Posties

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Cab

New Member
Location
Cambridge
Are there many posties on bikes where you are?

Seems like fleets of them here. I only mention it because I was chatting to one this morning. I saw him in front of me on Arbury Road, he was in a fairly good primary position, I looked over my shoulder, signalled, moved in to the right hand lane, slowed down to stop at the junction to turn right. He then looked over his shoulder, saw me in the right hand lane, I could see he wanted out, so I moved to the right hand side of my lane to let him in.

Both of us then turned off, but he hadn't quite had to stop by the time that the lights changed so I let him go out in front of me. He moved off the road on to the same shared use path I was heading on to, he looked over his shoulder and saw me, moved over to let me past (having seen on the main road that I was moving faster than him).

I gestured him to move on, moved up alongside and we had a chat as we rode along. Good bloke, I thought.

And thats generally how it is around here with posties on bikes. Its how they seem to do all the deliveries, they're polite, generally have good roadcraft, and on the whole good cyclists.

Begs the question, why is it that whenever I encounter a Royal Mail van it seems to be driven by a Michael Schumacker wannabe?
 
There must be some but Ive never come across a postie on a bike in Scotland.
 

mrben

New Member
Location
Glasgow
Not seen any around Glasgow, but that's probably because of the amount of "closes" (ie blocks of terraced flats, usually 6-8 flats in each.
 

LOGAN 5

New Member
The Royal Mail van drivers doing late collections can finish work as soon as they end their pick ups so giving them the incentive to train for Brands Hatch.:smile: This early finish culture was part of the row/strike about getting postal staff to do other duties until the end of their official hours. If this did get introduced we'd see the postal vans driving really slowly to eek out the work until their shift ended which would be better for everybody - except them I suppose.

Wish I could go home as soon as I'd done my work - be gone by noon every day.....:smile:
 

HJ

Cycling in Scotland
Location
Auld Reekie
HLaB said:
There must be some but Ive never come across a postie on a bike in Scotland.

I have seen one or two, the last one was cycling down the Bridges on what looked like a child's bike...
 

Plax

Guru
Location
Wales
Not seen a postie on a bike round here, but then it's a rural area and we don't get our post until around 11am anyway. Dread to think how long it would take to get the post if they were on push bikes. :biggrin:
 

alecstilleyedye

nothing in moderation
Moderator
usually pass one up a deceptive little rise on my commute. always impressed at the speed he does it with a full sack (oo-er) :biggrin:
 
Heh, I used to be one. I loved my postbike (Pashley Millenium, now probably rusting at the bottom of the Exeter flood channel courtesy of the twocking little bastard who nicked it).

There's no formal training for posties on bikes btw, if you can ride then you get a bike. Which made me more determined to resist the compulsory helmets when they were introduced. I slung mine, never wore it and the posties round here (in shorts, ffs) don't seem to bother with theirs. :biggrin:

RM drivers are another matter. In my old office (Leamington) the delivery posties were the ordinary birds'n'blokes who delivered mail. They had little clout and little influence with the union. The drivers were a cliquey bunch of bastards, they ran the local union and believed that they were gods gift. A chippier bunch of lazy, arrogant gits you could hardly wish to avoid. There were many exceptions to this and individually they were generally ok. As a whole though they were aresholes. However, everything on their route was timed. Every box, every bag drop, every collection. Each route has a sheet detailing the times. Having said that, some of them drove like complete twats.
 
OP
OP
Cab

Cab

New Member
Location
Cambridge
Chuffy said:
There's no formal training for posties on bikes btw, if you can ride then you get a bike.

Then its refreshing that so many of them choose to ride here! I've often been amazed, when riding down to the big post office building to get a parcel, just how many of them there are. Loads of them seem to be on bikes in Cambridge.

I'm surprised theres no training at all, the competence of posties on bikes around here is well above average. Not perfect (who amongst us is?), but definitely good.
 

summerdays

Cycling in the sun
Location
Bristol
I've definately seen at least 2 different ones in Bristol as well... and they were wearing shorts in the last few weeks...!!!! (They are probably an import from the hardy north).
 

Pete

Guest
There are plenty around here. I think it depends on how genteel and middle-class the area is - and how flat! :rolleyes: Some of them sport the compulsory helmet (is it still compulsory for them?) - some of them don't. Those with helmets - some of them wear them with the straps undone and dangling. That says something. Others wear a helmet with a cloth cover. That also says something, and bothers me a bit.
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
Cab said:
Then its refreshing that so many of them choose to ride here! I've often been amazed, when riding down to the big post office building to get a parcel, just how many of them there are. Loads of them seem to be on bikes in Cambridge.


I'm surprised you're surprised, somehow... Seems quite likely to me, in a flatish city with lots of cyclists.

Plenty in York, only the other day I saw a small peloton leaving the sorting office on the riverside path, and thought how cheery they all looked. And my mate, who was knocked off the other week is a postie and has done foot, bike and van deliveries in his time. In fact he sometimes delivers to the stables I ride at, and they are always threatening to get him on a horse, maybe that would be another way to deliver!;) I've never been in a vehicle he's been driving, so I can't say, but I would imagine, since he is a keen cyclist that he's pretty considerate.
 
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