Stories from Cycling Posties

[Roy Mayall]

CTC is collecting stories from posties in order to show exactly how cycles contribute to safe and efficient postal delivery. If you are a postie who uses a cycle for your deliveries, please share your experiences to help CTC better argue for keeping cycle deliveries: http://www.ctc.org.uk/desktopdefault.aspx?tabid=5405

[redneck]

I use a bike every day, it is quick, environmentally friendly and cheap as chips for the employer. I have not had a mechanical of any kind in 8 months since starting as a postie, apart from a pannier falling off with a full load of mail!! It is extremely short-sighted and nonsensical of management to be suggesting alternative methods of delivery and investing in 'trolleys'. As a protest I suggest all cycling posties attach a trolley to the rear of the bike, that will do nicely for the extra space required for parcels, simple.

[stevo302]

The day they stop bikes and bring in trollies is the day i pack this in. Apart from the usual BS of H+S and trying to get us to wear bike helmets ( we're on pavements 95% of the time, what are we going to do, impale our heads on a very large bus stop sign? ) i can't see sense in stopping cycle deliveries. In our office 40 cycle duties were axed into 40 CDV duties... what's cheaper for RM to run, 40 bikes or 20 vans? Child of 5 could work it out.

Cycling is also the most easiest method of carrying the weight AND most importantly storing packets with paneers. The golf trollies are a faff, slower and despite RMs stance on them, are not easy to use when weighted. I also find pulling them somewhat a H+S risk as far as your back is concerned.

I also know for a fact in the sub offices i work in that duty start points are miles away. Biking to it? 2/3 minutes. Walking with full weighted trolly? 20 minutes. = me cutting off 40 minutes worth of duty.

Upto you RM but the moment you cut our options down to just walking, you're gonna have severe logistical problems.

[bandit650]

I use a bike on my delivery every day,it's cleaner and is far more cheaper than some naff van,you have to ask yourself how good is driving a van around?They are fuel belching expensive hunks of junk which are helping toward poor air quality,i would not mind if they were serviced well and repaired as they should be but now they come back from the work shop in a poorer condition than they went in.
What a fantastic advert for Royal Mail,"helping to keep their staff fit by letting them cycle",how many other delivery firms in the uk can say they are contributing toward better health of thier staff.
How can a business as big as Royal Mail not see that oil is getting short and fuel is in need of being replaced and before anyone says electric carts are more enviromentaly friendly, you have to ask where do they get thier electric from,is it produced by coal fuelled power station and can you say hand on heart that the electricty is produced by wind power?the likely answer to that is that the electric is produced by coal power station,Wind farms are new technology and not readly available.Idea harness all RM managers they are full of wind and p***!.
The plus points about cycleing is you can get through traffic where as you cant in a van,you dont pay for parking which you will have to as more and more residential areas are being used as a cash cow for local councils to create extra revenue.
Tax you pay a fortune for with vans and insurance which is fast becoming expensive,serviceing of a bike is cheaper,parts are cheaper,you dont have to dispose of old oil or tyres which you do on OMV's,the other thing is using break down companys that is never cheap!SO COME ON ROYAL MAIL GET A LIFE!.

[rockmanrock]

I too use a bike daily ,and can't see how my round could be done better-ie more effeciently with a van . The (massive) extra cost of vans makes no sense . However i fear RM has a nasty plan to turn 3 walks into 2 ,using the "van" as a time saver. Anyone remember "Starburst" ? The government should get a hold of this as it goes against EVERY green policy they hold. Not only will delivery staff work harder ,we will polute the planet more,congest roads already full to bursting point-genius.

[Nikellie]

As a newbie postie I just wanted to add my tuppence worth.

In my first month I've done HCT (see, I'm getting the jargon!) and bike, albeit on different rounds.

The bike wins easily although the stand could be a little wider to help on uneven pavements. When you look at the chaps prepping their van rounds they all have "bellies" whereas us cycle boys and girls are all lean and mean!

There is a lot of mention in our office about "starburst" style deliveries which would facilitate more packets and parcels and ultimately profit.

My view is that you should enjoy your bike while you can!