Hello from New Zealand

BELIAL · Post by **BELIAL** » 11 Oct 2008, 13:45

I'd keep quiet about the wide open green spaces ,remember EDF is looking for sites for twelve potential Chernobyls/Windscales/Three Mile Islands/Harisburgs, and if it can happen probability says it will

paul_skinback · Post by **paul_skinback** » 11 Oct 2008, 15:20

TrueBlueTerrier wrote:I have to agree with Andy on this - in less than an hour I can get to the Peak District, The Dales, The Lake District and Saddleworth Moor and at a push the North York Moors and I don't have a car. In 2 hours I can get to North Wales and Robin Hoods bay . I agree though having lived in the South East, Hampshire to Kent and North to Essex and then West to Hertfordshire is all one big concrete jungle with only a few unspoilt areas of countryside.

Fair doos both and maybe we should have all been born as sardines!

Strange that Canada has about 30 odd million peeps in a country that England would fit into about 30 times. Wish i was anywhere but here!

markis · Post by **markis** » 11 Oct 2008, 15:48

Typical walk will take between 3 to 4 hours depending on which walk you do and that's if you know it ! Then of course it depends on how heavy the mail is which can make a walk go up say an extra half hour .

pastyno1 · Post by **pastyno1** » 11 Oct 2008, 20:10

Sugarpie wrote:We have sorting cases, not sure how they compare to the UK, maybe someone has a picture they could send me? I start at 7.30 am, although some of the runs are considered "part time" i.e. shorter, so if I'm on them I start at 7.00 am and that involves unloading the mail cages with the support staff. Phew!! Sounds pretty intense. So anyway we have trolleys with the trays of mail. The mail is roughly divided thus; we have letters obviously, then there are A5 size letters, then we call the larger A4 letters "large flats" for some reason, and then there are the parcels. Normally I will sort all my large flats onto the case, then put any flat parcels up with them. Then I will pull out all of that mail according to the mail bags I'm going to use, flagging any parcels by reversing the nearest large flat. Man this sounds really weird when I read it but I hope you will know what I'm talking about!!
After that has been done it's time to sort the letters. We have 2 types, machine sorted (called OCR for optical character recognition) and people sorted (or PPS). After that it's the diversion tray i.e. redirections, holds, etc. Then I pull out the letters for the bags and have my break then deliver!! Easy peasey.

Hope you get the picture and hopefully someone over in the UK can fill me in on your procedures. Typically a run will take 2 1/2 to 3 hours, longer with Sky mags or mailouts. We all use bikes, pretty good they are now too, with 5 speed gears, stand, nice bright new panniers, disc brakes. The old bikes were rubbish, only one direct chain drive, crappy leather bags, I hated those. Cheers

not much different then to over here!!! accept the weather!! oh and the breaks!

dropbag_clone · Post by **dropbag_clone** » 12 Oct 2008, 11:29

"Well that depends on which run I do - at my branch there are about 16 runs.."

Ahh.... I notice the the word to encompass the delivery in NZ is called a "run"

Here in the UK (up north anyway) the delivery is called a "walk"... but with the reorganization of our delivery office, and the increased delivery points (thank you pegasus, now up to 950 calls) maybe we should call them "runs" because it can't be done at a walking speed in 3 1/5 hours.

Sugarpie · Post by **Sugarpie** » 16 Oct 2008, 02:24

Well officially they are called "walks", that's what written on the case but everyone calls them "runs". I don't know why that is, maybe because you don't actually walk it!! But then again, you don't run it either!! Ah well it's all good

OMV 5 · Post by **OMV 5** » 17 Oct 2008, 19:42

hi from glasgow i was wondering if your bus and taxi drivers suffer from colour blindness cause here in glasgow they jump ever red light ....lol