THE SIGHT of postmen on bikes in Deeside is to become a thing of the past.
Pedal-powered rounds from the Royal Mail depot in Queensferry are being axed for health and safety reasons and will be replaced by deliveries by van.
Connah’s Quay councillor Brian Dunn, who has run Wepre Post Office for 20 years, said: “People still like to see the postman riding his trusty bicycle but times have changed and we need to keep up.
“Letters now are few and far between. People are posting more and more parcels and bulky items and we need to accommodate that. If it makes it easier on our postmen, then I support it.”
The change will eventually be extended across the whole of the UK
Bosses say the move, supported by the workers’ union, will mean a fall in injuries sustained by postmen.
A Royal Mail spokesman said: “Royal Mail is making a number of changes in delivery methods as part of a £2 billion modernisation of our entire operation.
“It is our intention to withdraw the use of bicycles at our Deeside office and switch to vans for those postmen and women who have previously used bicycles.
“Removing bicycles from parts of our operation will result in a number of benefits.
“As we deliver fewer letters but more packets and parcels than we did in the past, the switch to vans and trolleys will enable us to take the weight off staff’s backs.”
Public parking at the Station Road depot, where people can go to collect undelivered items, will also be banned to make room for a new fleet of vans.
The spokesman added: “There is safe pedestrian access for customers to use to access the inquiry office to collect items.
“Customers can also arrange for any undelivered items to be redelivered to the same address, to another local address, or to a local post office.”