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Is a post office worker who delivers on a motorcycle in heavy snow a god? I asked the postman how he drives on snowy roads.

2024.02.28

Even long-time residents of Hokkaido find it scary to drive in winter when snow and ice accumulate on the road surface. Driving a car, of course, is even more frightening when it comes to motorcycles. However, there are people who drive motorcycles even in heavy snow and blizzards. They are postal workers.

"Do they have special bikes?" Do they have great driving skills?" Let us try to answer some simple questions about how post office workers in Hokkaido drive their motorcycles.

We visited a post office to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Postal bikes lined up in a row. They are a sight to behold!

To find out why motorcycles can be driven on snowy winter roads every day, we visited the Sapporo Minami Post Office in Minami Ward, Sapporo City. The delivery area is all of Sapporo Minami Ward except for the Jozankei area. It covers quite a wide area from the urban area around Makomanai Station to the mountainous area where Koganeyu Onsen and Takino Suzuran Park are located.

The person we interviewed this time was Mr. Yuta Mori, an employee of Sapporo Minami Post Office. He told us about the driving conditions of postal motorcycles in snowy areas. The first thing that caught my attention was the construction of the bikes. What are some of the unique features of the snow country?

Mr. Mori, a mail carrier for 6 years

Secrets of postal bikes #1 "Tires

Tire performance is quite important for driving

There are three major differences between Hokkaido postal bikes and ordinary bikes. the first is a measure that is essential for driving in snowy areas.

The first is tires.

In Hokkaido, it is common practice to use studless tires on cars during the winter. Motorcycle tires are also the same.

No, not studless tires, but spiked tires.

Since two-wheeled vehicles are more unstable than four-wheeled vehicles, spiked tires are safer, as they are expected to have more grip. The time to change tires varies slightly depending on the location of the post office. The Sapporo Minami Post Office's delivery area includes mountainous areas with long snowfall periods, so they usually change to spiked tires from the latter half of October until just before the Golden Week holidays.

Secret of Postal Bikes #2 "Heater

In winter, they are hooded and even more...!

The second is protection against the cold. Mr. Mori told us something unexpected.

This place is a heater. There is a switch on the left side, and the temperature can be adjusted in about seven levels.

I had the heater switch turned on.

What a surprise, the heater is attached to the handle. Moreover, the handlebar also has a hood, so the hand seems to be surprisingly nooky and warm even in the middle of a bitterly cold winter. The hood is removable and was installed at the same time as the tire change.

With the heater on, it is warm enough to drive without gloves. In reality, though, I leave the bike when I deliver the mail, so I drive with gloves on.

These heated post office motorcycles are running in other snowy areas of Hokkaido.

Postal Bike Secret #3 "Reflector"

The horizontal orange-colored part is the reflector.

The third is a safety measure. When Mr. Mori shows you the back side of the bike,

Here, on the back of the bike, there is a reflector.

It has two reflectors to prevent rear-end collisions. Thanks to this, even in the darkest of nights or on days when it is a whiteout due to snowstorms, it is easier to let following vehicles know the presence of the motorcycle, and also helps prevent traffic accidents. It looks good not only in snowy areas but also nationwide.

雪道の運転技術はどうやって学ぶの？<h3 class="ptn_4"> How did you hone your motorcycle driving skills on snowy roads?</h3><img id="no_caption" src="https://domingo.ne.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/fd134cb7859d86806df4aaae74296e2a.jpg" alt="代替テキスト"><p class="imgcaption"> Mr. Mori driving down a snow-covered residential alley.</p> <p> Next, we asked him about his driving skills. Mr. Mori had no experience driving a motorcycle before joining the Bureau. How did he learn to drive on snow-covered roads in the middle of winter?</p> <div class="box_stroke"> There is a training course. We have a course where we practice how to make turns and how to brake suddenly on a snow-covered road. Everyone who joins the bureau does it. </div> <p> As you would expect, they don't suddenly go out to the delivery site with zero experience in driving a motorcycle on snow-covered roads. Even so, this training takes about one or two days. After that, they will actually go out into the field. I'm sure you are quite anxious about it. ......</p> <div class="box_stroke"> Yes, I won't get used to it at all for a while. So in the beginning, my boss accompanied me and ran with me. </div> <p> Mr. Mori, who drove his motorcycle every day, rain or snow, said that after about two years of driving on snowy roads, he felt that he was finally getting used to it.</p> <h3 class="ptn_4"> There have been plenty of near-misses."</h3><img id="no_caption" src="https://domingo.ne.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/6107b0d9888255f61779e103959a9f32.jpg" alt="代替テキスト"><p class="imgcaption"> Deceleration and curves are very careful.</p> <p> Naturally, the way we drive changes in summer and winter.</p> <div class="box_stroke"> Unlike in summer, I drive at 20 to 30 km/h in winter, and when making a turn, I slow down so much that the bike is not moving before making the turn. Even so, I have had many near-misses. I almost entered an intersection because I couldn't stop and couldn't make the turn. </div> <p> I guess driving a motorcycle in a snowy area is quite difficult and hard. I asked Mr. Mori a question that had been on my mind. What do you do on days when there is a blizzard or after a heavy snowfall? It's not like you can just take a day off from deliveries...?</p> <div class="box_stroke"> I ride my bike as far as I can go, and then I walk. There are places in the suburbs where the snow is not plowed. I do a lot of walking. </div> <h3 class="ptn_4"> A postman who drives his bike on snowy roads is still a god.</h3><img id="no_caption" src="https://domingo.ne.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/c713bc88821dc30337070c96a491faf2.jpg" alt="代替テキスト"><p class="imgcaption"> Postmen who deliver without a break even in heavy rain or snowstorms.</p> <p> When I spoke with him, I realized that mail delivery in snowy areas is quite a tough job. Driving on slippery snow-covered roads takes a lot of nerve, and walking on unplowed snow-covered roads takes a lot of strength... Even on days when trains and buses are suspended due to extremely heavy snowfall, mail is delivered to mailboxes at home because of the hard work of the postal workers. The postmen who ride their motorcycles on snow and ice covered roads, they are gods after all.</p><img id="no_caption" src="https://domingo.ne.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/c99f70adba7f7deeb5f3baafde881121.jpg" alt="代替テキスト"><p class="imgcaption"> Thank you for your daily work!</p> <p> Interview supported by: Hokkaido Branch Office of Japan Post Corporation, Sapporo Minami Post Office</p>

Is a post office worker who delivers on a motorcycle in heavy snow a god? I asked the postman how he drives on snowy roads.

We visited a post office to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Secrets of postal bikes #1 "Tires

Secret of Postal Bikes #2 "Heater

Postal Bike Secret #3 "Reflector"

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