‘Accident: Cycling In Dublin Is A High-Risk Activity, Or Is It?’ (c) 2011 infomatique. Used under a Creative Commons license.
Hello, my lovelies!
So, here we are as always...the post after the last one
Now, if you recall, last time I asked you to share your most challenging moments working on self-employed courier jobs. After I had written and posted the request, I began to worry that the subject might be a little too personal to share openly with the other readers – I wouldn’t have blamed you if you didn’t want to tell me your most vulnerable memories of working your self-employed courier jobs!
Still, what was done was done, and short of deleting the post (which is something I don’t like to do, and have never needed to do), there was no other option than to grin and bear it. Fortunately, I have a wonderful readership, who was not at all afraid or embarrassed to share their weakest moments with me, and instead gave me the usual pile of excellent, hard-to-choose-from answers!
I have, as always, picked the best ones to feature below, but if you weren’t chosen, don’t worry: I almost certainly read your story, and probably liked it. And think of it the other way around: if your story wasn’t published, that means you won’t have to share it with all the other readers! Everyone wins!
All joking aside, though, here are my favourite cautionary tales from my readers who work on self-employed courier jobs:
“A lot of people who don’t work self-employed courier jobs blame us cycle couriers for a lot of road accidents. They say we’re dangerous, reckless, whatever. Uh, no. I mean, sure, I guess there are some who are like that, but this is why generalisations are dangerous (that, and the pizza boys are giving the rest of us a bad name). My only accident, for example, was absolutely not my fault. I was cycling along in my own lane when I got rammed into by a driver trying to pull a stunt in order to get out of rush hour traffic! Fortunately, because it was start-stop traffic, he wasn’t moving too fast (yet). If he had, I might not be writing this right now! As it was, I had a broken collarbone and arm – nothing major, right? I am now fully healed and back to work, but it rankles me whenever people act like this sort of thing is OUR fault!” – Joe, London.
“My worst situation was when I got held up at gunpoint in a petrol station. I had filled up my van and was in the queue to pay when this guy comes in and threatens everybody! My heart sank when I realised I had left the van unlocked, but fortunately the robber didn't need a getaway vehicle, or was too dumb to think of looking for one. Still pretty scary, though.” – Grace, Leicester
“I have never worked self-employed courier jobs, but my son does, and once he crashed his van into a lorry during a pile-up! Fortunately, he was OK, but for me as a mother it was terrifying!” – Sam, Sunderland
“One of my hardest self-employed courier jobs was one where I had to deliver a huge parcel – and I am a bike courier! I had nowhere to put it on my bike except between me and the handlebars, so that’s where it went! I spent the entire ride (and it wasn’t a short one) virtually blind, and hoping nothing serious would happen. It didn't, by the way.” – Jacob, Birmingham.
As you can see, my dears, challenges come in many shapes and formats when you're on the road. Thanks for the entries, everyone.
Ta-ra!
Gertie
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