Could you cycle from home to the station?

[whole diary]

[grahame]

How do you get to your start station?  Do you already cycle?  Could you switch to using a cycle?  I'm trying to work out if the bike is an option for more people than use it at the moment, or if telling people to "get on their bike" won't be practical for too many.

[bobm]

Struggling a bit with this one and the wording.  I could cycle and occasionally do but in reality it isn't that far to walk so if I tick the first box I cannot then tick the ones which say none of the above applies.

[Chris from Nailsea]

I've voted on the basis of how I used to commute into Bristol.

I didn't cycle to the station, but I could have done: however, I would have been wary about leaving my bike there all day, at an unmanned station.

[Red Squirrel]

Same here, except I'd never cycle because given (a) the precipatate northern access to Montpelier, and (b) the fact I'd probably never see my bike again, walking just seems the best option!

[grahame]

Gentlemen, you have found a flaw in my possible answers.   I have removed "too near" from the top option and added a new option at the end ("I don't cycle because no need - e.g. too near") which I hope logically fits you.   Early enough on the poll to fix the issue - thanks for the heads up.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Doh!  I've now had to 'undo' and vote again. 

[bobm]

Vote early, vote often!   

[Jason]

Great question, hard to answer in a few words.
For me it would be a 3 mile cycle across open countryside with no lighting whatsoever.
It would mean getting up even earlier than I do (06:30) and getting home even later.
I'm not sure what if any free cycle facilities there are at my local station.
I would not be comfortable cycling in a full suit nor sitting on a train into Paddington wearing whatever cycle wear I might be in.
I would then lose more time having to shower at work.

[grahame]

Many thanks for the replies so far.  Although quite a lot of member have filled in the survey, no big clear picture is emerging and I'm pinging this to the top to ask you to complete the poll if you haven't done so yet - THANK YOU

[LiskeardRich]

I'm the last option, not worth the effort of getting the bike out for the short distance. I'm less than 1/4 mile from the station. 5 min walk at very most,

[TaplowGreen]

I do a lot of cycling but the station is less than 10 mins away so I walk

[Adelante_CCT]

Many thanks for the replies so far.  Although quite a lot of member have filled in the survey, no big clear picture is emerging and I'm pinging this to the top to ask you to complete the poll if you haven't done so yet - THANK YOU

I do cycle to/from work... but I don't use rail to commute, so I can't really give an answer

[Richard Fairhurst]

I live sufficiently close to Charlbury station (5 minutes' walk) that I don't need to cycle to get there, unless I'm actually taking the bike on the train. But if I lived any further afield I'd cycle without question.

One of the challenges is that there isn't always a tolerable cycling route from home to station. Locally the cause c^bre is Woodstock and Bladon to Hanborough: no more than 3 miles, so ideal cycling distance, but the A4095 is lethal. Widening the existing footpath between Bladon and Hanborough station (just 1400 metres) to provide a shared-use cycle/footpath would make it much more attractive to cycle, and relieve some of the pressure on Hanborough car park.

[Worcester_Passenger]

I could cycle, but...

If I did, I'd probably cycle TO Foregate Street. But on the way home, some trains (both FGW^▸ (First Great Western) and London Midland) only get as far as Shrub Hill.

[Tim K]

I've already answered the poll but thought I'd add some explanation - I voted too far and unsafe which are sort of contradictory.  I live 7 miles from the station, cycling would add about an hour a day to my commute (which is already 4 hours per day) so from that point of view it's too far.  The 7 miles are down narrow country lanes which I wouldn't feel comfortable cycling on - I've had too many near misses on that road in my car as other drivers often overtake on blind corners and go too fast for the conditions.