Danish town to lend families cargo bikes so they can experience car-less life

Fredensborg Municipality is inviting residents to take the bikes for a spin…lasting up to 3 months

Authorities in Fredensborg, a small town some 30 kilometres north of Copenhagen, would like to see more families with kids resorting to bicycles to meet their mobility needs. That is why the Municipality has acquired several cargo bicycles, which families can borrow for periods of up to three months – all for the purpose of seeing the benefits of moving around that way.

The cargo bikes are electrical and equipped with a seating front basket, where children can ride. The bikes will start being available in the late summer, according to municipal sources.

We believe that many more families can benefit from picking up and bringing their children with an electric cargo bike instead of with their car. But it can be a big decision, and that's why we want to offer families with children to borrow a bike for a few months before they possibly invest in one themselves", says Lars Simonsen, chairman of the Planning, Traffic and Climate Committee.

Breaking the addiction to cars

The municipality expects that the cargo bikes can be borrowed for up to 3 months. In return, the families undertake to evaluate the initiative and tell how it went for them during that period.

As soon as it becomes possible to sign up for the loan of cargo bikes, the municipality will inform via the usual channels, such as its social media - including the new digital platform KlimaForum Fredensborg.

Fredensborg Municipality has good experience with previous lending of electric bicycles. In the period 2019-2022, 385 citizens signed up to borrow an ordinary electric bike or an electric cargo bike. 

The evaluation shows that the test drives can radically change transport habits and expand the number of days participants cycle to work.