Posties to loose their bikes

[Bigbee]

Royal Mail scraps bicycles for safety concerns | Bicycle business | News by BikeBiz

Hmm

 

[Alex728]

I heard about this a while back but other reports have claimed the same thing was happening more due to Royal Mail's push towards "greater commercial efficiencies.." (i.e short term gain).

bear in mind too thats the word of a chairman who is leaving (to take over ITV!) rather than someone genuinely interested in the long term survival of the business/organisation..

 

[flecc]

I think it's sensible, today's delivery arrangements mean postmen have substantial deliver loads, both in bulk and weight, and they often have double loads with one temporarily stored in wayside boxes. These are beyond bicycle capabilities. A new pattern of van use to deliver a number of posties and their loads and pick them up afterwards works well in my area. The vans are part personnel seating, part load space.
.

 

[jasono]

I like the way the Royal Mail are getting greener as a company with this measure

 

[Morag]

I have to agree with Flecc and his comment. The amount of things ordered over the internet for delivery instead of folks picking them up at stores has increased making the use of a bike a very limiting and time consuming way to work.

 

[Alex728]

I have to agree with Flecc and his comment. The amount of things ordered over the internet for delivery instead of folks picking them up at stores has increased making the use of a bike a very limiting and time consuming way to work.

if this in fact reduces car journeys elsewhere (and this may be the case) its possibly a price worth paying. in fact it is online delivery which enables me to live without a car!

What annoys me though is people trying to spin a unpopular business decision from either side of the political arena rather than just being honest about it..

 

[Northern Irelander]

I think it's a disappointing end to a national icon

If the key reason is road safety, what does that tell us about the rest or our infrastructure, does that mean we shouldn't have any cycling in the UK

I agree, that not every postal round will be suitable for a bicycle, but to say a van is for extra efficiencies is a false economy.

Anyone know where I can acquire a red Pashley

 

[Lloyd]

They should use electric vans

 

[Old Timer]

Health and safety gone mad. I read yesterday that one hospital is banning knitting by patients while in hospital

 

[Patrick]

IIf the key reason is road safety, what does that tell us about the rest or our infrastructure, does that mean we shouldn't have any cycling in the UK

According to Lord Hunt when he was asked about this in the House of Lords this week "the main reason for the change is to improve the efficiency of the Post Office". Lords Hansard text for 29 Mar 201029 Mar 2010 (pt 0002)

Postbags have got heavier due to the Royal Mail delivering more packages and making fewer delivery rounds, and they're set to get heavier still now that the unions have lifted their limit on the amount of junk mail that posties can be asked to deliver. A postman can carry 85 kg of mail in a trolley, compared to 32 kg on a bike. Trolleys are also easier to load on to a van so the postie can be dropped off at the begining of his route.

 

[lemmy]

A postman can carry 85 kg of mail in a trolley, compared to 32 kg on a bike. Trolleys are also easier to load on to a van so the postie can be dropped off at the begining of his route.

I think it will work according to the area.

If they use bikes and vans as appropriate it should lead to an improvement in service.

My postal service in London is fine and I have no complaints. But in the country, my friends have nothing good to say about the service.

The main problem is not necessarily the actual delivery but the fact that there is a different postman every day, usually temp staff and they get the deliveries addresses wrong or don't bother to ring the bell when they have parcels but just put a note through the door saying 'we rang but you were out'

Vans won't help that, unfortunately.

 

[oldlegs]

My Wife does an early morning paper round on an elderly (1950/60's )ex post office bike.
When we heard that the posties were losing their bikes, we made enquiries about buying one to replace the antique.

We were told that the bikes were being shipped to Africa

Foreign aid.??????

 

[cogs]

It needs to be recognised that our posties have been under seige from the management side for a long time now. The drive towards what some describe as 'greater efficiency' is in fact an attempt to clear the way for tens of thousands of job losses. It also means that many post workers will be looking at pay cuts and longer contracted hours - with Saturday's becoming a normal working day for deliveries for instance.

Any loss of bicycle deliveries should be seen as being intimately linked to this process. I for one hope that the posties trade union will stand up and resist the continuing errosion of our public services and defend the working conditions of our postmen and women. They are a vital part of the fabric of our society after all.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Good news from New Zealand

The New Zealand Post is in the last stages of trials on a kit specially designed by Wisper to electrify a large percentage of post bikes.

The bikes will all sport a special 'Powered by Wisper' logo!

As soon as I have full details and images I will post

All the best

David

 

[cogs]

That sounds like the type of development that everyone can welcome Wisper.

Excellent.

 

[Alex728]

They should use electric vans

Government Funded Electric Van Trials To Start - UK Van & Van Hire News

 

[Alex728]

My Wife does an early morning paper round on an elderly (1950/60's )ex post office bike.
When we heard that the posties were losing their bikes, we made enquiries about buying one to replace the antique.

We were told that the bikes were being shipped to Africa

Foreign aid.??????

I believe they used to be re-sold in the UK, but this unfortunately created a further black market for bikes in active service stolen from posties and/or less scrupulous staff "accidentally" losing their bike (which was resold with them trousering the cash).

So if all the old post office bikes legitimately decommisioned are sent to a foreign country, a bobby should then know to quiz anyone riding a newer pattern Post Office bike who clearly isn't a postie on their rounds (staff cannot even ride them for personal use, those who cycle outside the job (and many do) have to lock up their personal bike in the sorting office whilst picking up their official machine).

In this case blame the criminal element, not the Royal Mail or the foreigners or the Government. better the Africans make use of them then the machines are broken up for scrap, which is what would otherwise have to happen for "security reasons".

 

[flecc]

They should use electric vans

They did have a trial of every kind of e-vehicle, and their decisions are partly based on that. Adding to the links given by Alex:

Royal Mail orders Zero Emission Vehicles

Oxford Post Tries Out New Electric Van
.

 

[flecc]

It needs to be recognised that our posties have been under seige from the management side for a long time now. The drive towards what some describe as 'greater efficiency' is in fact an attempt to clear the way for tens of thousands of job losses. It also means that many post workers will be looking at pay cuts and longer contracted hours - with Saturday's becoming a normal working day for deliveries for instance.

Any loss of bicycle deliveries should be seen as being intimately linked to this process. I for one hope that the posties trade union will stand up and resist the continuing errosion of our public services and defend the working conditions of our postmen and women. They are a vital part of the fabric of our society after all.

Sorry Cogs, but avoiding change is a pipe dream, things just cannot carry on as they were in the past. The whole nature of the business that the Royal Mail postal service does has fundamentally changed and the way in which they handle that different business imposed on them by progress has to change as well if they are to compete with the private sector.

There was a time when a postie carried very large numbers of light and lucrative envelopes, now much of what they carry is often quite large packages, bulked out by low income junk mail. They have to have new ways of transporting enough daily to get the income the organisation needs to maintain a universal national service.
.

 

[Northern Irelander]

Postbags have got heavier due to the Royal Mail delivering more packages and making fewer delivery rounds, and they're set to get heavier still now that the unions have lifted their limit on the amount of junk mail that posties can be asked to deliver. A postman can carry 85 kg of mail in a trolley, compared to 32 kg on a bike. Trolleys are also easier to load on to a van so the postie can be dropped off at the begining of his route.

Then the answer is bicycle trailers,
Bikes and Trailers: shopping, load and dog trailers for bicycles

Some of the payloads are 50kg trailer and 200kg trolley


SIMPLES!