Cycles - Well done Southern!

[Howardh]

Northern Rail love cyclists. They get them to pedal their pacer trains.

 

[The Ham]

If an area for bikes is also for wheelchairs, then it's certainly not set up very well. A wheelchair would clearly get priority (although that's not to say that a wheelchair user might not accept the area is full and wait for another train, or just stay in the vestibule area) and, as I believe someone said already, it's a bit unfair to create some conflict about who should be there - when a bike user can't necessarily move and might have to come off the train.

And buggy owners can be far worse, refusing to move at all with me having witnessed some that class their buggy as the same as a wheelchair and start saying things like 'my baby is asleep, so what the **** do you expect me to do - take him out and fold it?' etc.

I'd say that a train should have a dedicated area for a bike or two, perhaps reservable, and with folding seats for when not used (and those seats clearly marked as it being necessary to vacate for a bike). Then the standard wheelchair area, which can also be used by buggies - but with the same rule and fold down seats for when not used by a wheelchair or buggy.

(And yes, there's another moan in there!!)

All fair points. With regards to buggies they should be able to share the space for wheel chairs, however with the proirity given to any wheel chair users which are on the trian. With any buggies which contain sleeping children then stored in the doorway and all others then folded up. As long as the rules are clear then any onjectors could then be told the alternitive, which would be to get off and wait for the next train. As if anyone objects and asks why their baby isn't given the same rights as a wheelchair user it can be pointed out that the wheelchair user has paid for their train travel whilst their child is carried for free (and if they purchased a ticket for them then what are the doing needing a buggy).

Before anyone accuses me of being anti children; I would be more than happy to adhear to such rules when traveling with my one year old.

 

[redbutton]

Chaining/leaving a bike even with an expensive lock at Watford Junction ...no way. It's not unheard of, for gangs with bolt cutters to visit stations. I know it's happened at Hemel Hempstead several times in the past.

This is why you should never use just one lock. Use two locks of different designs (e.g. a U-bolt around the back wheel and rear triangle and stand, and a thick cable lock around the front wheel and frame and stand).

Thieves usually go equipped for one type of lock but not the other. With so many insecurely-locked bikes around, thieves will almost always opt for an easier target.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPDHPpnXPv8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVd9-0HhsfA#t=272

Back to the topic of cycle provisions on trains- what's with FCC and SE station staff's complete unobservance of peak-time cycle bans? I can't count the number of times some idiot has shoved his grimy mountain bike into a packed vestibule on my commute.

 

[jon0844]

Back to the topic of cycle provisions on trains- what's with FCC and SE station staff's complete unobservance of peak-time cycle bans? I can't count the number of times some idiot has shoved his grimy mountain bike into a packed vestibule on my commute.

As I noticed at Hatfield, many cyclists just tell the staff to shove it and play on the fact that at some stations, there won't be enough (or any) staff to stop them.

And if they can get through a wide gate with a ticket, unless someone checks where they're going (or what train they're getting on) there's not much that can be done then either.

I have no idea how seriously RPIs take it, but suspect they either turn a blind eye or just give a 'friendly warning' that means it's okay to continue doing it.

When I worked at Old Street, it wasn't massively unusual to see people take their bike on the train (where they're banned at all times) and be able to exit at the gates. Whenever I saw it, staff told the person they weren't allowed to do it - but what could they do? Refuse to let the cyclist out?

 

[redbutton]

Yeah, I know it's hard to enforce. That doesn't mean we can't commiserate, though!

 

[Be3G]

Back in the days of NXEA, if a cyclist boarded a train at a banned time and the driver noticed, they'd refuse to continue the train's journey until the cyclist got off.

 

[jon0844]

Back in the days of NXEA, if a cyclist boarded a train at a banned time and the driver noticed, they'd refuse to continue the train's journey until the cyclist got off.

And I bet there were quite a few people that thought that was out of order? People that argued it was far too harsh, and then the issue of delaying the train and others?

I was on a train at St Albans once where someone had jumped the gate and got on our train. The driver saw this (or was told somehow) and asked if there was a police officer on the train - and, as it happened, there was. We then waited for said person to be removed and dealt with.

It was a delay of a few minutes, that may well have had a knock-on effect even though it was a weekend, and I'm sure I heard a few people tutting in my carriage.

However, I actually thought 'well done'. It might well have stopped at least one person thinking they can do that again in the future, and certainly will have sent out a message of what can happen to everyone else at the station and on the train.

 

[1e10]

Its the British way. We buy the most expensive bikes with 20 speeds, disc brakes, tyres for off roading, suspension, then wait 15 mins for a train to take us one station along a route thats flat, sometimes where you can see your destination station from the station you are leaving.

Two very popular journeys for bikes on southern:

West Worthing to Durrington (flat and so so close)
Hampden Park to Eastbourne

Last Friday I was waiting for the 1712 GW BPW to WSM service amongst the signalling disruption. The 1712 and 1812 service was cancelled. When a local stopper service finally arrived there was passengers boarding with their bikes at Parkway and getting off at Filton Abbey Wood and Stapleton Road along the way. According to Google it will take 11 minutes to cycle to FIT and 31 minutes to SRD. They probably waited longer than it would have taken them to cycle. It's especially inconsiderate considering there are passengers who don't have cycles trying to use a peak time service amongst service disruption and can't sit/get on the train because cycles are using up room.

FGW don't seem that strict on cycles either. Passengers just get on with them, stick them anyway and nobody says a word to them about it.

XC have dedicated cycle racks on their Voyagers. I don't think I've ever seen them being used though, just more space in addition to the vestibules for passengers to stand and sit on the floor when all the seats are taken.

 

[The Ham]

XC have dedicated cycle racks on their Voyagers. I don't think I've ever seen them being used though, just more space in addition to the vestibules for passengers to stand and sit on the floor when all the seats are taken.

Not only have I seen them in use, but I have also used them.

 

[1e10]

Not only have I seen them in use, but I have also used them.

Forgot to add that I've seen them in use storing bags of rubbish.