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Amazon Prime Delivery Vans!

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Amazon Prime Delivery Vans!

Old 03-22-20, 03:28 PM
  #1  
Bassmanbob
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Amazon Prime Delivery Vans!

I don't know if it's just me, if it's just my area or if this is a trend everywhere. I've noticed that Amazon delivery vans pass me on my bike fast and really close without moving over. It's almost every single time. Has anyone else noticed this?

Since I first noticed this, I've noted that Fed Ex vans pass at a fair distance and speed, but UPS trucks routinely pass the safest with the farthest distance and lowest speed. I asked my office's UPS driver about this. He just said that safety is drilled into them on a regular basis.

Has anyone noticed Amazon vans routinely passing in unsafe ways?
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Old 03-22-20, 03:33 PM
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Cyclist0108
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We don't have them around here, but I would complain to Amazon, especially if you are a customer, they take complaints like that very seriously.
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Old 03-22-20, 03:35 PM
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Tony P.
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It's a good idea to contact Amazon but if you want results, get a plate number.
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Old 03-22-20, 03:39 PM
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I live in West Los Angeles. Amazon vans don't pass me any closer or drive any differently than any other van or delivery service.
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Old 03-22-20, 03:43 PM
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tyrion
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The delivery system - Amazon especially - is getting overloaded now. I expect to see some (extra) stress in the system. (I'm not excusing it, just saying I expect it.)
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Old 03-22-20, 07:15 PM
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I think another factor is UPS, FedEx are corps with lots of lawyers who drilled employees on this and that. Amazon now has many independent contractors under some pretty tight schedules for deliveries. Not the best recipe.
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Old 03-22-20, 07:35 PM
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I see Amazon vans nearly every day in my area, and haven't had an issue yet.

the biggest problem in the Phoenix area is CCV members(https://ccv.church/).
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Old 03-22-20, 07:54 PM
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Originally Posted by BengalCat
I live in West Los Angeles. Amazon vans don't pass me any closer or drive any differently than any other van or delivery service.
I live in the Inland Empire. Amazon vans don't pass me any closer or drive any differently than any other van or delivery service.

That job is reserved for the paragons of humanity behind the wheel of Mustangs and Bro Trucks.
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Old 03-22-20, 08:05 PM
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The Prime drivers are a bit more aggressive, IMO, than what is see from FedEx or UPS. Note that the FedEx Ground (green) drivers are independent driving FedEx branded trucks, while the orange overnight trucks are FedEx company vehicles.

I’d guess independents are going to not care much who complains as they know when you call Amazon it’s going to go nowhere.
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Old 03-22-20, 08:07 PM
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Now, on the other hand, at the top and steepest part of the wall on the full Tiger Tail Climb where the road is 16-18 percent and VERY narrow, a very large FedEx delivery van/truck unintentionally ran me off the road as I struggled at something like 3.5 mph.
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Old 03-22-20, 08:20 PM
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I haven't noticed that Amazon drivers are particularly aggressive. Quite the opposite here actually (Northwest of Atlanta, GA).

Most give me a lot of room. Most of my riding is at night due to having 3 kids. I tend to run 2-3 headlights, and 2 taillights (it's very dark here) so a lot of drivers slow down to figure out what I am doing.

Dave
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Old 03-22-20, 08:36 PM
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I have not noticed this at all. But if one of them does pass close to you, you should take full advantage of the opportunity to thank them for bringing you stuff in the middle of a pandemic at the risk of their own well being.

Last edited by Theypeedonmyrug; 03-23-20 at 05:19 AM.
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Old 03-23-20, 12:26 AM
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An Amazon driver nearly clobbered me a few weeks ago. Pulled into my path from the right, never looked up from his phone or navigation device. I noticed him slow-rolling past the point where most drivers stop so I'd already begun coasting and had my hands on the brakes. I caught up with him and fussed a bit but didn't report it since it wasn't deliberate. Just careless. I suppose I didn't want him to lose his job.

But that's only one incident, not a pattern. Most Amazon drivers seem to operate pretty much like USPS, UPS and FedEx drivers.

I'm not seeing many contractors for Amazon in personal cars doing deliveries now, especially with same-day deliveries cancelled for now. No telling whether they're more negligent since their vehicles aren't marked.
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Old 03-23-20, 05:34 AM
  #14  
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In Philadelphia, Uber and Lyft drivers are much more of a problem in many areas.
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Old 03-23-20, 07:50 AM
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It's those cyclist who don't wave back who are the problem
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Old 03-23-20, 08:24 AM
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I suggest that the middle of a growing medical and economic global catastrophe is an inopportune time to introduce a discussion about your displeasure with people who are compelled by their economic circumstances to risk their lives and the lives of their families in order to deliver toilet paper right to your door.
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Old 03-23-20, 08:34 AM
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
In Philadelphia, Uber and Lyft drivers are much more of a problem in many areas.
Yeah, don’t you just hate it when there is a global pandemic and people out of economic desperation are forced to drive around and inconvenience bicyclists.
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Old 03-23-20, 08:57 AM
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Originally Posted by Moishe
Yeah, don’t you just hate it when there is a global pandemic and people out of economic desperation are forced to drive around and inconvenience bicyclists.
Killing cyclists won't make things any better.
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Old 03-23-20, 09:01 AM
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Originally Posted by Bassmanbob
I don't know if it's just me, if it's just my area or if this is a trend everywhere. I've noticed that Amazon delivery vans pass me on my bike fast and really close without moving over. It's almost every single time. Has anyone else noticed this?

Since I first noticed this, I've noted that Fed Ex vans pass at a fair distance and speed, but UPS trucks routinely pass the safest with the farthest distance and lowest speed. I asked my office's UPS driver about this. He just said that safety is drilled into them on a regular basis.

Has anyone noticed Amazon vans routinely passing in unsafe ways?
Anyone who uses a vehicle for a living tends to drive like an a-hole. Can't back my statement with empirical data, but it does makes sense .
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Old 03-23-20, 09:44 AM
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Amazon Prime Delivery Vans

This topic was discussed in a similar pre-COVID-19 thread, 9/6/19:
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
"White tall Amazon vans"

Thanks to @Joe Bikerider for starting this thread. Just minutes before reading this thread, I read an article very similar to the article cited by @mr.bill, a fellow Metro Bostonian. Indeed I was getting ready to cite it myself:

The human cost of Amazon's fast, free shipping

Previous critical articles I have read in the past few months concerned the relentless pressure on Amazon employees in the warehouses to fill the orders.

So before the cell phones became new distractions to drivers, were alcohol,sleepiness, inattention or whatever, and now a new class of hazards is emerging.

mr.bill’s article cites not only auto crashes, but also pedestrian incidents, as well as Amazon’s strategy to shift / diffuse liabilities on to the subcontractors, and even a blurred out photo of a white tall Amazon van involved in a crash.

How soon before we read of cyclists’ envelopment?

Last edited by Jim from Boston; 03-23-20 at 09:49 AM.
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Old 03-23-20, 09:51 AM
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Originally Posted by Moishe
Yeah, don’t you just hate it when there is a global pandemic and people out of economic desperation are forced to drive around and inconvenience bicyclists.
Listen, agitator. They have been driving like jerks LONG before the pandemic. For example, I have lost count of how many drive the wrong on a one way street right by my house because they don't feel like going two blocks out of their way.

Get it, or should I type more slowly next time?
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Old 03-23-20, 09:53 AM
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Maybe it's time to move this thread to A&S.
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Old 03-23-20, 09:55 AM
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Originally Posted by noodle soup
Maybe it's time to move this thread to A&S.
Or maybe ban the habitual trolls.
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Old 03-23-20, 10:11 AM
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
Or maybe ban the habitual trolls.
I'd hate to see you go.

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Old 03-23-20, 10:46 AM
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I haven't noticed them driving differently except that there's at least one around here which runs stop signs, not even a slow-down. Maybe just one driver, which makes more sense.
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