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Deliveroops! Food delivery rider snapped cycling on M32 motorway in Bristolface mask - deliveroo x cambridge face mask 2.PNG

Deliveroops! Food delivery rider snapped cycling on M32 motorway in Bristol

Food delivery firm says worker’s contract could be terminated if identified
by Simon_MacMichael
Tue, Apr 20, 2021 12:34
8

A Deliveroo rider was last week snapped riding on the M32 in Bristol, with the food delivery firm saying that any of its workers caught cycling on a motorway face dismissal.

Bristol Live reports that a photo of the rider approaching a signpost for the turn-off for the B4469 towards Fishponds was posted on Reddit. That post has since been deleted, but the image is still hosted on Imgur.

Among the hundreds of replies to the Reddit post was one from a fellow “roo” – Deliveroo rider – who said: “ "As a roo this resonates with me so much.

“The guy was either trying to take a shortcut or the app classes this as a cycle lane. It could easily be any of these options.

“Tip your roos, it's a tough job,” he added.

Highway Code rule 253 states:

Prohibited vehicles. Motorways MUST NOT be used by pedestrians, holders of provisional motorcycle or car licences, riders of motorcycles under 50 cc, cyclists, horse riders, certain slow-moving vehicles and those carrying oversized loads (except by special permission), agricultural vehicles, and powered wheelchairs/powered mobility scooters.

A spokesperson for the company told the website: “Deliveroo takes rider safety extremely seriously and all riders have to abide by the rules of the road as set out in their contract.

“We also provide all riders with safety training before they work with Deliveroo.

“We are currently investigating this incident – any rider found to be riding dangerously or in breach of road law will no longer be able with work with Deliveroo.”

We’ve regularly reported on instances of cyclists ending up on motorways for reasons including sat-nav errors, poor signage or ignorance of the law.

One of the most high-profile cases happened the day before the opening ceremony of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, when four cyclists from the Sri Lanka national team were seen cycling on the M74 close to the exit for Motherwell and Hamilton.

> Commonwealth Games cyclists go training ... on a motorway

Deliveroo
motorways
Bristol
Simon MacMichael

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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8 comments

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Projectcyclingf... | 3 years ago
1 like

Cyclist on a hard shoulder is as serious as a motorist driving or parked, or a pedestrian, on a cycle lane☡
It's often boasted motorways are the safest roads, so why should there be a continual ban on cyclists from using them when huge numbers of dangerous motorists are hardly ever banned from any roads, even when they have crashed >crucially, even when they have killed.

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to Projectcyclingfitness | 3 years ago
0 likes

They ban lots of vehicles normally allowed on normal roads, it is not just cyclists. 

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kraut | 3 years ago
4 likes

I thought they're independent "partners", not workers..... 

But while it's obviously illegal, the hard shoulder is at least wide, and a priori seems no less safe a place to cycle than an A road with no hard shoulder, or even most narrow, painted cycle paths.

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Sriracha replied to kraut | 3 years ago
0 likes
kraut wrote:

But while it's obviously illegal, the hard shoulder is at least wide, and a priori seems no less safe a place to cycle than an A road with no hard shoulder, or even most narrow, painted cycle paths.

Sure, until you come to the entry/exit slip roads, motorway junctions, and so on.

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neoides | 3 years ago
2 likes

If they find him and talk to him, surely not terminate his contract. Nobody works for deliveroo if they don't have to.

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andystow replied to neoides | 3 years ago
0 likes

I read an article by a retired guy and avid cyclist who did it for funsies. He would just do it for a couple hours a day when the app was at its busiest and he could make the most money.

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to andystow | 3 years ago
0 likes

Was that Steve Abraham as I know he was doing it when he was still on Strava in 2019. 

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brooksby | 3 years ago
1 like

The end of the M32 (from Fishponds, inbound), notwithstanding that it is a motorway, has a 40mph speed limit so (with a hard shoulder, and dual carriageway) is probably just as safe as any other road around the city.

But approaching Fishponds, inbound?  Means they've taken the most direct route from Hambrook etc into the city.  Definitely a motorway, with a (IIRC) 60mph limit.  I wouldn't want to try it...  

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