In many sufficiently dense cities, a car is unnecessary. In fact, in some places, it can be an encumbrance. In New York City, for five straight years, a bicyclist has won the annual Transportation Alternative’s commuter race, beating out a taxi and a subway rider. And in a similar race in London, a bicyclist beat out a boat, a tube-rider and a car.

All this besting by the bicycle begs the question, why are so many of us still so attached to our vehicles? If it’s storage- or child- space that we’re worried about, there are plenty of options for cargo bikes (with the Bakfiets winning the style award). Or of course, you can simply load up a basket, bike rack, handlebars or even a baby carrier.

In this video, faircompanies Kirsten Dirksen loaded a new table and chairs onto her child seat (sans child, of course) and biked home through the streets of Barcelona.

Kirsten also has a related blog post: When a bike beats a car: how appropriate is our transport?