Sustrans UK

I was reading through the latest Sustrans issue of ‘The Hub’ when a story about a 99 year old cyclist called Horace Sanders caught my eye. Its not just because Horace is 99 and still cycles, but a few paragraphs into the article he jogged my memory regarding the ‘bikes on trains’ issue. Horace said:

“During summer holidays my family could load their luggage and bicycles in the guards van on the train. I don’t understand why its now so difficult to take bikes on trains.” He continued later in the article to say: “Also, when, if ever, are our trains going to have better facilities for taking bicycles? How crude can we get, when bicycles and passengers are enmeshed together at the entrance to passenger coaches?!”

In my opinion the above quote is a great advert for experience over so called rational logic. Sure, its logical to provide more paying seats on trains and employ less staff to keep prices down; but are you limiting you customer base by removing sought after storage facilities?

During the 70′s and 80′s I remember people taking bikes, luggage and other large packages on the trains, utilising the guards van. I even saw people brining large TV’s and other such goods home on trains, especially at Christmas. I did the Glasgow to Ayr bicycle fun run a few times, and on the way back there was always 20 odd bicycles stored in the cage in the Guards van. Why was this facility taken away, and if it was removed for good reason why cant it it be brought back for one?

A similar issue was raised by Channel fours John Snow on his snowblog, and describes the rather bemusing regulations train operators impose. In john’s article he even mentions that fact that some American tourists were being refused entry onto the train because they had bicycles. Imagine what tourists must think of our rail system! Its slow, unreliable, dirty, smelly and now impractical for anyone carrying anything larger than a rucksack!