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Northern issue scholars cycle passes

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pemma

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The Knutsford Guardian has reported that Northern Rail have offered 5 boys who attend a school near Hale priority bicycle passes to allow them to take their bikes to school. It reported that some mornings guards were refusing to allow them to board peak time trains with bikes meaning they had to wait 90 minutes some mornings before being allowed to board a train.

The story isn't yet available on the Knutsford Guardian website. I'll add a link to this thread if I noticed it's been added to the site and no-one else has already posted it.
 
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Xenophon PCDGS

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The thought of schoolboys waiting 90 minutes for a train brings to mind many of the first generation DMU which had a specific section for goods conveyances, where the guard was situated. Bicycles were easily stored in that section of the train.
 

callum112233

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It's all very well giving these lads bike passes, but if theres no room on a train then surely they wouldn't be allowed on whether they have a pass or not?
 

WatcherZero

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The lads require the bikes to get to school, so the companys recognising the fact that to get to school on time they have to carry the bikes and not wait for a later train.
 

umontu

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The thought of schoolboys waiting 90 minutes for a train brings to mind many of the first generation DMU which had a specific section for goods conveyances, where the guard was situated. Bicycles were easily stored in that section of the train.

The problem is the space wouldn't be 100% effective then, no seats being added for when needed. There would need to be a guarantied customer base for a Dmu to have a compartment for cycles.
390's have a dedicated space those pathetically too small.
But it would be good to see dmu's with a section better than the 390's.
 

ANorthernGuard

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The problem is the space wouldn't be 100% effective then, no seats being added for when needed. There would need to be a guarantied customer base for a Dmu to have a compartment for cycles.
390's have a dedicated space those pathetically too small.
But it would be good to see dmu's with a section better than the 390's.
If I feel it is unsafe or not enough space then it does not change a thing, refusal will still be made


 

umontu

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If I feel it is unsafe or not enough space then it does not change a thing, refusal will still be made



I was replying to Paul Sidorczuk's idea of having a dedicated section for cycles, not a guard's decision on the matter surrounding the children. If there was a dedicated section for bikes it would mean there was less space for seats, meaning more standing, overcrowding and so on. Therefore a route would need to have regular customers with cycles before trains could have a dedicated compartment for cycles. Otherwise the space is not going to be effectively used.
 

ANorthernGuard

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I was replying to Paul Sidorczuk's idea of having a dedicated section for cycles, not a guard's decision on the matter surrounding the children. If there was a dedicated section for bikes it would mean there was less space for seats, meaning more standing, overcrowding and so on. Therefore a route would need to have regular customers with cycles before trains could have a dedicated compartment for cycles. Otherwise the space is not going to be effectively used.
Apologies I was tryiing to reply to watchers post... The joys of mobiles


 

snail

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It's all very well giving these lads bike passes, but if theres no room on a train then surely they wouldn't be allowed on whether they have a pass or not?
I could easily see a guard telling that many kids with bikes they can't get on even with room on the train.
 

pemma

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It's all very well giving these lads bike passes, but if theres no room on a train then surely they wouldn't be allowed on whether they have a pass or not?

I think the word 'priority' comes in here. If the boys have passes and there are two people with bikes without passes, the people without the passes would be automatically refused entry.

I don't know if there is an issue of there being 5 boys and Northern's policy being two bikes per train at the guard's discretion. Would the passes allow 4 bikes per train if the guard deemed it was safe to allow that many on?

I imagine they want to board the train arriving in Hale at 08:27, so if the guard lets two of them on, then two were allowed on the next train (arriving 08:55), there is still one who has to wait until the service after that (arriving 09:55.)
 

ANorthernGuard

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I think the word 'priority' comes in here. If the boys have passes and there are two people with bikes without passes, the people without the passes would be automatically refused entry.

I don't know if there is an issue of there being 5 boys and Northern's policy being two bikes per train at the guard's discretion. Would the passes allow 4 bikes per train if the guard deemed it was safe to allow that many on?

I imagine they want to board the train arriving in Hale at 08:27, so if the guard lets two of them on, then two were allowed on the next train (arriving 08:55), there is still one who has to wait until the service after that (arriving 09:55.)

Not many of keep to the 2 bike rule, we just use our common sense, I would not refuse anyone if I felt it was safe and certainly no one has priority whether they have a pass or not, very silly idea on my employers part which leaves us open to all sorts of arguments

 

talltim

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I was replying to Paul Sidorczuk's idea of having a dedicated section for cycles, not a guard's decision on the matter surrounding the children. If there was a dedicated section for bikes it would mean there was less space for seats, meaning more standing, overcrowding and so on. Therefore a route would need to have regular customers with cycles before trains could have a dedicated compartment for cycles. Otherwise the space is not going to be effectively used.

That space could also be used for other things, people's luggage, mail, livestock etc. It certainly worked for over a hundred years

;)
 

pemma

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livestock etc.

That's no way to talk about Northern Rail's passengers.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
very silly idea on my employers part which leaves us open to all sorts of arguments

It sounds like going half way to having bicycle reservations on trains. Issuing passes will be cheaper than setting up and maintaining a reservation system but a efficient reservation system would work better.
 

umontu

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That space could also be used for other things, people's luggage, mail, livestock etc. It certainly worked for over a hundred years

;)

If only the past 50 years hadn't happened then... ;)
Think a TBSK could be slotted into a pacer?

I think Westcoast said in the Netherlands there are dedicated sections for bikes on their trains.
 

WatcherZero

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Actually this isnt the first time ive heard of scholars bike passes being issued so children can get to school by train in rural areas. My cousin down south for example has one to get to college on his bike from a rural area.
 

Xenophon PCDGS

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The Knutsford Guardian has reported that Northern Rail have offered 5 boys who attend a school near Hale priority bicycle passes to allow them to take their bikes to school.

Just to go back to the original storyline. Is there not a bus service number 88 that runs the route as Knutsford - Mobberley - Wilmslow - Hale Barns - Hale - Altrincham, still in operation, or has this fallen foul of the cuts in public transport. I remember that on Mondays to Fridays, there was a service at 0700 from Knutsford Bus Station that arrived at Altrincham Interchange at 0805, having passed through both Hale Barns and Hale first. There were return services from Altrincham Interchange back to Knutsford leaving at 1615 and 1735.
 

pemma

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Just to go back to the original storyline. Is there not a bus service number 88 that runs the route as Knutsford - Mobberley - Wilmslow - Hale Barns - Hale - Altrincham, still in operation, or has this fallen foul of the cuts in public transport. I remember that on Mondays to Fridays, there was a service at 0700 from Knutsford Bus Station that arrived at Altrincham Interchange at 0805, having passed through both Hale Barns and Hale first. There were return services from Altrincham Interchange back to Knutsford leaving at 1615 and 1735.

The old Star Line Travel 288 route was given up by Arriva North West in January 2009. A Vale Travel (GHA) service branded 'Connect 88' replaced it and the service remained mainly the same but it goes near Hale not in to the middle of the village. The 88 service is actually the highest patronage route out of Knutsford and seen as a high priority bus service by Cheshire East Council. It's the only service serving Knutsford that has had enhancements opposed to cutbacks/static service in recent years.

The bus service also takes more than 4 times longer than the train. The paper gives no indication of where the boys actually live. It states they board at Knutsford but we don't know if they live within ten minutes walk of the station or if they live in a village outside Knutsford without a regular bus service e.g. Lower Peover.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
The Knutsford Guardian hasn't put the story online but the Altrincham Messenger has:
http://www.messengernewspapers.co.u...wer_sees_rail_firm_introduce_new_card_scheme/
 
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scrapy

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Wouldn't a more sensible option be to provide safe storage for the bikes at Knutsford. The school is only a short walking distance from Hale station and many other kids walk it.
 

Xenophon PCDGS

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Wouldn't a more sensible option be to provide safe storage for the bikes at Knutsford. The school is only a short walking distance from Hale station and many other kids walk it.

Now that would appear to be the ideal answer to this problem, providing that only about six of these storage lockers will be required. I suppose the problem may be exacerbated if suddenly a new intake of year 7 pupils of greater numbers than at present decide to follow the example of the current numbers affected.
 
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