In the summer of 2014, when we had the Cologne band Muskat as guests at the Schicken Mütze, who were touring NRW with a reduced line-up with a cargo bike and a classic racer, we and our guests were not only enthusiastic about the musical presentation. The cargo bike, it turned out, was part of a cargo bike project. You could rent Kasimir, as the bike was called, for a few days free of charge to transport things, to drive the birthday party of your three-year-old daughter to the lake or simply to test whether such a bike could really replace a car. We thought the project was exciting, a cargo bike was great and we asked ourselves why Düsseldorf doesn't have something like that.

In order to understand it, it makes sense to look back: On November 8, 1999, the then Mayor Joachim Erwin symbolically set the direction of the march, and the controversial cycle path on the Luegallee roadway was removed. Düsseldorf relied on the car. If things had been different back then, countless municipalities would perhaps be looking at our hometown on the Rhine today and praising the visionary power of urban development, having backed cycling back then.

But cycling cannot be prevented, not even in Düsseldorf. More and more people have gotten on their bikes in recent years. Traffic planning is lagging behind, but catching up. Especially since a new Düsseldorf city leader has officially made the bicycle the most important means of transport. The city is doing its best with a cycling campaign, the Tour de France is coming to us and more and more citizens are discovering how suitable the flat and compact city on the Rhine is for cyclists.

It's time to put a free rental bike on the tires in Düsseldorf too. The first wheel, realized with great commitment and support from Traffic watch Dusseldorf , is now in front of the store. More bikes will follow, ideally the rental stations will spread to the entire city area. We want to give everyone who is already unconditionally on their bikes the opportunity to stow away extensive errands. Whether it's seeds, harvest or the children's group, everything is possible. And we want to give families the opportunity to test whether such a rental bike can replace the second or even the first car. No theory, but in everyday life.

And something else about the bikes: we made a conscious decision to work with the Copenhagen company trioBike decided. The small company of the former musician Sammy Eisinger has been dealing with cargo bikes of different designs for 11 years. The Mono, Boxter, Cargo and Taxi models can be operated with pedal power or electronic support, they are the lightest of their type, the choice of components is extremely harmonious and they still look really good. According to the company motto "Smart, safe & easy".

Interested borrowers will soon be able to register at www.lastenrad-duesseldorf.de register and rent the first bike. We are excited about the experiences and how the project will be received in Düsseldorf. We are happy about support when it comes to expanding the project: further lending offices, financially strong sponsors or simply helpers with good deeds. Because we have one goal: We want to put Düsseldorf on the bike.

Full of anticipation,

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