Can These Simple Cargo-Hauling Bikes Save Our Cities?
How a scrappy collective of anti-capitalists and anarchists is changing the way New York gets deliveries—and possibly breaking our addiction to cars along the way.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_5760,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4a1811ae-76d7-45cf-9cd1-fb087b6b6df1_2048x1152.jpeg)
Photos by Daniel Krieger
Throughout May, National Bike Month, our People of Interest series is spotlighting New York cyclists who are breaking the mold and making a difference on two wheels.
On a spring morning in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, Joe Sharkey fastens a Dean & DeLuca box to the bed of his cargo bike. Amid the commotion of all the diesel-spewing trucks and vans loading and unloading shipments on this industrial strip, Sharkey’s orange cargo bike stands out – tiny, silent, and completely carbon-neutral.
Today, he’s delivering catering for Dean & DeLuca, the gourmet grocery chain, on behalf of Doordash, an on-demand food delivery app. But Sharkey, an avowed anti-capitalist with an easy smile and a radio-ready voice, sees his part in this mission as much more important than the portobello sandwiches and artisan cheese platters currently filling his cargo bed.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Narratively to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.