Remember sliding van doors?

[wildcat45]

Saw some archive footage today and it got me thinking.

Back in the 1970s a lot of Transit, Bedford CF Commer and other vans had a sliding front door for the driver to use.

Makes sense I suppose. Easy to get in and out on deliveries, You can park in narrow sapces etc.

Blokes used to drive with the door open in the summer which I guess is probably agianst the law.

But why do vans not have this feature today?

Dan.

[hot metal]

Some of the UPS vans do and thy drive with the doors open in town from what ive seen.They are American vans though i think.

[DennisTheMenace]

good old health and safety i think , you could fall out (no sh*t) all they would have to do is fit an engine cut that wont start the engine untill the doors closed , my uncles old sherpa had them , was nice in the summer , drving along with the doors slid back , getting deafend by the austin diesel lump.

[Petemate]

More to the point, how about the scenario of pulling up quickly with your hand on the a-post and the door sliding forward - aaarrrghhh - I cringe just thinking about the severing of the fingers....
Sorry for anyone who has just eaten...
Pete

[carl_w]

It's legal to drive a van with sliding doors with the doors open. And if you're a postie, you don't have to wear a seatbelt either.

[Roadru77er]

Petemate said:

More to the point, how about the scenario of pulling up quickly with your hand on the a-post and the door sliding forward - aaarrrghhh - I cringe just thinking about the severing of the fingers....
Sorry for anyone who has just eaten...
Pete

When you slide the door back it locks open!

[Graebob]

carl_w said:

It's legal to drive a van with sliding doors with the doors open. And if you're a postie, you don't have to wear a seatbelt either.

The postie thing is not true. Seatbelt law applies to everyone, you must always wear your belt unless your either A) reversing or B) travelling less than 50ft (if my memory of Royal Mail induction serves me right). How you'd prove B, I have no clue.

[robwales]

wildcat45 said:

Blokes used to drive with the door open in the summer which I guess is probably agianst the law.

Yep I remember doing that travelling in a Sherpa with my dad, about 1995 probably.
Cool, but dangerous.

[Roadru77er]

carl_w said:

It's legal to drive a van with sliding doors with the doors open. And if you're a postie, you don't have to wear a seatbelt either.

Pretty sure if you're delivering you must wear your seat belt to the first delivrey and from the last that is how it was when I was a white van man in about 1983

[H_Kan]

UPS still have brown vans which drive round with the door open around town. Sliding doors on white vans would make a lot of sense, not sure about the packaging issues though.

[Pigeon]

Why are post office vans not left hand drive?

[mp3manager]

Graebob said:

carl_w said:

It's legal to drive a van with sliding doors with the doors open. And if you're a postie, you don't have to wear a seatbelt either.

The postie thing is not true. Seatbelt law applies to everyone, you must always wear your belt unless your either A) reversing or B) travelling less than 50ft (if my memory of Royal Mail induction serves me right). How you'd prove B, I have no clue.

You forgot....
C) the driver of a licensed taxi.

Although why that should be vexes me.

[sadako]

mp3manager said:

Graebob said:

carl_w said:

It's legal to drive a van with sliding doors with the doors open. And if you're a postie, you don't have to wear a seatbelt either.

The postie thing is not true. Seatbelt law applies to everyone, you must always wear your belt unless your either A) reversing or B) travelling less than 50ft (if my memory of Royal Mail induction serves me right). How you'd prove B, I have no clue.

You forgot....
C) the driver of a licensed taxi.

Although why that should be vexes me.

That would likely be because the taxi driver is likely to get some drunk idiot try to strangle them with the belt and would need to be free to get his maglite.

[thinfourth2]

Dad had one of those vans but he opened the door too hard one day and it shot off into a hedge late at night never to be found again

[Vipers]

carl_w said:

It's legal to drive a van with sliding doors with the doors open. And if you're a postie, you don't have to wear a seatbelt either.

Our posties dont wear trousers either.............. most wear shorts.

[Vipers]

Graebob said:

carl_w said:

It's legal to drive a van with sliding doors with the doors open. And if you're a postie, you don't have to wear a seatbelt either.

The postie thing is not true. Seatbelt law applies to everyone, you must always wear your belt unless your either A) reversing or B) travelling less than 50ft (if my memory of Royal Mail induction serves me right). How you'd prove B, I have no clue.

Bus drivers?

[ian2144]

I had the pleasure of driving a works van back in the 70's - an Austin J2 van with slidng doors and No seat belts. I t was more like saling a boat as it bobed and rolled along the road. I'm sure if you did a long trip in the thing, you would get sea sick !!

[Puff Puff]

Pigeon said:

Why are post office vans not left hand drive?

I've often wondered that too. Deutsche Post had RHD delivery vehicles as far back as the 1960s.

[agent006]

Pigeon said:

Why are post office vans not left hand drive?

Because the postmen would go on strike if they tried to switch to LHD.

[LeoZwalf]

thinfourth2 said:

Dad had one of those vans but he opened the door too hard one day and it shot off into a hedge late at night never to be found again

The image that creates is simply wonderful!

Edited by LeoZwalf on Tuesday 26th August 08:56