The City of Madison has tested an electric-assist cargo bike with no tailpipe emissions developed by Saris, a Madison-based company. Madison’s network of bike paths and routes, allows employees in different government departments and jobs to take full advantage of the infrastructure and accomplish work such as vegetation clean-up, seed planting, and graffiti removal. The bike, developed for government fleets, can carry up to 660 pounds plus the rider.
After success in Madison and with a few modifications, cities such as Portland, Oregon will implement similar government programs. Electric cargo bikes are increasing in popularity for florists, pizza places, and supermarkets like Whole Foods. Additionally, cities like New York allow free use of commercial parking spaces to cargo bikes owned by Amazon, UPS and DHL. CityofMadison, Axios