Royal Mail ditches bikes

[Raven Flyer]

Quite remarkable.

All down to getting posties to carry more parcels.

Couldn't they have had bike trailers?

My postie mates won't be happy, even if their union is.

[louiebaby]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

That was my first thought...

[Mr Will]

louiebaby said:

anonymous said:

[redacted]

That was my first thought...

Being shipped to Africa apparently

[louiebaby]

Mr Will said:

Being shipped to Africa apparently

Don't get me wrong, that's better than scrapping them, but...

Wouldn't they do more good for Africa if they sold them, added what it would have cost to ship the bikes, and then used the money to set up a sustainable, locally owned business over there?

It wouldn't have gained the glorious headlines, but it would have been more beneficial...

[whitechief]

louiebaby said:

Mr Will said:

Being shipped to Africa apparently

Don't get me wrong, that's better than scrapping them, but...

Wouldn't they do more good for Africa if they sold them, added what it would have cost to ship the bikes, and then used the money to set up a sustainable, locally owned business over there?

It wouldn't have gained the glorious headlines, but it would have been more beneficial...

You are missing the point of the charity. It was set up by a good friend of mine many years ago after he visited Haiti, which is where the bikes were initially sent.

From the website:

"Re~Cycle is a UK charity committed to providing cheap, sustainable transport in Africa. We believe that bicycles offer poor people the best means to improve their lives, giving them opportunities to travel to work and school. They can also be adapted to carry goods and passengers giving small scale farmers and traders the opportunity to reach customers further afield. They are also an invaluable resource for traveling health workers coping with the AIDS epidemic."

http://www.re-cycle.org/About

[the_lone_wolf]

Spoke to a postie a couple of months back and he said they were looking to get rid of the bikes

TBH when I was working as a postie the damn things were lethal, 30+kg over the front wheel means instant stoppies and god help you if you have a long descent on your route...

[louiebaby]

whitechief said:

http://www.re-cycle.org/About

Re Cycle Website said:

We receive unwanted bikes from individuals and organisations such as the Royal Mail. These are checked over and prepared for shipment before being loaded into containers (approx. 400 each time) and sent to our various partner organisations in Africa. There, they are refurbished before being distributed by our African partners. We also teach repair and maintenance skills.

Everyday is a school day. Sounds like they're doing it right!

[Jonny671]

Surely this is silly.

Each morning our postman comes along on his bike.. Another 2 postmen also ride past at other times through the morning. I drive past the sorting office in town each morning, there are posties on their bikes everywhere.

So are they now supposed to walk everywhere? Will RM have more posties to get the post delivered before 6pm each day?

[whitechief]

louiebaby said:

whitechief said:

http://www.re-cycle.org/About

Re Cycle Website said:

We receive unwanted bikes from individuals and organisations such as the Royal Mail. These are checked over and prepared for shipment before being loaded into containers (approx. 400 each time) and sent to our various partner organisations in Africa. There, they are refurbished before being distributed by our African partners. We also teach repair and maintenance skills.

Everyday is a school day. Sounds like they're doing it right!

Right from the start the intention was to teach the people how to maintain the bikes and keep them mobile.

Edited by whitechief on Thursday 9th September 13:58