Altrincham BID, who produce Visit Altrincham, are delighted to announce that they have been awarded £10k to run a Cargo Bike Delivery scoping and pilot project with Altrincham’s BID businesses – CargoCycle Altrincham.

The award has been granted through the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) Foundational Economy Innovation Fund. The project will start in July 2023, and Altrincham BID will be working with MP Smarter Travel, Manchester Bikes, Stamford Cycle Co. and Cllr Michael Welton on the delivery of the project.

MP Smarter Travel is a consultancy that works with a wide variety of partners to promote active travel, improve air quality and create better places. They have experience of working on similar projects with other Business Improvement Districts including Team London Bridge and Better Bankside.

Oli Ivens from MP Smarter Travel explained, “We are thrilled to be working on this project with Altrincham BID and we look forward to talking to businesses in the town about how cargo bikes have proven to be a greener, faster, more cost-effective, and versatile means of carrying out deliveries. We have introduced many businesses to cargo bikes from florists to coffee shops, and from lawyers to grocery stores, the possibilities are endless”.

Manchester Bikes is one of the biggest suppliers of cargo bikes and trailers in the UK with services that include sales and hire. They will be supporting the project with a cargo bike that businesses can try at a subsidised rate. As part of the project, a cargo bike will be hosted in Altrincham by Stamford Cycle Co.

Mandy White, Altrincham BID Manager explained, “We are really looking forward to working on this project with Altrincham’s BID businesses. It is a great opportunity for them to transition to cargo bike deliveries, paving the way for others to follow suit, a trend that could see significant improvements to local air pollution and congestion. There are many benefits to using cargo bikes and we wanted to explore whether a permanent scheme would work in the town and encourage businesses to adopt this method of delivery. We are grateful to GMCA for enabling this pilot to take place”.

This project has been made possible thanks to Greater Manchester Combined Authority providing funding via the Foundational Economy Innovation Fund

More information about how to get involved and who can apply can be found on the link below.