Trikurious? The Lowdown on RR’s Open House
Thanks to all Revolutionaries and friends who came together to help kick off RR’s Fall event series at our September 30th open house. The food was artisanal, the beer was plentiful, and the eclecticism of the crowd was above average. On hand were the honchos of such ventures as Vokashi, the New York Permaculture Exchange, Musical Ecologies, Eating in Translation, Manhattan Rickshaw, and Next Stop New York. A couple of them even tried driving a trike!
The shop, looking cozy yet subversive.
HAPPY food – Helen-Approved for People, the Planet, and You.
A loaded pickup trike – or should we call it a Peak-up trike? (RR hearts Peak Organic.)
Dan takes a training lap.
Claudia discovers she’s born to trike.
The gang’s all here – and so is the beer!
During the educational portion of our evening, we heard from Gregg Zuman, RR’s founder and owner, and CCNY Professor Alison Conway, lead author of the NYSERDA-funded study “Freight-Tricycle Operations in New York City.”
Gregg – with help from his highly vocal brain trust – debuted a new RR tag line: “Better Living Through Slow Transport.” Slow Transport isn’t just about reducing lethally high vehicle speeds, or cutting back on emissions and asphalt. It’s also about traveling, and moving people and stuff, in ways that promote human health, pleasure, and connection, while respecting the web of life upon which our lives (and livelihoods) depend. What hooked Gregg on pedicabbing, more than a decade ago, was the opportunity to get in shape and provide city-appropriate transportation while pleasing passengers and making money.
Alison confirmed what we in the trike lane have long suspected: In certain situations, trikes kick trucks’ butts. That is, GPS data collected for her study show that City Harvest’s freight trikes outpace their trucks in Manhattan’s dense, gridlocked Central Business District. And City Bakery’s pair of freight trikes move even faster. Alison noted that the state DOT is eager to help remove barriers to the expansion of freight-cycling in New York. One such barrier is the murky legal status of electric assist – a small battery-powered motor, engaged only while the cyclists is pedaling, that helps her climb hills with heavy loads. Were electric assist explicitly legal, the labor pool for freight-cycling would grow, and trike delivery would become accessible to a broader range of businesses.
Alison breaks the good news: Yup, trikes really are faster than trucks.
Gregg preaches Revolution.
If you missed the fun, don’t worry! There’s more to come. Check back for news of future events, or go to the Contact form and let us know you’d like to join our mailing list.