What looks like reckless behaviour on the streets reflects a deeper system of incentives in the gig economy that rewards speed, constant availability and risk-taking.

How many of us have had a near miss with an e-bike delivery rider?

You step out to cross a bike lane, glance both ways, and think you’re clear. Then something rushes past. It’s the speed that catches you off guard. Faster than expected. Faster than seems reasonable. Most of us make a quick judgement. The rider is reckless. They should slow down.

But that judgement may be too simple.

These gig economy workers are not fully in control. And this is not through any simple fault of their own. They are responding to a culture, a system of incentives and pressures, that is so pervasive it is rarely named. It appears as common sense, as choice.

A recent study of delivery riders in Melbourne shows how this operates in practice. Riders decide whether to accept jobs based on weather, demand and incentives. They are not ordered to work, yet their decisions are made under pressure. They often find themselves working in unsafe situations, rushing to meet targets that are unreasonable, and in conditions they........

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