Railways

It is unreasonable to complain about people travelling with bikes. Cycling is one of the cleanest and most energy efficient forms of transportation. Your issue is with the train company who should be helping people to make sustainable travel choices

Completely agree Jane10 - Virgin West Coast are like paradise compared to the dirty old nationalised railway - many more people use them now so that speaks for itself.
Thank goodness the likelihood of a Labour government gets less as each day dawns so the nightmare of nationalisation will hopefully never happen ?
Bikes are banned on the London Underground at certain times and on certain lines and rightly so imo.

It went beyond money to attitudes of people supposed to be working on them. The general level of inertia and that any problem was always someone else's fault was endemic.

There was nothing wrong with the nationalised railways that couldn't have been put right if the government had invested the money into running then well and modernising them that they have invested into the network since it was privatised.

The nationalised railways were appalling blueskies. Don't you remember what a disaster they were?

That certainly got folks talking.. Did you read last week that the rail companies will not lower prices on overcrowded trains because it would make them even more overcrowded

When the Labour Party gets into government the railways will be taken back into public ownership and their purpose will be to serve the public. Roll on.

It is railway operating companies, not the government, that decides on train length and how many bike places there are.

The companies want to maximise profits, inevitable when you have a franchise with a fixed length, so that will be their main aim. They only improve passenger standards when it pays them to do so.

I agree with you bob. Not long ago DH and I were in the train on a Saturday. A football match was on, also a popular girl band were playing. Only a two carriage sprinter train, so consequently it was packed. DH and I had to stand for the entire journey of just over an hour.
This of course was Northern Rail!?

My pet hate on trains is workmen in clothes that are obviously dirty,,and then people in smart clothes sitting on the seat after them.

Agree government train policy is a complete mess. Surely they should put on more carriages at peak times to accommodate bikes.

I take my bike onto trains and they are allowed into carriages. They use the space that is for wheelchairs and should, as once happened to myself an three others cyclist three wheelchairs got on at a station so we were all moved around in the carriages. I don't think they are anymore of of a h&s risk than some of the buggies, especially twin buggies, that are carried on the trains. You should moan at the train operatives to put on more carriages not the people who use them.

Cyclists can never get it right it’s up to the train provider to either make accommodation for them or have no cycles on board at all

Loved your typo, Pudding. It made me think about DS who commutes to London by train but keeps his bike overnight in supposedly secure storage at Paddington from which his bike was stolen a few weeks ago.

Yes I giggled when I read it,that will teach me not to send it before previewing the message!

A young mum regularly manoeuvres her double buggy + 1 other child + huge backpack + coats + kids bags + shopping onto our local single decker bus. Phew! It's a nightmare getting past and a nightmare listening to them - all under 4 years old.

I feel sorry for that young mum having to manage all that.

Pudding I’m still chuckling too. Nice one ??

I know all the blah blah about the wonderfulness of bikes but I really struggle with them on congested city streets.
At a recent preview for the forthcoming 'Johnny English' film there is a clip of him driving on a continental cliffside road. Coming up behind a group of cyclists taking up the whole road he says to the assistant, 'Deploy the missiles'. The assistant protested, 'They're only cyclists sir' to the response, 'They're French cyclists'!
The audience roared. Anti cyclists or anti EU? Something for either.

pudding I was very take aback by your son vomiting to London! Very violent projectile vomit I assume!

A young mum regularly manoeuvres her double buggy + 1 other child + huge backpack + coats + kids bags + shopping onto our local single decker bus. Phew! It's a nightmare getting past and a nightmare listening to them - all under 4 years old.
Local trains have plenty of carriages and usually 3 can take bikes, folded or not. There are a few restrictions at peak times.

Pudding123. I'm still giggling at your son in law vomiting to London!

One day we will catch up with almost any other continental country (who have space for cycles on trains - and encourage them, sometimes for a small fee).

Cycles keep one fit, save people like me (with dodgy chests) from extra pollution and reduce traffic jams.

Yes, it is difficult having to squish in beside a cycle on a packed train and I absolutely understand the OP's point of view but as another has said, blame the train company for it is they that have created this situation.

BPJ, have you considered writing to the train company and urging others to do the same? It is just... possible that they will add an additional coach to your line for I am sure that you are not the only person complaining, or the only cyclist embarrassed about their journey, too. The situation is difficult for everyone.

Could you suggest to your train companies that they take a good long look at the Danish trains used in and around Copenhagen on the S-train net? These have two carriages (one either end of the train) with collapsible seats with bike stands instead of seat-legs.

Here there is room for bikes, prams, bulky luggage, dogs on leads etc. and the passengers can sit down too.

Elderly people or others using wheelchairs, or handicap scooters are advised to use the carriage at the front of the train, so the train-driver can come and help them on and off, as he deploys the ramp for them and lends a hand getting them on and off the train.

When my son was a student, he brought his bike home in the holidays and back for term time. He doesn't drive and cycles everywhere so it is a necessity for him. One holiday, he'd booked the bike on the main train from London to Leeds as usual, but you can't make a booking for the 20 mile 'commute' to London. On that particular day there was a major cycling event in our area so bikes were banned just for the day. When we got to the station he was refused the bike so I had to drive him into central London at extremely short notice. We made his Leeds train - just- but it was incredibly stressful, yet no notice had been given to him of this one day rule. I understand it must be annoying for other commuters sometimes, but this was a Sunday and we were gobsmacked by the 'jobsworth' who insisted on the rule for my son, who was not involved in the cycling event, as the train would have been no more crowded than usual - especially as he'd paid for the ticket in advance. The rule was to prevent people cycling in the event but giving up part way and getting the train home, thus possibly filling the train with huge numbers of bikes.

It used to be that cycles weren't allowed on many commuter trains at the guard's discretion. I agree about Mum's & pushchairs, these take up an exceptional amount of space these days & don't easily fold the pushchairs not the Mums . I have no objection to cyclists standing by the doors as long as other passengers can get on & off safely. Commuter trains no longer have guard's vans or compartments, another sign of progress