Someone must have been listening in .... Vote early Vote often as they say in the 6 counties CBT poll on cycles & trains
Current poll open for 6 days
Second question: What would help you to mix cycling and taking the train?
More cycle storage on trains
More cycle storage on stations
This poll ends in 6 days
Sadly this is a binary poll and fails to take account of the burgeoning number of public bike hire schemes that are appearing UK-wide, plus the hire/use of Bromptons. It also fails to address the key issue with both cycle storage and cycle carriage - the lack of certainty over security of parked bikes, and the certianty of having a space on the train, no matter how many or few there are (especially as most of the time the bikes spaces on WCML trains are empty & unused, because the ability to book them easily is almost non-existent, and the certainty of being able to get back, as planned, once you have travelled out is equally risible)
I'd also note that in the past 2 weeks, with the Saturday trains to Oban all fully booked for bikes, and other people asking about getting tandems on trains, I've been directing folk towards putting bikes on the express coach services available. In theory the very basic manually processed seat reservations (for open return tickets and concession card travel - £1 per transaction), and wheelchair users taking the space on the coach, it would not be a major deal to also have 2-4 spaces in the hold bookable for bikes.
I'd also suggest a few enquiries made to National Express, Scottish Citylink and Stagecoach, I'll see which might be the best e-mails to use (have media team names & MD PA's)
Here's a guy who literally dashed up seconds before the 900 coach left for Edinburgh, threw a wrapper over the bike & boarded the coach - he looked a bit like Tom B at first glance! (took less than 30 seconds)
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/831/40082010510_53ca48cf61_m.jpg
Dave
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