In cities, road transport accounts for 34% of greenhouse gas emissions, according to The Shift project, an association specializing in transition. Among these trips, many business trips. However, with more than 2,700 hours of sunshine per year, Toulon and Nice are ideal for cycling.
Where to get started?
“Working by bike is a way to calm the city!” Building craftsman in Nice, Stéphane Leinen chose to practice his profession using an unassisted bicycle, extended by a trailer. He stores the tools useful for his projects there, in a clever Tetris. And Nice city center is the ideal location. “This allows access to places where a van cannot move easily. Old Nice, for example, or any place where it is difficult to park nearby.”
These are also the streets of Nice that Alessandro Bracco has chosen to develop his itinerant bicycle repair business… on a cargo bike! “I have a client who works in a bakery. She leaves the bike in front, I repair it on the spot”he told us this summer.
An observation shared by the Les Boîtes à Vélo association which supports French pedal companies and brings together local networks. “Professional cyclo mobility is relevant for all urban travel in very dense areas, agrees Fannie Nolhier, Paca project manager. This removes economic (fuel, parking, etc.), environmental, but also regulatory obstacles with the strengthening of Low Emission Zones [ZFE].”
Suitable careers
“All professionals can work on a cargo bike!” assures Fannie Nolhier. Within the Les Boîtes à vélo network, a diversity of professions are represented. “With a good share of craftsmen: hairdressers, locksmiths, electricians, plumbers… Cyclo logisticians, who deliver packages, are also well represented. They are even united within a professional federation.”
In Nice, the company Transcan, specializing in truck transport and logistics, has a fleet of 80 bicycles to deploy in the last kilometers of the hyper-center. To achieve this, the company with 500 employees stores its electric cargo bikes in local hubs, spread across 3 neighborhoods. And will soon open one in Cannes… “Cyclo mobility can be combined with other vehicles. The idea is to only use the largest one when necessary. Craftsmen can, for example, have their materials delivered by truck and continue the work by bike.explains Fannie from the Bicycle Boxes.
A florist on the Libération market for 4 years, Laëtitia, alias Marmotine, a resident of the city center, goes there using her cargo bike, loaded with dried flowers stuffed in wicker baskets. In addition to providing him “great freedom”, its gentle mode of transport is an attraction in itself. And to get supplies, she goes to the National Interest Market in Nice West… by tram, with her shopping cart. His bike then turns into a stall at the time of sale. “Economically, it’s less difficult than having your business or a car with fuel to pay for.”she emphasizes.
How to equip yourself?
James Machu, an engineer in Sophia-Antipolis, vaccinated from office environments and retrained in kinesiology, opted for home consultations by bike. “I started by equipping my touring bike with a trailer to put my massage table on. But to go to the hills of Nice, it was not ideal. I arrived at the clients’ house in a sweat”, he says. Helped by the Les Boîtes à vélo association, he invested in an electric bike with a trailer for 4,500 e. He deducted 1000 e, from the State bicycle bonus and is awaiting the decision of the Southern region for further aid.
Lætitia, the florist, found her scooter on Le bon coin. As for the Nice association Cyclotrope, which carries out actions to encourage the use of bicycles in schools, neighborhoods and businesses, it decided to build its cart to load its bicycles. “For our workshops, we move 10 to 15 bikes in a diesel van. The idea is to use it less.”, explains Guillaume Juan, founder of Cyclotrope. It is for this purpose that she invited herself to reside at 109, coached by Adrien, welder facilitator from Veloma, an association in Deux-Sèvres which campaigns for an accessible transition. In particular, by sharing open source plans to build your trailer.
Will my legs hold? Will I be able to store my equipment? Working by bike raises its share of concerns. To test yourself without investing, head to Sophi-Antipolis. The Choisir le vélo association offers an electric cargo bike rental service. “For 6 days for 30 e or 13 days for 65 ethe Maralpins can use a cargo bike to see if it would suit them or not”indicates the association’s website.
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