Bicycles on trains - new policy from May?

[whole diary]

[plymothian]

 I have it good authority that from may 16th 2016 bike reservations will be compulsory on all hst and 180 stock, no reservation no travel.!!!!!!

But the Train Manager still has discretion to allow unreserved bikes so long as there are unreserved spaces available.

This policy is going to put more pressure on the units if people are turned away from HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train)/180s or just can be bothered reserving.

[Tim]

I'd be in favour of that. Or even a third fare. It doesn't seem unreasonable to me to have to pay to take a bulky item that takes up more space than an adult.

As I say above, charging some kind of fare seems to me to be the solution.  This has the additional advantage that at barriered stations this can be enforced at the gate-line which is always easier than trying to enforce something on the train.

[TonyK]

But the Train Manager still has discretion to allow unreserved bikes so long as there are unreserved spaces available.

get it wrong, and the TM^‡(resolve) could apologise, er, unreservedly.

[grahame]

There are now leaflets confirming this policy ... that cycle reservations are needed if you wish to take your non-folding cycle on a  high speed trains - with three pictures to help you identify what a high speed train looks like.

On commuter flows with a mixture of high speed and other trains, is it anticipated that the additional need to reserve ahead of time on some trains will put additional cycle pressure on the others?    From Swindon to Kemble and beyond, for example, will cycles concentrate on the 15:36, 17:54 and 20:25, while easing pressures (perhaps more than is necessary) on the 14:39, 16:38, 18:41, 19:55 and 20:55?   And might we see more people taking their cycles from Swindon to Chippenham on the 17:36, rather than the 16:29, 16:57, 17:30, 18:00 and 18:30?

[Richard Fairhurst]

Yes, I'm sure that'll be the case - for the Turbos on the Cotswold Line at weekends, in particular.

Incidentally, I've had it confirmed by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) that the 18-inch (wheel diameter) limit for folding bikes in the policy is an error, and it should be 20-inch. Bromptons aside, most folders have 20-inch wheels.

[ChrisB]

Only @ weekends I think. The wekday peaks are already restricted

[John R]

There are now leaflets confirming this policy ... that cycle reservations are needed if you wish to take your non-folding cycle on a  high speed trains - with three pictures to help you identify what a high speed train looks like.

All very well putting a picture of various trains but how is that supposed to help you know in advance whether your train will be a high speed service?  On the Golden Valley line, it's roughly 50/50, but should you expect an occasional traveller from Storehouse to Kemble to have to work out that as their service will go beyond Swindon then it probably is a high speed service.  And the first stopping service from Bristol to Weston in the morning - that's bound to be a local unit isn't it....err... or maybe it isn't?

[ChrisB]

The timetable & travel planner tells you if its an 'H'ST.

I think the idea is to eventually move reservations online?

[Bmblbzzz]

Moving reservations online will make no difference to the confusion if some trains require reservations and some not. Unless, maybe, those trains requiring reservations for bikes also need reservations for passengers; then there'll be no ^ well, less ^ chance of getting that train without knowing which it is.

[ChrisB]

With respect, one looks up teain times to go where you need to go. You look into the detail if you want a bike reservation. It isn't rocket science

[grahame]

With respect, one looks up teain times to go where you need to go. You look into the detail if you want a bike reservation. It isn't rocket science

Personally, it's very rare that I use advance tickets or make a reservation (especially for return journeys home) as I can rarely predict my schedule.   Now - I'm no longer a cyclist so I can't make current comment, but are cyclists a different breed who always know their schedule well in advance, or can they walk up to the ticket counter in (say) Swindon at twenty past five and make a reservation for the half past?

[TaplowGreen]

With respect, one looks up teain times to go where you need to go. You look into the detail if you want a bike reservation. It isn't rocket science

Personally, it's very rare that I use advance tickets or make a reservation (especially for return journeys home) as I can rarely predict my schedule.   Now - I'm no longer a cyclist so I can't make current comment, but are cyclists a different breed who always know their schedule well in advance, or can they walk up to the ticket counter in (say) Swindon at twenty past five and make a reservation for the half past?

As a customer on foot your decision doesn't impact on others, but cyclists have to understand that its not always going to be possible to get a full size bike on an already overcrowded train, so yes they have to plan their schedule with a bit more care and consideration for themselves and others - anyone who has seen (sometimes) selfish cyclists insisting that their bikes are carried, taking up large amounts of space, blocking exits and vestibules  will know what I mean. If they have a reservation, at least they have the comfort of knowing that they will be carried.

[Cruithne3753]

From the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) website:-

• storage is in Carriage A; secure your bike with the strap provided, but don^t lock it up
• tell the train manger your destination
• remind them when your stop is coming up and they^ll make sure you can leave the train safely

What if the train manager is up the other end of the train at the time?

[John R]

With respect, one looks up teain times to go where you need to go. You look into the detail if you want a bike reservation. It isn't rocket science

OK, so I've looked up on National Rail the 0614 NLS to YAT on 25th May.  It's an HST^▸ (High Speed Train). But if I click through to "details" and then on the cycle icon, it tells me that cycles are allowed but reservations are not required, nor are they available.

If I then try the 1729 NLS to YAT (also an HST) it gives me the following information to help me decide whether I need to reserve.

High Speed Train services between London, South Wales and the West Country Free of charge. Reservations are compulsory weekdays on services arriving at London Paddington 0700 to 1000, or departing London Paddington from 1500 to 1900. Six cycle spaces per train. Tandems can be carried on most services. Please visit website for details of restrictions. Local services between London, the Cotswolds and throughout the Thames Valley. Free of charge. Reservations not available. Two cycle spaces per train. Restrictions apply weekdays on services arriving at London Paddington 0745 to 0945, or
departing London Paddington from 1630 to 1900. Local, rural and inter-urban services throughout the West County. Free of charge. Reservations recommended on Cardiff-Portsmouth services. Two cycle spaces per train. Please note fully folded bicycles are allowed on all services.

So that also appears inconsistent with the new cycle policy also.  And is hardly clear for a prospective passenger travelling from NLS to YAT, having to decipher all that and decide what it means for their journey.

So not rocket science, but hardly easy for a customer to understand, wouldn't you agree?

[ChrisB]

One purpose of the reservation.

Known in advance, they would know where access is required?

John R - looks as though that info is yet to be updated?