Royal Mail scrapping their cycle fleet

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Norm

Guest
Unfortunately, I blame government control for that. If we work from home, then our homes are considered a workplace (no, really :smile: ) and subject to the same legislation as any office space. I'd rather leave it out but people have sued employers for tripping over cables in their own homes, so that is just the natural response from employers.

It is also, IMO, fecked up.
 

GrumpyGregry

Here for rides.
As said above this will have a huge impact on Pashley's business model. and put loads of vans on the road with drivers under pressure of time. may work wonders for the RM's H&S but pity the poor saps sharing the roads.
 

CopperBrompton

Bicycle: a means of transport between cake-stops
Location
London
Redvers said:
How different from the French post bikes with well distributed weight, a clever kick down stand and some decent hub gears.

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Bit worrying that the French posties still require stabilisers :smile:
 
On a serious note though (after my last post), those Chinese electric carts will carry much more mail (maybe three times as much) so there will be fewer 'walks' hence less posties. I think that is much more like the real reason than any expense on purchase and servicing of Pashleys. A sad (and wrong) decision, and the end of another era.
 

HJ

Cycling in Scotland
Location
Auld Reekie
Another moronic decision from Royal Mail senior management, if it was a private company it would have gone bankrupt by now. Trouble is, after the next election it will probably be privatised, then asset striped by the same senior management, who will award themselves massive bonuses for doing so, and we the tax payers will be the losers in every way.
 

chap

Veteran
Location
London, GB
TheBoyBilly said:
Hello all, Daily Mail reader here. What's this going to do for Pashley is what I want to know? More poor workers thrown onto the unemployment pile I suspect. Now all we're going to have is more and more ghastly, fume-exuding road vehicles clogging up our country highways and byways (I'm not too bothered about inner-cities - let them eat cake!:blush:)
Interestingly it was good to watch Question Time the other night to observe the 'lefties' having to agree with the wonderful Richard Littlejohn on so many issues....and his perfect 'put-down' to that young scamp who accused him of being a mouthpiece for the BNP B)

What!

The only charming or civil quality about Richard Littlejohn is his surname.

I have yet to watch this particular episode of QT although, I am still to come across an episode which delivers that killer argument or stretch of logic spanning more than 2 clauses. Each episode is more a paean to populist shallow sentiment, one would receive an accolades for declaring that 'war is bad' and 'peace is good' so long as they added that 'bankers epitomise greed'.

Finally, whilst it is a blow to Pashley, and another example of a British company failed by its institutions and the very people that arouse petty nationalist mush, they aren't going anywhere (for now) their models are taking off around the world, the Princess, the Roadster, the Guv'nor, these and their derivatives sell the brand with pride.
 

kbrumann

Active Member
Location
Cambridge
Keep Posties on Bikes

Debian said:
I didn't know what section to put this in, or even if it's already been posted somewhere.

Anyway, BikeRadar are reporting that RM are planning to scrap all but 500 of it's 24,000+ fleet of bikes. The reason given is to reduce the number of injuries to delivery workers as bikes are dangerous! In fact, accidents involving bikes come in fifth in the list of causes of injury after trips and falls, animal bites, hitting something and handling injuries :biggrin:

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/royal-mail-scrap-bicycles-for-safety-reasons-25576

Apparently the bikes will be replaced with a combination of diesel vans and chinese-made battery powered carts.

Bicycles are zero-carbon, cheap, reliable and congestion-cutting - so why is the Royal Mail planning to phase out deliveries by posties on two wheels? Save Royal Mail Cycle Delivery! Please join "Keep Posties on Bikes" on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=111878638841003
 

GrumpyGregry

Here for rides.
CTC have engaged brains and entered the fray here

Get writin' people. You don't have to be a member.
 

postman

Squire
Location
,Leeds
Yeah getting rid of bikes .And so i have heard putting trackers in vans .

!!! To keep an eye on staff ? i wonder .
 

jayonabike

Powered by caffeine & whisky
Location
Hertfordshire
postman said:
Yeah getting rid of bikes .And so i have heard putting trackers in vans .

!!! To keep an eye on staff ? i wonder .

I'm a *cough* Royal Mail driver *cough* and all of the vans in our office have trackers fitted. My boss can tell my speed, if i'm speeding, where i am, how hard i brake, when the doors are open, if i have my seat belt on or not.
 

Crankarm

Guru
Location
Nr Cambridge
Spoke to a posty who was unpacking letters from his bike in town this morning about the RM bike cull. He said RM are getting rid of all bikes in the company substituting them for vans which means they can carry more mail at any one time. Vans will leave an hour later than cycling posties currently do so we will get deliveries even later, but hopefully by sundown ;). A reduction in cycling posties means far fewer posties out and about delivering the mail which means JOB LOSSES :ohmy:!
 

RRCC

Guru
I have done a lot of work with Royal Mail on Health and Safety for delivery staff. The problem is not with the safety of cycling - they have relativly few accidents - it is with the weight and bulk of the post.

The current system is that the posties arrive at the office and sort the mail first into rounds and then sort the round into its delivery sequence. This is put into delivery pouches the first weighing up to 16kg and the later ones 11kg, typically a postie will have 8 - 12 pouches - around 100kg of mail each day. They can not carry all this on their backs or bikes at once so they have a safe drop system - vans wizz round dropping off bags in boxes. porches shops etc to be picked up later. Getting these drops is difficult and consumes a lot of management time - lack of these drops can lead to posties carrying over-weight pouches and contributes to their health problems. Heavy and bulky packages are also delivered by van.

Royal mails delivery operations lose money - the amount they are allowed to charge TNT, Business Post etc for the "final mile" is less than the cost of the service at present. The whole idea is to take jobs and costs out of the system - if they don't their "compeditors" will start delivering in the few areas where they can make a profit and RM lose even money.
"Compeditors" because the market is rigged to prevent ensure that they make money.

The system they are moving to is that the mail will arrive at the delivery office "walk sorted" Posties will arrive at staggered start times, feed their mail through a sequencing machine and go out in pairs in a small van. this will carry all their mail for the day. They will use the van as a mobile store as they do loops on foot to deliver, then to move to the next parking spot. The hope is that: the pouch and packet vans will no longer be needed; the posties will spend less time in the office and so either do more deliveries or less hours; the posties will no longer be tempted to overload themselves to get the job done.
Rounds close to the office will be done with trollies, some of them electric.

The latest bikes have a step through steel frame, 26 inch rear and 24 inch front wheel with marathon tyres, hub brakes and 5 speed SRAM hub gears (with a chain tensioner), rated for 16 kg front and rear carriers. I want one as a shopping bike.
 

MacB

Lover of things that come in 3's
RRCC said:
I have done a lot of work with Royal Mail on Health and Safety for delivery staff. The problem is not with the safety of cycling - they have relativly few accidents - it is with the weight and bulk of the post.

The current system is that the posties arrive at the office and sort the mail first into rounds and then sort the round into its delivery sequence. This is put into delivery pouches the first weighing up to 16kg and the later ones 11kg, typically a postie will have 8 - 12 pouches - around 100kg of mail each day. They can not carry all this on their backs or bikes at once so they have a safe drop system - vans wizz round dropping off bags in boxes. porches shops etc to be picked up later. Getting these drops is difficult and consumes a lot of management time - lack of these drops can lead to posties carrying over-weight pouches and contributes to their health problems. Heavy and bulky packages are also delivered by van.

Royal mails delivery operations lose money the amount they are allowed to charge TNT, Business Post etc for the "final mile" is less than the cost of the service at present.

The system they are moving to is that the mail will arrive at the delivery office "walk sorted" Posties will arrive at staggered start times, feed their mail through a sequencing machine and go out in pairs in a small van. this will carry all their mail for the day. They will use the van as a mobile store as they do loops on foot to deliver, then to move to the next parking spot. The hope is that: the pouch and packet vans will no longer be needed; the posties will spend less time in the office and so either do more deliveries or less hours; the posties will no longer be tempted to overload themselves to get the job done.
Rounds close to the office will be done with trollies, some of them electric.

The latest bikes have a step through steel frame, 26 inch rear and 24 inch front wheel with marathon tyres, hub brakes and 5 speed SRAM hub gears (with a chain tensioner), rated for 16 kg front and rear carriers. I want one as a shopping bike.

Excellent info there, I was wondering if a trailer option had been considered for the bikes? If their total load for a day is approx 100kg then a bicycle trailer could accomodate that.
 
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