On Wed, 13 Apr 2011 20:00:40 -0500
wrote:
He got very huffy because my bike was in the doorway which he wanted to
open the doors from at Putney, starting as the train left Wandsworth Town
(where he had used another doorway), long before he needed to get me out
of my seat to move it. He was very unpleasant about it. Taking a bike on
slow trains from Vauxhall to Putney is a bit of a pain because the side
the doors open on keeps changing from one station to the next. There are
bike spaces in class 450 trains with tip-up seats but even well into the
evening or mid-afternoon you try shifting someone sitting in one of them.

Having had the misfortune of clambouring past a couple of his-n-hers bikes
blocking a doorway on a cambridge service recently I can rather share his
frustration. If you're going to take a bike on a commuter train take a fold-up.
Large suitcases are bad enough but a bike with dirty wheel and a greasy
chain getting in your way is just taking the ****.

B2003

In message , at 08:36:38 on Thu, 14 Apr
2011, d remarked:

He got very huffy because my bike was in the doorway which he wanted to
open the doors from at Putney, starting as the train left Wandsworth Town
(where he had used another doorway), long before he needed to get me out
of my seat to move it. He was very unpleasant about it. Taking a bike on
slow trains from Vauxhall to Putney is a bit of a pain because the side
the doors open on keeps changing from one station to the next. There are
bike spaces in class 450 trains with tip-up seats but even well into the
evening or mid-afternoon you try shifting someone sitting in one of them.

Having had the misfortune of clambouring past a couple of his-n-hers bikes
blocking a doorway on a cambridge service recently I can rather share his
frustration. If you're going to take a bike on a commuter train take a fold-up.
Large suitcases are bad enough but a bike with dirty wheel and a greasy
chain getting in your way is just taking the ****.

Colin's miffed because he would claim that he's a good guy and will get
out of his seat and move the bike on approach to a station where it's
now in the doorway on the platform side.

But many people are not as considerate, and if the vestibule was full of
standing passengers, then neither of his actions would be very easy.

He might even claim that if the train was that full he'd not try to park
the bike in such a vestibule - I'm not sure.

But in the race-to-the-bottom which characterises so much of modern
life, the guard can't assume anyone will act the good guy. Indeed, on
one of my most recent trips someone parked a disabled scooter in a
dorway and then went and hid, leaving a substantial obstacle in the way
of both passengers and their luggage.

Later in the same trip, after the scooter had gone, a lycra-clad cyclist
had to literally force his way onto the train it was that crowded.
--
Roland Perry

On Thu, 14 Apr 2011 09:50:18 +0100
Roland Perry wrote:
Later in the same trip, after the scooter had gone, a lycra-clad cyclist
had to literally force his way onto the train it was that crowded.

Given the conditions on the tubes and trains these days and the number of
inconsiderate arseholes who won't move down, let other people pass without
a shove or take up half of the seat either side of them with elbows or legs
I'm surprised we don't hear about frequent rush hour punch-ups.

B2003

In article , (Roland
Perry) wrote:

In message , at 08:36:38 on Thu, 14
Apr 2011, d remarked:

He got very huffy because my bike was in the doorway which he wanted
to open the doors from at Putney, starting as the train left
Wandsworth Town (where he had used another doorway), long before he
needed to get me out of my seat to move it. He was very unpleasant
about it. Taking a bike on slow trains from Vauxhall to Putney is a
bit of a pain because the side the doors open on keeps changing from
one station to the next. There are bike spaces in class 450 trains
with tip-up seats but even well into the evening or mid-afternoon you
try shifting someone sitting in one of them.

Having had the misfortune of clambouring past a couple of his-n-hers
bikes blocking a doorway on a cambridge service recently I can rather
share his frustration. If you're going to take a bike on a commuter
train take a fold-up. Large suitcases are bad enough but a bike with
dirty wheel and a greasy chain getting in your way is just taking
the ****.

Colin's miffed because he would claim that he's a good guy and will
get out of his seat and move the bike on approach to a station
where it's now in the doorway on the platform side.

Indeed.It's a right pain on the 09:20 from Cambridge to King's Cross since
they added the Royston and Letchworth stops.

But many people are not as considerate, and if the vestibule was
full of standing passengers, then neither of his actions would be
very easy.

In such cases I always stand with the bike anyway.

He might even claim that if the train was that full he'd not try to
park the bike in such a vestibule - I'm not sure.

in class 450s I try to get in the marked bike space but passengers don't
usually agree.

But in the race-to-the-bottom which characterises so much of modern
life, the guard can't assume anyone will act the good guy. Indeed,
on one of my most recent trips someone parked a disabled scooter in
a dorway and then went and hid, leaving a substantial obstacle in
the way of both passengers and their luggage.

Later in the same trip, after the scooter had gone, a lycra-clad
cyclist had to literally force his way onto the train it was that
crowded.

Not a problem on King's Cross trains though I try to get to the station
early to get the bike out of the way before the crowds if any arrive.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

*From:* d
*Date:* Thu, 14 Apr 2011 08:36:38 +0000 (UTC)

On Wed, 13 Apr 2011 20:00:40 -0500
wrote:
He got very huffy because my bike was in the doorway which he
wanted to open the doors from at Putney, starting as the train
left Wandsworth Town (where he had used another doorway), long
before he needed to get me out of my seat to move it. He was very
unpleasant about it. Taking a bike on slow trains from Vauxhall to
Putney is a bit of a pain because the side the doors open on keeps
changing from one station to the next. There are bike spaces in
class 450 trains with tip-up seats but even well into the evening
or mid-afternoon you try shifting someone sitting in one of them.

Having had the misfortune of clambouring past a couple of
his-n-hers bikes blocking a doorway on a cambridge service recently
I can rather share his frustration. If you're going to take a bike
on a commuter train take a fold-up.
Large suitcases are bad enough but a bike with dirty wheel and a
greasy chain getting in your way is just taking the ****.

B2003


I can see both sides of the argument about taking bikes on trains and I
realise that everybody's not the same, but I wish they'd ban them from the
Overground, at least at peak and other busy times. Having travelled on the
Overground many times over the past couple of months, bikes are a menace.
It's bad enough trying to find a space as a passenger in rush hour, let
alone having to try and squeeze past a bike or stand there with a bike
sticking in you.

If bikes are to be allowed on trains, there should be a special place for
them. I know some trains on FCC have the fold-up side seats near the doors
on some cars, which I assume can be used for bikes as I have seen bikes
there, but if those seats are the only ones available (and I don't like
using them), I'm not going to give up my seat and stand, just so a bike
can take my place!.

I don't know what stock they are, but the diesel units that run from
Norwich to Yarmouth / Lowestoft etc. have a special place for bikes as you
enter the door. It's a good design and holds several bikes and seems to be
well used.


Mind you, I have similar feelings about buggies on buses. I fully
appreciate that mothers need to use buses, but then they should use
fold-up buggies and fold them. Now, it seems, everybody must have the
three wheel buggies which don't (I assume) fold up. They struggle to get
them on the bus and along the aisle. One seems to fill up the whole
wheelchair / buggy section. I was on a single deck bus the other day where
the wheelchair / buggy area was occupied by a shopping trolley and a large
buggy, with a second buggy parked in front of the centre doors and a third
parked in the aisle. The bus was almost full and passengers were having to
struggle to get past them.

Roger

In message , at 04:59:25
on Thu, 14 Apr 2011, remarked:
But many people are not as considerate, and if the vestibule was
full of standing passengers, then neither of his actions would be
very easy.

In such cases I always stand with the bike anyway.

He might even claim that if the train was that full he'd not try to
park the bike in such a vestibule - I'm not sure.

in class 450s I try to get in the marked bike space but passengers don't
usually agree.

But in the race-to-the-bottom which characterises so much of modern
life, the guard can't assume anyone will act the good guy. Indeed,
on one of my most recent trips someone parked a disabled scooter in
a dorway and then went and hid, leaving a substantial obstacle in
the way of both passengers and their luggage.

Later in the same trip, after the scooter had gone, a lycra-clad
cyclist had to literally force his way onto the train it was that
crowded.

Not a problem on King's Cross trains though I try to get to the station
early to get the bike out of the way before the crowds if any arrive.

As with many other aspects of life, people don't wear convenient white
and black hats. As a result the authorities are forced to impose rules
and conditions which are at best suitable for those with dark-grey hats.
--
Roland Perry

wrote in message
...

I can see both sides of the argument about taking bikes on trains and I
realise that everybody's not the same, but I wish they'd ban them from the
Overground, at least at peak and other busy times.

There are already various banned times on the Overground - but I expect
there's little or no enforcement - especially on DOO routes.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycl...aspx#section-4

Paul S

In article ,
(Paul Scott) wrote:

wrote in message
...

I can see both sides of the argument about taking bikes on trains and
I realise that everybody's not the same, but I wish they'd ban them
from the Overground, at least at peak and other busy times.

There are already various banned times on the Overground - but I
expect there's little or no enforcement - especially on DOO routes.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycl...aspx#section-4

Curious. Most of the rest of the old Network South East has a peak hour
ban on bikes, as does LU (surface lines). I wonder why bits of London
Overground don't?

--
Colin Rosenstiel

wrote in message
...
In article ,
(Paul Scott) wrote:

There are already various banned times on the Overground - but I
expect there's little or no enforcement - especially on DOO routes.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycl...aspx#section-4

Curious. Most of the rest of the old Network South East has a peak hour
ban on bikes, as does LU (surface lines). I wonder why bits of London
Overground don't?

Yes - odd isn't it - maybe the rules reflect the situation before today's
passenger numbers developed, and should be readdressed?

Paul S

In article ,
(Paul Scott) wrote:

wrote in message
...
In article ,
(Paul Scott) wrote:

There are already various banned times on the Overground - but I
expect there's little or no enforcement - especially on DOO routes.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycl...aspx#section-4

Curious. Most of the rest of the old Network South East has a peak
hour ban on bikes, as does LU (surface lines). I wonder why bits of
London Overground don't?

Yes - odd isn't it - maybe the rules reflect the situation before
today's passenger numbers developed, and should be readdressed?

Looks rather like it, doesn't it?

--
Colin Rosenstiel