Royal Mail scrapping their cycle fleet

[Damaged Hero]

We have one in our delivery office.It's not used anymore,I wonder if it suddenly dissapeared they would notice...(or care)

 

[Davidc]

How about a postie sueing for compensation for the 2 years of life being stolen from him?

Perhaps its action by Royal Mail to reduce the average life span of a postie by 2 years to save money on pensions?

 

[PBancroft]

I very much doubt it has anything to do with Health and Safety.

I suspect it has more to do with vans being able to carry more and travel further, quicker. A real cynic might consider whether vans are easier to fit trackers to.

 

[661-Pete]

I very much doubt it has anything to do with Health and Safety.

I suspect it has more to do with vans being able to carry more and travel further, quicker. A real cynic might consider whether vans are easier to fit trackers to.

My point was, Health and Safety (capital 'H', capital 'S') has very little to do with health and safety (small 'h', small 's'). But this in no way invalidates your argument.

I often wonder whether my little lunchtime 'spins' which I indulge in, might come under scrutiny. These are journeys in a loop, mostly about 8-10 miles on country lanes (lucky me!), from workplace to workplace, so they might technically be regarded as 'business' trips . But I do them voluntarily, in my own time, and not for any business purpose (unless keeping fit counts as a business 'plus'). So - come on legal eagles - do your stuff! All I know is, if they set to having a go at me in that area, there'll be an unholy row!

 

[Norm]

These are journeys in a loop, mostly about 8-10 miles on country lanes (lucky me!), from workplace to workplace, so they might technically be regarded as 'business' trips . But I do them voluntarily, in my own time, and not for any business purpose (unless keeping fit counts as a business 'plus'). So - come on legal eagles - do your stuff! All I know is, if they set to having a go at me in that area, there'll be an unholy row!

IMO, it's nothing to do with the company. In terms of tax definitions (sorry, I'm an accountant not an H&S manager), it's neither wholly, exclusively nor necessarily for business purposes so it's nothing to do with them.

I suspect it has more to do with vans being able to carry more and travel further, quicker.

By coincidence, I saw a postie in a van dropping off another postie with a bike full of mail yesterday. It was the first time I'd seen that and it made me grin. We're a couple of miles from the sorting office and it struck me as a good use of resources for the van to drop the semi-rural postie on his bike off en route to the rural rounds.

 

[Joe]

H&S is definitely just an excuse imo. The H&S at work act requires you to take into account risks posed to the general public and others affected by your actions at work. If cycling is supposedly so dangerous then surely adding thousands more time pressured van drivers is increasing the risk to other cyclists and pedestrians! Not to mention pollution, congestion and less exercise and more stress for the posties!

 

[Dayvo]

So lugging a 'kin' heavy sack full of letters and packets every work day for 35+ years isn't damaging to the back? It's a load of bollox.

Cycling ISN'T dangerous: it's the other road users taht cause the danger, FFS!

 

[Redvers]

I had a chance to have a good look at some postie bikes last year and I couldn’t believe the state of them.

There are some newer designs but most are still heavy, badly maintained, not fit for carrying mail with all the weight going on the front, and not really designed for the job.

How different from the French post bikes with well distributed weight, a clever kick down stand and some decent hub gears.

Spotted this one in Brittany recently.

 

[Hilldodger]

the area manager I've been speaking with says it's more to do with servicing, each bike will soon have to have what is basically an MOT and service record and the PO just don't think the investment is worthwhile.

 

[Dayvo]

each bike will soon have to have what is basically an MOT and service record and the PO just don't think the investment is worthwhile.

So how many vehicles do they have, and how often are they replaced/repaired?

And what's the running cost of the ENTIRE fleet and the fuelling?

 

[Hilldodger]

So how many vehicles do they have, and how often are they replaced/repaired?

And what's the running cost of the ENTIRE fleet and the fuelling?

No idea!

The chap was just telling me why they were getting rid of the bikes!

 

[Davidc]

The H bit has to be an excuse. The health benefits of cycling are well documented.

The S part is also interesting. It would be fascinating to have access to RMs statistics.

 

[661-Pete]

I was a bit hasty perhaps when I said I didn't think the DM would be running this story . I did a quick search: here

Almost embarrassingly, I (and probably most folks here) find myself agreeing with the DM's line, just this once. Ah well! Mind you, they lose no time in emphasising the Britishness of the discarded bikes, and the Chineseness of what they are to be replaced with...

And as always when a DM page passes my way, my eyes drift down to the 'Comments'. Once again, I discover in a bemused state, a surprisingly favourable crop. Except perhaps for this one, which has earned itself the cachet of 'worst rated':

The more bicycles off the road the better. All cyclists using our roads are a menace.

Thank you, Mr/Ms Daily-Mail-Commenter! At least you're upholding the tradition!

 

[TheBoyBilly]

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!)
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

What!

 

[661-Pete]

Hello all, Daily Mail reader here.

Methinks a certain person is acquiring a certain yellowish bodily effluent, eh, what?

Actually, I am mightily angry about this whole affair, DM aside. Even at my own workplace (I was only having a bit of a lark about my lunchtime rides) I see the creeping tendrils of the control-freaks in the company, reaching out to ensnare us in our daily lives, in or out of work. Like the stream of e-mails telling us how to conduct ourselves in our own homes. I jest not! Maybe it is in the employer's interest to deter their workforce from having accidents. But it's also very patronising. Colleagues who hold IEEE qualifications, have told me they're being lectured about elementary electrical safety. And being lectured wrong...