
inspiring healthier, happier, simpler forms of<br />
urban mobility through words, photography,<br />
and film. Reach them at www.modacitylife.com.<br />
In 2009, staff at Yaletown House Nursing<br />
Home saw the Duet <strong>Bike</strong> online, and raised<br />
funds to buy one from Germany. Now<br />
volunteers pedal two Duet <strong>Bike</strong>s daily,<br />
taking residents for rides across Vancouver.<br />
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