charityadventure

Currently there is no minimum requirement for train operators to carry bicycles and each operator has a different set of rules and booking procedures.

This makes the system extremely complex to use, especially where multiple operators are used.

Its not possible to book bicycle reservations online and hence one does not know whether there will be room for a bike on a train when a ticket is purchased (note, advanced tickets cannot subsequently be altered to a train with available bicycle carriage space).

Some operators have extremely poor provision. The Crosscountry service has reduced the capacity of its trains from 4 bicycles per train to 2 bicycles (so they can provide secure accomodation for their retail trolly). Hence, a maximum of 2 people can travel together with bicycles when you using the crosscountry service (a major element of the national network).

Clearly, a national policy is required with a fully integrated booking system (that is available online through the standard ticket retailers) and incentives/requirements for operators to improve capacity.

There's a petition to require the train operators to provide an integrated system for the carriage of bicycles and ensure there is adequate capacity available here --> http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/bikes-on-trains/

If you feel as strongly as I do about this, please sign it! It only takes a few seconds!

Petition signed as requested.

I agree that this is an important issue, not only for those of us who don't own a car and hence rely on bicycles and public transport as our only method of transportation. But also to encourage and promote the east of use of greener methods of transport for those of us striving to reduce our carbon footprint etc etc etc

Okay, ramble / rant over now! Looking forward to the Sea2Sea muchly, 8 'sleeps' and counting to go, *grins*.

Take care,
Alice -x-

My main gripe came about after the problems we had getting the sleeper buses for the sea2sea event this year.

It would have been great to all be able to jump on a train in Leeds with our 26 bikes and travel to whitehaven that way, and similarly from Sunderland back to Leeds on the way home!

We could have slept in bunk barns on the overnight stops and probably saved everyone a small fortune!!

As it is, we rely heavily on the buses for transportation, accommodation and support purely because we have no other way of getting to the start and back again afterwards. A viable train alternative would make our lives much simpler!!