Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has held a meeting with Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat after a complaint from a Saddleworth woman.

The mayor had issued a strong message to the companies after a complaint from Saddleworth caller Lynn on the BBC Radio Manchester hotseat show.

On the show, Lynn complained about delivery cyclists ignoring red lights and not using lights.

Now, following an intervention by the mayor, food delivery companies have agreed to work with Greater Manchester Police and TfGM on a new set of agreed standards to improve the safety of food deliveries.

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Earlier this week, the mayor met with senior representatives from the companies and called for a new code of practice which would apply across Greater Manchester.

At the meeting, concerns were also raised about the difficulty of reporting issues or incidents and identifying those involved.

Greater Manchester Police told the meeting that there had been some incidents this year involving pedestrians and delivery riders, including at least one serious.

Announcing the meeting on this week’s hotseat programme, the mayor said: “We can’t have big companies making money out of sending deliveries all over Greater Manchester where the highway code isn’t being observed.”

The mayor promised that additional enforcement would be taken if changes weren’t made, and that he believes reporting of incidents needs to be made easier.

A working group has been set up, which will meet in the new year.

The mayor added: “If they don’t work with us, we will move to a different enforcement approach, because we can’t have people not observing the highway code, putting pedestrians at risk, and not doing anything about it.”

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Now, Greater Manchester bosses say they will look to develop a ‘road safety charter’, similar to one jointly developed by Transport for London and delivery companies in the capital, with an aim to raise safety standards.

In a statement, Mr Burnham said: “We know delivery riders do a difficult job in all weathers and we all benefit from their services. But we also know that there is growing public concern about the safety of food deliveries, particularly by those using bikes.

“We believe it is essential that the food delivery companies ensure that operations carried out on their behalf always fully adhere to the Highway Code.

“There are more measures that can and should be taken to improve the safety of pedestrians and riders alike and we look to the delivery companies to help us set them out in a new code. 

“If we cannot make sufficient progress through the new working group, we will consider what more can be done to strengthen enforcement.

"Public safety must always come first.”

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