Deliveries from the Past
Harken back to the days when the milk man used to cycle to and fro, carting an icebox on his bike with glasses of cold milk jingling inside. True, some of us will instead have to harken back to the days that the more… distinguished… members of our family recalled these tales for us with fondness and nostalgia. But there is a very real possibility such a thing may resurrect from when the world was in black and white to become an Ultra HD/4K, real-life experience.
Juggernaut Cargo Bikes is pitching their innovation of yesteryears to cities like Denver, suggestive of a step back into the past as a means of protecting our future. According to the EPA, for every person who drives 11,500 miles annually, 4.6 million tons of carbon dioxide are emitted. Jeff Mauck of Juggernaut, in a recent meeting with the Downtown Denver Partnership, professed that idling cars produce 20% more pollutants than cars traveling at 30 mph.
So what does all this have to do with the milk man? Think delivery vehicles. Larger than your average bear, and a lot meaner to our Earth to boot. Juggernaut’s solution: cargo bikes. Like days of ole, these earth-friendly, zero gas-emitting re-inventions can deliver up to 300 pounds of goods around town. They breeze through in the bike lane instead of jamming up traffic or – an old favorite – parking in the travel lane in the middle of downtown, using their flashers as a half-hearted apology. These aren’t your grandpa’s cargo bikes, though. These babies boast 24” front tires with suspension, have double frames and three wheels for stability, and may soon add eco-friendly electric assist, deployable front kickstands to protect cargo, detachable dollies for delivery, and a tighter turn radius for the eventuality of hanging a sharp right. Essentially, they’ve taken the milk man and geared him up for NASCAR’s Sonoma Raceway with the added twist of package delivery.
Best part: Although similar tech is already in use in six countries outside of the States, these 1930’s inspired technological dreams are built in our backyard – Boulder, Colorado. In fact, for the hometown heroes at Juggernaut, the target areas for their first big run at the cargo game are Aspen, Snowmass, Lowry, Stapleton, and of course, Downtown Denver. There is even a job-creation plan tightly wound into these gems. The idea is that UPS and FedEx buy in, drive a truck to a central location in a neighborhood, shut off the nasty engine that will kill us all, and out pops the cargo-delivery persons, ready and raring to peddle. This will mean a few delivery personnel per truck instead of the usual one or two, thus creating jobs in the delivery sector. Just think of the possibilities if the Amazon Nows and the Door Dashes of the world hop on board. So you see, as we charge forward into the future, the age-old questions surrounding why your features favor less those of your father and more your friendly neighborhood milk man will thrive once again!