Thank you to Tina from the Dee Caf Community Café in Spey Road, Tilehurst, who tells us about her cargo bike.
1. Why did you get a cargo bike for the café when you aren’t a regular cyclist?
Because every time I used the car to get to work, I felt guilty. I go past three primary schools, and the children deserved better than to be breathing in my fumes. I needed something big enough to hold stock and other things for the café but also powerful enough to get me up New Lane Hill and Dee Road in Tilehurst.
2. What’s been the best thing about getting the cargo bike?
Raising awareness about cycling on our roads, seeing the smiles on people’s faces as I cycle past, waving good morning to them.
3. What’s been the hardest thing to learn?
Keeping balance was very difficult to start off with. I fell quite a few times with a massive cargo bike with me! It’s still hard when I’m trying to push the bike past badly parked cars because I can’t cycle around them or if it’s windy – the cargo acts like a sail!
4. What features would you like your ideal cargo bike (for Dee Caf) to have?
I need a smaller cargo… but other than that it’s perfect.
5. What suggestions or tips would you give to other businesses who are thinking of getting a cargo bike?
You have to be brave when you’re first using it for work, but it is worth it in the long run… plus you get a lot of attention, great for advertising! It is a wonderful feeling being at the forefront of technology and inspiring young people, that there is another way of doing things.
6. What improvements would you like to see in Reading to make choosing a bike as a mode of transport easier?
At the moment I have to cycle on the roads – the bicycle paths are far too small for me. The roads are quite treacherous: you have to navigate around road traffic measures like bumps etc. Other road users don’t give you the time or space when dealing with them. There are also a lot of potholes and drains you have to cycle around. Even though there is security with the bike, I always feel uneasy about leaving it near a bike rack in town.
7. Is there anything else important you would like to add, especially as a non-regular cyclist?
Have a go! It seems frightening in the beginning, but after some practice, you’ll get the hang of it.
Thank you, Tina, for your interview – Editor.