Edinburgh cyclist Deacon Thurston spots Royal Mail workers on their phones while driving

Royal Mail confirms it is investigating the alleged incidents

An Edinburgh cyclist has captured three Royal Mail workers on their phones while driving in the past six months on his Go-Pro camera while out on the city’s streets.

Self-proclaimed ‘GoPro-adorned Knight of the Active Travel Lobby’, Deacon Thurston raised the issue on Twitter with Royal Mail, after spotting drivers on three separate occasions, with the latest incident recorded last Thursday evening on Castle Terrace.

Royal Mail has confirmed it is investigating the alleged incidents, adding that road safety is a high priority for the postal company.

An Edinburgh cyclist has captured three Royal Mail workers on their phones while driving in the past six months

Speaking about the incidents, Deacon hopes the staff are reminded of the importance of driving safely. He said: “I spend less than four hours a week cycling in the city, so if I'm seeing them that frequently there must be a widespread problem. I usually wear a GoPro when cycling, both for my own safety and to share the many dangerous and inattentive drivers I see on my commute. I also report the worst offenders to the police, particularly if they’ve put me in harm’s way.

“I’m sure Royal Mail have their own policies on phone use, but as this is the third of their employees I’ve recorded this year, I think they should use this as an opportunity to drive home the importance of driving safely and within the law. Postal workers do an amazing job and like so many of us are feeling the pinch at the moment, but they’re not going to win any support by putting pedestrians and cyclists in danger.”

Speaking about his experiences of cycling on the Capital’s streets, cycle safety advocate Deacon added: “The only scary thing about cycling in Edinburgh (or indeed anywhere else) is bad and distracted drivers. A small lapse in their attention can be life-changing for a cyclist or pedestrian, which is why it’s still illegal to use your phone even when you’re stopped in a queue of traffic like this most recent Royal Mail worker was.

“I’m a very experienced cyclist and have been cycling across Edinburgh for decades, but something scary and entirely avoidable happens at least once a week. A driver passing too close, pulling out of a side street without looking, or cruising past looking down at their phone.

“If Scotland is to achieve its stated target of ‘walking and cycling to be the most popular mode of travel for short, everyday journeys’ by 2030, we need to get colossal numbers of people out of their cars and onto two wheels.

“Proper segregated cycle infrastructure is going to take years to arrive, so it's absolutely vital that many drivers improve their behaviour now. They need to stop speeding, using their phones, stopping in cycle boxes at traffic lights, parking in segregated cycle lanes and on pavements, and start treating those more vulnerable than them with proper care. As long as they don’t, I’ll be out there with my camera sharing what I see and reporting as much as possible to the police.”

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “The safety of our colleagues and other road users is a high priority for Royal Mail. Whenever it is suggested to us that a vehicle might have been driven unsafely, we always commence a thorough investigation.”