CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 16years old!
Well done to ALL posters
It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
Oooh
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John Lauder, deputy CEO of Sustrans, will join Scotland’s Railway in April on an 18-month secondment to lead a special strategic project to reduce car journeys to the nation’s train stations.
John will work with Network Rail Scotland and ScotRail to create a new strategy for Scotland’s Railway aimed at promoting sustainable travel options and reducing passengers’ reliance on cars.
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This isn't just a project, it's a special strategic project.
There's a thread on Facebook and everyone including me is saying Worrrabout the bicycle spaces on trains?
“Worrrabout the bicycle spaces on trains?“
Well yes.
Given the recent/current reduction in passenger numbers, good reason for taking out some seats and actually encouraging people/families to travel with bikes.
I think I’ve seen more bikes in recent months - 5 (inc Brompton) on a 2 coach, 2 space, 158 last week.
Getting a bike on the train puts me off so many trips, I just can't face the stress of turning up and not getting on when its the only train that fits my tight timings. Booking is such a faff that I'll often just take the car instead.
Bikes on trains is certainly good, but there also needs to be a commitment to providing covered secure *and monitored*(even if that's just a bloke in a room somewhere looking at a bank of CCTV screens for multiple stations) bike parking at every station even the suburban and exurban ones, police willing to actually show up promptly when that monitoring detects a theft in progress, and let's be honest, even that won't do much good if they don't do something about the sodding ticket prices.
A proper Dutch-style transit-branded bike share scheme that's explicitly targeted at rail users(and doesn't cost much if anything at a destination for people who've bought rail tickets to go there or have season tickets) and is in every city & town whether the local council can be arsed or not is also important I think.
If we can't get to a place where people are comfortable leaving their bike at a station near home in the reasonably certain knowledge that they'll be able to get a bike temporarily at their destination and their own bike will be there when they get back again, I suspect the bike/rail intersection will remain largely confined to leisure riders and the occasional committed person willing to put sustainability over guaranteed punctuality.
@Yodhrin - that's very true. I was thinking of "bikes on trains" for touring rather than commuting. I was impressed when travelling through Belgium of the warehouse-sized parking of bikes on double-decker racks at stations, presumably from people leaving their bicycles at the station and picking up another bike at the destination. I imagined that you would leave your good bike at home, and cycle an old banger to the station.
Can we not just save the 18 months and quickly crowd source the strategy. Starter for 10:
1. Safe, continuous, high-quality cycle and walking routes to railway stations.
2. Properly secure, covered cycle parking at stations.
3. Reasonable space for bike carriage on trains (say 6 bikes for every two carriages - tip-up seats can be used).
4. Public bike hire at key railway stations. This needs to be cheap and easily accessible, no elaborate scheme joining criteria - which killed to previous Bike and Go scheme. Must be integrated with rail ticketing system.
5. Integrated smart ticketing allowing cross modal public transport/cycle hire travel.
In the end though, this new strategy is just more displacement activity. Scotland is hardly short of transport strategies, plans, frameworks, visions, statements or reviews. What will this one really add?
The results for 1st 3 months of HiBike (30 EAPC) in Inverness are interesting, with a mix of permanent wired (& charging) hire points, and the ability to have a pop-up virtual hire point already used to add one at Forestry Centre
https://www.flickr.com/photos/h52/51978638040
@Morningsider - based on 20+ years of counting bikes on trains, and data where operators collect this for trains, trams and buses
Provide for bikes = 2-4% of passenger seats - CUK policy 2004 suggested 2% as dedicated for cycles with 2% 'flexible space' but for first 100 seats 6 spaces (3+3)
On popular routes typically 10% of passengers travelling with bikes, with trains filled to 40-50% of seated capacity
Ardrossan 'boat trains' typically have 10% of passengers with bikes say 130 pax & 13 bikes on 3-coach 260 seat train
@chdot you are aware that HST's are having 3 pairs of seats removed to leave 6 tip up seats (3 metres of bodyside space) expected to be completed by end of August this year officially 4 bikes but....
Pictures of 8 bikes on Class 158 2 levels with upper bikes wedged against ceiling 140 seats 78 passengers 8 bikes
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