A DHL worker has said new safety rules for cyclists arriving at one of the company's Bristol depots is a "joke". The logistics company has confirmed that it is considering changes at its Emersons Green site, following a "number of incidents involving cyclists and pedestrians using the shared path".
According to one employee, who asked not to be named, people who to cycle to work at DHL Supply Chain in Emerald Park have been told to dismount upon reaching the main gate and walk for the rest of their journey. The cyclist estimated this to equate to "about 300 metres each way" of walking while wheeling their bikes to get to where they need to be.
He said with the move towards cycling and walking to work to ease traffic congestion and pollution, he took up cycling as his choice of transport instead of a car. As well as the extra time taken to dismount and walk, he raised concerns that this could be dangerous for any cyclists with cleats on their cycling shoes.
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“An already wet and cold cyclist walking and pushing his or her bike for the last 300 metres of their journey is just a joke and many people will just think 'I may as well just take the car'. Walking in cycling shoes with cleats on the bottom is almost impossible and by no means safe,” he added.
He said the path into the site is narrow and that pedestrians and cyclists having to share the small space was "far from ideal", adding: "That you could slip or trip on the tiny footpath is almost a given."
A spokesperson for DHL Supply Chain said: “In recent months we have unfortunately witnessed a number of incidents involving cyclists and pedestrians using the shared path. To ensure the safety of all users, we are currently considering a number of options including asking cyclists to dismount, and mandating some form of illumination.
“In the meantime we ask any cyclists concerned about slipping to change into appropriate footwear for their own safety,” read the statement.
Bristol City Council is aiming for net zero by 2030 with the public being encouraged to cycle or ride, or use public transport, as alternatives to using a car to get to work. As a result, workplaces are having to adjust to new forms of transport being accommodated at their premises.
Similar initiatives are being encouraged in South Gloucestershire, where Emerald Park is based. Cycling and walking priorities for the wider area are outlined in the West of England plan, which states that the number of people cycling to work in the region has "continued to grow steadily" since 2010, when 9.8 per cent of the workforce cycled to their workplaces.
Cycling campaigners have called for a comprehensive network of safe cycling routes to be made around the city to make it a safer mode of transport and encourage more people to cycle.
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