The end of the pedalling postie: Health and safety fears lead to phasing out of bikes
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 12:24 PM on 30th March 2010
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ty-fears.html#

The British postie pedalling up the lane has been a familiar sight for more than 100 years

They have survived for more than a century as one of our most familiar sights: the traditional British postman trundling up the lane on his sturdy bicycle.

But now pedal-powered deliveries are falling victim to the 21st century's most fearsome foe... health and safety.

The Royal Mail's chief executive Adam Crozier is phasing out the company's 24,000 English-made bicycles and replacing them with vans because of the 'safety risk'.

Under the organisation's plan only 500 bikes will survive on rural routes.

Royal Mail bosses have already begun a move to end almost all two-wheeled deliveries, calling it 'modernisation' and claiming bikes could not carry enough post or travel far enough to be efficient.

But yesterday Mr Crozier revealed another reason for the change in a letter to the Labour peer Lord Berkeley.

He told the peer that bikes 'posed a wider safety risk associated with British street networks where the rider is exposed to greater risks than other vehicle users'.

Lord Berkeley condemned the plans as a 'slap in the eye' for the Government's cycling policy, which aims to get people to switch from cars to help cut carbon emissions.

Until as recently as last year, the £450 bicycles - made by Stratford-upon-Avon-based firm Pashley Cycles since 1971 - were still used on a quarter of all posties' delivery rounds.

In future postmen will be expected to travel to their patches in vans and deliver their letters and parcels from four-wheeled trolleys made in China.

Unions fear the move is a precursor to Royal Mail closing local delivery centres and cutting the hours of staff.


I believe this is yours: A rural postman makes a delivery from a pennyfarthing in 1900

Lord Berkeley revealed Mr Crozier's letter in the House of Lords when he challenged energy minister Lord Hunt about the Royal Mail's modernisation plans.

The peer asked: 'Would you agree that is a bit of a slap in the eye to the Government's policy to encourage cycling?'

Lord Hunt said the point about cycling was 'very telling' but the Government was 'ever eager' to improve the situation.

'I think we need to understand that the main reason for the change is to improve efficiency of the Post Office,' he said.

'It is not the case that bikes would be substituted necessarily always by vehicles. The Royal Mail are investing also in trolleys which can carry large loads.'

He said the cycle panniers could carry a maximum of 32kg which was often not sufficient 'for the parcels and packages that are becoming an increasing part of the postman's lot to deliver'.

The minister added that he understood Royal Mail had donated some of its redundant bicycles to the charity Re-Cycle which distributes them in Africa.