Very few people have even become aware that potentially 50% of merchandise movements within cities could perfectly be made on bicycles, as well as 90% of shopping transfers from the supermarket . This was the core of the topic discussed in a recent discussion of European institutions linked to logistics , including DHL, and bicycle industry at the headquarters of Brussels the European Parliament .
At the meeting, realistic ways of transforming this mode of transport of goods into a promising business model were discussed, insisting that this possibility is added to that of achieving an environment urban on a more human scale.
The people of DHL presented at the meeting their pilot projects on the subject, projects that are being carried out in several cities in Europe . "In the cities, cycling allows us to save a lot of time and money, so we have already decided to expand these pilot actions to more cities and more countries. In Holland , for example, we already have 33 cargo bikes running in 19 cities. And we are developing new pilot programs in Athens , Luxembourg , Vienna and Milan. Our costs are reduced, employees are less stressed, delivery times are shortened - all these reasons, which are basically economic, increase our decision to follow this path, "said Arne Melse, one of the DHL managers present.
Among the details highlighted by Melse is worth noting that with these experiences DHL already saved 20,000 km of truck routes, due to the more direct access that the bicycle has in European cities.