South West trains doesn't want cyclists as 'customers'...

"Lozz" wrote in message
et...
Cycle commuters be damned, South West Trains doesn't want you.

Cyclist without folding bikes should be banned from peak hour trains.
Cyclists and their bikes take up valuable space on trains that could be
used for a greater number of non-cycling passengers. This is economic
reality. Non-folding cycles also obstruct access to doorways and along
platforms at a time when there are large flows of passengers.


Thats only because the rail companies have designed it that way!

I'm not saying that railway companies should be doing nothing for
cyclists. They should be adapting trains to carry more cycles off-peak
with tip-up seats etc. and they should be making much more of an effort
to improve cycle access to stations, as well as adding better facilities
at stations (e.g. secure storage).

Why not adapt trains to carry more cyclists at peak times? THough secure
storage wouldnt bea bad idea but really woud only work at stations taht had
24-hour attendance unless the storage was prohibitively expensive.,


Cyclists would be much better off campaigning for something that is
realistic.

Why isnt it realistic if other countries can do it, indeed encourage it?

I say this as someone who has some involevement with railway
companies, cycling campaigns and local councils.

Ah, now I see why it isnt realistic, because people like you are involved
with railway companies etc.

--
Tumbleweed

email replies not necessary but to contact use;
tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com

On 09 Jul 2004 16:40:05 GMT, dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers wrote:

Cyclist without folding bikes should be banned from peak hour trains.

Funny that last summer in Cologne, where the commuter trams ran on time, and
lots of people with bikes got on and off, it didn't seem to stop the trams
running on time and bother people getting on or off, or along the platforms,
didn't stop lots of people using the trams...

But even in Cologne it's not quite this easy. Weekdays, bikes are only
allowed on trams and local trains between 09:00-15:30 and from 18:00. They
are only allowed on buses 09:00-12:00 and from 18:00. You also have to pay
¤2 extra for the bike per journey although season ticket holders can take
them free at certain times.

Folders can be taken as free hand luggage.
--
Michael MacClancy
Random putdown - "He had delusions of adequacy." - Walter Kerr
www.macclancy.demon.co.uk
www.macclancy.co.uk

Cycle commuters be damned, South West Trains doesn't want you.

Cyclist without folding bikes should be banned from peak hour trains.
Cyclists and their bikes take up valuable space on trains that could be
used for a greater number of non-cycling passengers. This is economic
reality. Non-folding cycles also obstruct access to doorways and along
platforms at a time when there are large flows of passengers.

I'm not saying that railway companies should be doing nothing for
cyclists. They should be adapting trains to carry more cycles off-peak
with tip-up seats etc. and they should be making much more of an effort
to improve cycle access to stations, as well as adding better facilities
at stations (e.g. secure storage).

Cyclists would be much better off campaigning for something that is
realistic. I say this as someone who has some involevement with railway
companies, cycling campaigns and local councils.

On Fri, 9 Jul 2004 18:14:46 +0100, Michael MacClancy wrote:

On 09 Jul 2004 16:40:05 GMT, dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers wrote:

Cyclist without folding bikes should be banned from peak hour trains.

Funny that last summer in Cologne, where the commuter trams ran on time, and
lots of people with bikes got on and off, it didn't seem to stop the trams
running on time and bother people getting on or off, or along the platforms,
didn't stop lots of people using the trams...

But even in Cologne it's not quite this easy. Weekdays, bikes are only
allowed on trams and local trains between 09:00-15:30 and from 18:00. They
are only allowed on buses 09:00-12:00 and from 18:00. You also have to pay
¤2 extra for the bike per journey although season ticket holders can take
them free at certain times.

Folders can be taken as free hand luggage.

Sorry, but it appears that the situation in Cologne has now changed (I was
looking at a website that is outdated). The VRS site now says that bikes
can be taken on all public transport with no time restrictions although
there is no right of carriage. The driver decides if there is sufficient
room and can refuse to allow you onto the vehicle with your bike.
Wheelchair users and prams have priority. The ¤2 charge still applies.
--
Michael MacClancy
Random putdown - "He is not only dull himself, he is the cause of dullness
in others." -Samuel Johnson
www.macclancy.demon.co.uk
www.macclancy.co.uk

But even in Cologne it's not quite this easy. Weekdays, bikes are only
allowed on trams and local trains between 09:00-15:30 and from 18:00. They
are only allowed on buses 09:00-12:00 and from 18:00. You also have to pay
¤2 extra for the bike per journey although season ticket holders can take
them free at certain times.

Saw lots being taken on trams all hours - honest.

Cheers, helen s

--This is an invalid email address to avoid spam--
to get correct one remove fame & fortune
**$om $

--Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off--

private or rural dormitory living. I
just get irked when these people then go on to say that travel without
a car is crap or impossible.

Get irked then - it crap where I live.

Cheers, helen s


--This is an invalid email address to avoid spam--
to get correct one remove fame & fortune
**$om $

--Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off--

On 09 Jul 2004 17:43:27 GMT, dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers wrote:

But even in Cologne it's not quite this easy. Weekdays, bikes are only
allowed on trams and local trains between 09:00-15:30 and from 18:00. They
are only allowed on buses 09:00-12:00 and from 18:00. You also have to pay
¤2 extra for the bike per journey although season ticket holders can take
them free at certain times.

Saw lots being taken on trams all hours - honest.


I believe you. See my other post.

--
Michael MacClancy
Random putdown - "Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever
they go." -Oscar Wilde
www.macclancy.demon.co.uk
www.macclancy.co.uk

On 9 Jul 2004 08:01:38 -0700, Howard wrote:
Hi folks,

From Carlton Reids excellent 'Bikebiz' site...
( http://www.bikebiz.co.uk ).


Cycle commuters be damned, South West Trains doesn't want you.

It's worse than the leaflet suggests. In the first place, teh leaflet
and the accompanying maps don't agree - one describes a different set
of restrictions to teh other. Also, what the leaflet describes as
current policy actually isn't.

Furthermore, tehre are some really wacky things in there - for
example, on some lines it will only be possible to take a bike if you
have a bicycle reservation. Bicycle reservations, hopwever, will only
be available to people who have season tickets of greater than a week
- so if you want to take a bike, you need a monthly season. I don't
know why they don't just implement an outright ban and be done with
it.

The major change for teh worse, however, is that in the peak hours
currently you can take a bike in teh off-peak direction. That is, if
travelling away from London, you can take a bike on a train at 08:30.
thsi is perfectly sensible - those trains are very quiet, mostly
they're shuttling back out only to head in again. The new
restrictions, as well as more-or-less doubling teh duration of teh
restrictions, applies the restrictions in both directions, so you
can't head away from London on a near-deserted train with a bike!

I have teh proposals in a combination of pdfs and a doc file if anyone
wants to email me. I'm not sure how you'd make your commenst if
you're not in a consulted organisation, however.

regards, Ian SMith
--
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Tumbleweed wrote:
"Lozz" wrote in message
et...
Cycle commuters be damned, South West Trains doesn't want you.

Cyclist without folding bikes should be banned from peak hour trains.
Cyclists and their bikes take up valuable space on trains that could
be used for a greater number of non-cycling passengers. This is
economic reality. Non-folding cycles also obstruct access to
doorways and along platforms at a time when there are large flows of
passengers.


Thats only because the rail companies have designed it that way!

A bicycle takes up the room of at least two people.

You simply _cannot_ argue that.

This is interesting. I regularly see written-in complaints in railway
magazines and other forums about the carriage of bikes with train
operating companies, South West Trains in particular. Compared to
British Rail the privatised train operating companies seem to be in
the railway game for profit rather than providing a helpful and
convenient service. A bicycle's space usage on a train may be the
equivalent of three passengers (perhaps), but the extra room it is
taking up is not making the train operating company any more money,
whereas three extra passengers are.

The evident flaw with new multiple unit design is the fact that large
baggage tends not to be taken into account, thus only minimal space is
provided for typical bags and the odd case. When Network South East
used to operate locomotive-hauled trains out of Waterloo, bound for
Exeter, there would always be a designated part of the Mk1/Mk2
carriage (I believe it was the 'brake' coach) for the storage of large
items such as suitcases and bicycles and this is even true with the
old slam door stock now going out of service. New rolling stock design
seems to ignore the storage aspect of travel completely and the only
remaining trains which seem to be suitable for carriage of large
baggage are the High Speed train sets (Intercity 125/225) and the
remaining services with a Class 82 DVT at the rear.