Keep Posties Cycling

CTC was first alerted to the threat of the end of over 100 years of cycle-aided postal deliveries thanks to Re~Cycle, a charity which ships second-hand bikes to Africa where they are repaired and reused. Royal Mail had previously been a major donor with Pashley Mailstars from their fleet being transferred to Re~Cycle at the end of their working lives.

A letter to CTC Vice President Tony Berkeley from Royal Mail’s former chief executive, Adam Crozier, confirms that Royal Mail plans to replace almost all of its bikes with electric trolleys that will be shipped out to neighbourhoods by van. 

CTC believes Crozier’s assertion that posties on bikes violate health and safety regulations was untrue. Mr Crozier’s comment that the increasing weights of postal deliveries necessitates new delivery technologies ignores the potential to use cargo bicycles and tricycles, already used in other European countries and by courier companies in Britain - for instance DHL, FedEx and Office Depot.

CTC opposes any moves by Royal Mail to stop cycle deliveries, and instead would like to see cargo bikes and tricycles used to deliver larger weights of post. We've also collected stories from Posties who want to keep their cycles. With the Communications Workers' Union, which represents many postal workers, unwilling to take a stand on this issue, CTC is forced to represent the interests of the many postal workers who do feel strongly that cycles are useful to their jobs.