On Mon, 14 Sep 2009, MIG wrote:

Meantime, can I add person (h) who goes shopping or to the cinema at the
weekend and won't find their bike where they left it and person

Wow. Let me know where these shops and this cinema are, so i can avoid
them. I've left my bike locked up outside cinemas, shops, pubs,
restaurants, opera houses (okay, not really) etc, and not had it nicked.
The only times i've had it nicked where from outside my house, when it
wasn't actually locked down to anything. Perhaps this person just needs a
better lock?

Oh, and i had the saddle nicked from outside a restaurant once. I now put
a loop of the cable through the saddle. I should really just
de-quick-release it, which would probably be secure enough.

(i) who is travelling to/returning from Yorkshire for/after a week
away.

What's the problem? They're taking the bike with them, of course.
Otherwise they won't have a bike when they're in Yorkshire!

In fact, if you aren't going from an a to a b, where both the a and b
are restricted places (like homes and workplaces) where a bike can be
stored, cycling is not always going to be a viable solution.

Not always, but for a vast majority. You haven't given me a single really
convincing a/b-based example yet.

For work journeys, yes a lot more cycling could be encouraged, but a lot
of workplaces need to take it seriously and provide parking and
changing/showering facilities.

I certainly agree with that. Although i think parking is the priority -
showers aren't generally necessary unless you have an amazingly long
commute (or are a lot sweatier than i am, which you might be, or you don't
wash in the morning, which you should), and toilet cubicles of a decent
size are quite adequate for changing.

tom

--
Restate my assumptions