Cargo bike producers and delivery companies say the proposed 120-inch length limit and emphasis on four-wheeled bikes excludes many commonly used delivery bikes and favors one manufacturer.
When the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) announced a proposed rule revision that would make way for larger cargo bikes in the city, bike advocates hailed it as a victory. But freight industry leaders say the change would outlaw some of the most common delivery bikes and skew the market toward one particular manufacturer, writes Gersh Kuntzman in Streetsblog NYC.
The new rules would explicitly allow four-wheeled, pedal-assist cargo bikes—just the kind that the city’s Department of Transportation is testing. But, as Kuntzman explains, “Those bikes are made by Fernhay, which is owned by a well-connected lawyer, William Wachtel.”
Kuntzman points out that “Industry leaders who were not Wachtel believe that the well-connected lawyer has some undue influence over the Adams administration — though such speculation is common when one company’s design is chosen over others’.”
According to Ben Morris of Boaster Cycles, “The 120-inch cap is going to eliminate all bike-and-trailer cargo solutions that currently operate in the market today and in the future.” The CEO of Net Zero Logistics said, “the suggested limit of 120 inches will force us to shut down, completely reengineer our operations or return to using vans for delivery.”
NYCDOT will hold just one public hearing on the issue on September 13.
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