
Meet Orla Burke, a mother to two little girls and living in Cork city centre. An electric cargo bicycle give her back the freedom to be able to go anywhere in her city.
“My world had narrowed to a pin point on a map. The electric cargo bicycle gave back a panoramic view of the city.”
Orla Burke, Cork

I started cycling the electric cargo bicycle when I was seven months pregnant. It was easier to cycle than it was to walk at that point. I think too, it was the freedom really of being able to travel around and see all of the city.
Before I had the electric cargo bicycle, my world had narrowed to a pin point on a map. It gave back a panoramic view of the city. I could go anywhere. I started to look at other places to go. So, on a random day, I might choose to go to Passage West or I might choose to go to Bishopstown. My city became my playground again.
You’re more in touch with the world when you cycle an electric cargo bicycle. You can stop anywhere you like.
My little girl will look around and she’ll go, ‘Mammy, look there’s brambles! Mammy, we can get blackberries from them.’ It’s really interesting from a child’s perspective to see how engaged they are in their environment on an electric cargo bike.
One thing I love about the electric cargo bicycle is that I don’t have to search for parking. There’s no circulating around the playground, looking for somewhere to pull in. There’s no stress, no hassle. We don’t take up a lot of space it’s really convenient for just popping to the playground or going somewhere nearby.
Every time I cycle the electric cargo bicycle, I know that it’s having a much smaller impact than if I was driving. I think about the children living in my city. I think about the older people and the effect of air pollution on them.
It’s just reassuring to know that I’m not contributing to that in any way, shape or form.