The London Road Safety Unit (LRSU) believe that addressing work related road safety issues is a potentially effective way of improving road safety and reducing casualties among cyclists and motorcyclists. Understanding the conditions under which courier riders, both cyclists and motorcyclists, operate in London and how this might affect their safety is therefore an important element to improve the road safety for those who ride professionally. Synovate have conducted a survey amongst courier and food delivery businesses to help understand these issues. A quantitative research method has been used, based on telephone interviews with a sample of 155 individuals working in courier and food delivery companies. The research has shown that the courier industry and the food delivery industry are very different and therefore this needs to be considered when Transport for London (TfL) and partner organisations are planning road safety initiatives. The deployment of freelance riders is very common within the courier industry and this may drive an attitude amongst courier companies that road safety is the responsibility of the riders themselves. It is important that any road safety initiatives are aimed at both courier companies and the riders themselves. Within the food delivery industry the vast majority of riders are contracted to the restaurant or franchise and in the vast majority of cases use machines provided by their employee. It is vital that initiatives are put in place that target the food delivery companies themselves and they can then educate their riders. There is a real sense amongst delivery companies that other road users – cars, lorries, buses etc – need to be targeted to help improve the road safety of delivery riders. The delivery companies had little awareness of organisations associated with road safety issues, which indicates a potential need for TfL and partner organisations such as the Despatch Association and the Police to develop programmes in this area. Current awareness and understanding of the Courier Code is relatively low within the delivery industry, with the majority of the guidelines not yet being followed. The research indicates a need for greater awareness of the code, to help to communicate the benefits regarding road safety issues to courier companies. Potential take-up of the Courier Code is low amongst food delivery companies, which indicates a perceived lack of relevance and a potential need to adapt the code, (maybe changing the name), to appeal to the food delivery sector. (Author/publisher)
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