Sure, Bend is growing. But the city is still small enough that bicycle deliveries of wholesale products, mail and legal documents are quick, economical and accomplished with zero emissions. With the help of locally-owned Cascade Couriers and its community resource, Bend Bike Move, businesses and residents get help moving products – or even their entire home or business – in a fun, environmentally friendly method.
Small businesses with products to move around town may not have the budget for delivery vehicles and staff drivers. That problem gets solved when businesses get help from Cascade Couriers. Businesses like Nancy P’s Bakery, Good Earth Farms, the Source, Sparrow Bakery, and True North Parenting Magazine get dependable, human-powered delivery services to their set routes on a regular basis.
Bike couriers also offer legal document deliveries as well as P.O. Box mail pickup and outgoing mail drop-off. Because bicycles can travel at the same speed as vehicles for in-town driving, bicycle couriers are just as quick – or quicker – at short runs. The main difference in the service is that bicycle couriers do not use any fuel or pollute the environment while making deliveries.
“Deliveries on streets clogged with delivery trucks are no problem for bicycle couriers,” said Daniel Brewster, owner of Cascade Couriers. They simply move around the clogged traffic, instead of adding to it. Bicycles can also move more things than people might imagine. Cascade Couriers’ fleet of trailers includes an eight-foot trailer, six-foot trailer and cargo bike. The extra cargo space sometimes comes in handy for moving businesses.
Cascade Couriers recently (August 15) helped move Commute Options to their new offices at 50 SW Bond Street, Suite 4, in Bend. “Because we are an organization that promotes active transportation, the idea of moving with pedal power was appealing to me,” said Jeff Monson, executive director of Commute Options. “While we couldn’t move the heavier furniture that way, we used bicycles and trailers to move smaller items. When we moved three years ago, everything was transported by bicycle.”
“Everybody dreads moving, but when we move by bike, it’s so much fun,” said Brewster. “Prep work is the key. Make everything easy to strap on, so once your bicycle friends arrive to transport things, it will make for a quick move.” For help moving your home within the Bend city limits by bike, visit Bend Bike Move on Facebook (www.facebook.com/bendbikemove), a resource created by Brewster to help people enlist volunteers for making bike moves an easy, enjoyable and social activity.
“Using a bicycle courier for close-in deliveries really makes sense for the environment,” said Monson. “Mile for mile, trips under three miles made by motor vehicles are the most polluting. Engines running cold produce four times the carbon monoxide and two times the volatile organic compounds of engines running hot. These trips are also the easiest to replace with a bike trip,” said Monson.
To find out more about local bicycle courier services, visit www.cascadecouriers.com.
Commute Options promotes choices that reduce the impacts of driving alone. For more information about Commute Options, contact Jeff Monson, Executive Director of Commute Options at 541/330-2647 or visit www.commuteoptions.org.
Annissa Anderson is a freelance writer and PR consultant in Bend.
