TFL’s cycle count data shows that cargo bike use increased across London by 126% between 2022 and 2025. The highest growth was in inner London, where use increased by 149%, reflecting their increasing business use to transport goods and services.
Yet the capital also has the highest amount of diesel vans since records began, at 100,761.
More than 50 cargo bikes will sweep through central London on the 30th September, raising awareness for the growing role of cargo bikes in London and their potential to help decarbonise urban freight.
The ride, dubbed ‘The Cruise’, is intended to offer a visible demonstration of how cargo bikes are already helping to transform the way goods move around the capital in a cleaner, more efficient manner. The event is organised by Team London Bridge, Clean Cities, and MP Smarter Travel.
Zak Bond, Campaign Manager at Clean Cities, said: “Cargo bikes are already transforming how some businesses make deliveries across London. But the capital’s growing diesel van fleet shows that progress in cleaning up urban freight has stalled.
“Policy needs to catch up and create the conditions for cleaner delivery options to scale. A zero emission zone for freight in central London would help phase out the dirtiest vans while giving businesses the certainty and support they need to switch to cleaner deliveries.”
Recent analysis by Clean Cities has found that diesel vans are now the biggest road source of NOx emissions in central and inner London, which they say underlines the importance of finding cleaner alternatives for urban deliveries.
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