It’s a simple idea. The Swedish city’s Stadsleveransen system pools deliveries for 500 shops and businesses – drastically reducing shopping centre traffic and freeing up once-congested streets for pedestrians and cyclists
“I call it the rolling deckchair,” says Johan Erlandsson as his six-wheeled cargo bike, the Velove Armadillo, glides down the cobbled pedestrian streets of central Gothenburg. Stretching 14ft long but only 34 inches wide, the sleek machine is crafted from red-coated aluminium with a pedal-assisted electric drive and a trailer that is low enough for other cyclists to look over.
There is double wishbone suspension on the wheels – a technique similar to what you will find on a Formula 1 car – making it ideal for navigating tram tracks and cobblestones when Erlandsson and his delivery company ferry lunches, cakes and wine to local offices. It’s the perfect distribution method in a city putting a brake on heavy traffic. “You are never stuck in a queue,” says Erlandsson before doing a 360-degree turn in front of a group of amused shoppers. “It’s quicker to get from A to B – and it’s safer.”
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Source: Guardian Environment