Porto, Jan. 27, 2025 (Lusa) - Small businesses in Porto are increasingly counting on deliveries by bicycle, made in the city by Ciclo Logística Porto, to have a faster service that escapes traffic without causing parking problems.

"It's much faster and more punctual than cars because a car is affected by traffic, and once the traffic is stopped, the van is stopped, and the bicycle seldom," said Stef Michielsens, a Ciclo Logística Porto entrepreneur, in the middle of the “metrobus” lane on Avenida da Boavista, which cyclists currently use until the new service buses arrive.

Asked about the advantages of his alternative logistics, Stef Michielsens points to "sustainability, because it's the most ecological way of doing transport", "emission-free" and "all noise-free". At the same time, customers "like having fewer vans parked on pavements, on pedestrian crossings, and double-parked" outside their establishments.

"Cycling is unavoidable in multimodal transport, which means that for each route, there is a method of transport that is most suitable. It could be a boat, it could be a lorry. But within the city it's clearly the bicycle, and cycling is growing in many countries," he told Lusa.

Lusa's car accompanied Stef on an afternoon's work through Porto, always arriving later at the destinations than the "entrepreneur-cyclist".

Specifically, Stef Michielsens, a Belgian who started Ciclo Logística Porto in 2020, makes deliveries both between traders and to the end customer, and everyone seems to confirm the stated advantages of this different form of urban mobility and logistics, an alternative to traditional delivery vans.

Sara Assunção, from the Les Senses tea and spice company in the centre of Porto, uses Ciclo Logística Porto's services because Stef can "get anywhere in Porto without wasting too much time", to customers such as hotels and restaurants.

"We have customers in Ribeira, and even in the centre of Porto, where you can't get there any other way, or you have to go with more than one person to be able to leave the car and make a delivery. That was the initial reason for hiring the company and “helping the environment”.

Morgan Von, of the speciality coffee shop Von & Vonnie on Rua do Heroísmo, has been using Ciclo Logística Porto for about a year because "it's super convenient, super fast and “greener”", something that fits in with the spirit of making coffee in a more ecological way, which his establishment aims to promote.

"It's super fast to deliver. We have customers in Matosinhos, and he can deliver in 20 minutes, whereas with any other delivery service, it takes one to two days," the British businessman told Lusa.

Morgan Von also points out that "a delivery company has difficulty finding parking" in the Heroísmo area, whereas "Stef comes and parks in front of the door".

At the last end of the delivery cycle is the end customer, such as Ana Rosbach, who told Lusa that she orders "a basket of vegetables" every week.

"We used to have another supplier, and the delivery was in a diesel van. we decided to switch when we heard that Stef was delivering with that supplier because, for us, it doesn't make much sense for a sustainable product not to be delivered sustainably," she said.

According to the customer, "his delivery window is very short", around 15 minutes to half an hour, "whereas with the van it was a two-hour window, which means it's much more practical to programme the day with the delivery being made by bicycle", as well as avoiding parking problems, which are non-existent in her street.

Faced with the usual arguments for not using bicycles in Porto, such as rain and steep slopes, Stef Michielsens says that in general, the temperatures "are temperate, with lots of light, which is important for cycling", arguing that even in winter, it is a means used in northern European countries, with a worse climate than Porto, where "many more people cycle", and it is "a question of dressing well".

"Even when it's raining, it's good to cycle instead of being stuck in traffic," he says, and as for slopes, “that's why electric bikes were invented,” like the one used in his business.

However, Stef is critical of Porto's cycling infrastructure.

"The conditions are very bad. There are bits of cycle paths "here and there". Firstly, they're in very poor condition, there's just a bit of paintwork and every now and then there are "sticks" to say "here's a cycle path". Secondly, they're not interconnected," he points out.

As for road safety, Stef Michielsens points out that "what's most dangerous is excessive speed and not respecting traffic lights" on the part of cars, but as for motorists' complaints about cyclists, the businessman says that there are faults “on all sides, pedestrians too, who also cross on red”.

However, "a pedestrian who makes an offence will always have fewer consequences than a car that runs a red light, for example, at 60 kilometres per hour".

Taking advantage of the location of the interview, Stef Michielsens challenged the failure to build a cycle path during the metrobus works on Avenida da Boavista.

"Avenida da Boavista is one of the city's main axes, connecting the centre with many schools, many sports halls, the sea, the City Park, and it's one of the most used axes in the city and it's a shame they didn't build a cycle path here," he said, criticising the fact that it was “just concrete and stones”, with no green spaces, especially on an avenue where “there's no shortage of space”.

"All it takes is will and courage," he concluded.

JE/ADB // ADB.

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