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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Campaign Member
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Joined: 3/16/2009
Posts: 60
Location: Reading
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A recent petition on the 10 Downing Street website recently asked the Prime Minister to "require the train operators to provide an integrated system for the carriage of bicycles and ensure there is adequate capacity available."
["Bicycles" is just the basic requirement: we also need provision for carrying tricycles, of course.]
A response from the Prime Minister's Office has now been posted.
"The Prime Minister's Office" wrote:The Government recognises the importance of improving the synergy between cycle and rail as, used in combination, they provide one of the most environmentally friendly options for travel. The Department for Transport 2007 Rail White Paper, “Delivering a Sustainable Railway”, seeks to address this through development of a modern and sustainable railway system that is accessible and easy for passengers to use. The passenger strategy includes proposals for improving cycling provision to, from and at stations, and to enhance cycle storage facilities at stations. As a result, an industry led working group, the Cycle Rail Integration Task Force, has been meeting since the end of 2007 to promote best practice and encourage train operating companies to improve cycle facilities and services.
In April 2009, the Cycle Rail Integration Task Force launched a competitive fund seeking train operating companies to work with them on a bike and rail programme. This challenges train operators to improve cycle/rail integration across their franchise and to work with partners to improve access, reservation systems and station facilities. The winners, who will be selected in July, will be expected to deliver real improvements over the next 2 years setting the standard for all train operators.
It looks like empty words to me!
Stephen
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Rank: Member
Groups: Registered
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Joined: 4/21/2009
Posts: 18
Location: reading
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I use the train quite a bit, and take my bike with me. I haven't had any difficulty but if lots of people did the same there would be problems.
The station redevelopment should provide an opportunity for lots of parking at the station but so far it hasn't been planned for, so my feeling is there will be some half baked or token facility in Reading.
The popularity in folding bike is testament to how popular the bike train interchange really is.
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Campaign Member
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Joined: 3/16/2009
Posts: 60
Location: Reading
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adrian lawson wrote:The popularity in folding bike is testament to how popular the bike train interchange really is.
It's also a testament to the inadequacy of the current facilities on the trains themsleves, for, given a choice, wouldn't people prefer to be able to take bikes with better riding characteristics and not have to fold them? Once folded, a folding bike is (normally) considered by the train operating companies to be "luggage" rather than "a bike", which enables them to be taken on board when "a bike" wouldn't be permitted.
Stephen
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Campaign Member
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Joined: 3/16/2009
Posts: 60
Location: Reading
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I took a bike on two train journeys in September this year.
On the first, for "The Mayor of London's Skyride", I had no trouble on the journey from Reading to London, but the return, after the day of cycling London's streets, was a different matter. I arrived at Paddington just in time to catch a High Speed Train departing from platform 1. I asked the train manager if I could put my bike on board, and he said I could; there was one position left. A few seconds later, another guy turned up and also asked to put his bike on board. When he was turned down, he pointed out he had a cycle reservation for that very train. The train manager still insisted he could not put the bike on board, and a row broke out between the two of them. It became obvious the other chap had to catch that train (he was going to Exeter and would have to wait some time for the next one), so I told him I would let him have the spot the train manager had given me. (The fellow was so pleased to be able to get on the train, he actually offered me money! I couldn't believe it!)
I then tried to board a train leaving a few minutes later (from platform 4 or 5, requiring that I go through the barriers). The official at the barrier refused to let me through, on the basis that I didn't have a cycle reservation for that train. The same happened to a couple right behind me. They pointed out the rail companies had informed the organisers of the Skyride that they would give special consideration to cyclists that day. This was of no consequence to the official at the barrier: he insisted we go off and get reservations for the cycles (by which time the train would have departed, no doubt). I used a different tack: I wheeled my bike down platform 8 to the steps at the other end, hoiked it up on to the platform overpass and down on to the required platform. Again I found an accommodating train manager, and I secured my bike in the cycle area. It was the only bike on the train. (No guesses why!)
About a week later, I travelled to Bournemouth with the same bike (again with no cycle reservation, having bought my tickets online). The Cross Country train service reverses direction at Reading, so there's plenty of time to board and so on. On this particular train, I found the cycle space was in a kind of "wardrobe" area (a wardrobe with no door, that is) with a couple of hangers on which to suspend your bike. There were two "wardrobes" and each had a bike in it. I found it was impossible to get my bike in with another one already there. (In any case, one of the "wardrobes" also contained bags of litter, so there was no space for another bike.) In the end, I parked my bike a bit further inside the carriage, where there was a large luggage area. It went quite nicely under a long shelf, and I used a bungee to secure it to a post supporting the shelf. On arrival at Bournemouth, I discovered the corridor in this luggage area was blocked by a tree (yes!) which someone had brought on board. This lady insisted that the train should go on further, even though the train manager kept telling her Bournemouth was the final stop; she was refusing to take her tree off. When I tried getting my bike out, she began a tirade against me instead, exhorting me not to touch her tree.
On the return journey, the train was again one with these two "wardrobes". There were no other bikes there, so I tried getting mine into one of the wardrobes. It was quite difficult to manouvre the bike into the wardrobe, because the handlebars were too wide for the opening. Then, having got it in, I discovered the hook from which you're supposed to hang the bike was too close to the ceiling: I couldn't physically get the wheel and tyre over the top of the hook. Had I let air out of the tyre, I could have done it, but I'd have to pump up the tyre again once I arrived at Reading. This I did not want to do. The tyre is a 50-559 (a Schwalbe "Big Apple") but hardly a huge tyre. The other hook in the "wardrobe" was much too low for the bike to hang. So I ended up taking the bike out, and parking it under the "shelf" in the luggage area, exactly as I had done on the outbound journey.
Stephen
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Campaign Member
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Joined: 3/16/2009
Posts: 60
Location: Reading
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Well, remarkably, it turns out the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) has an annual award ceremony for best performance in Cycle-Rail. It beggars belief. Talk about an undeserving rail industry slapping its own back!
In reality, best performance probably means by a cyclist-passenger in getting a bike on board, hooked up, dashing back on to the platform, picking up their baggage and managing to get in the passenger compartment before the train has pulled out, whisking the bike to goodness knows where while the cyclist is left stranded on the platform.
Although I haven't quite had that happen to me (it's been close, though, a couple of times!), I have been pushing my bike down the platform to get to the end of the train where the bikes are stored only to find the doors are closed and the train pulls out before I've got there.
Stephen
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