Three Peaks cyclists angry after train "fiasco"

A group of cyclists kicked off a train at Settle station this weekend have called for common sense application of the rules relating to the number of bikes permitted on trains. The Craven Herald reports that around a dozen cyclists who wanted to travel with their bikes for the start of the Three Peaks Cyclo-Cross were ushered off a train by a guard who cited health and safety concerns.

One of the group, Kevin Harrison, said that they had only wanted to travel one stop down the line.

"There were about 30 people getting on the train in an orderly and considerate fashion when the guard started running up and down the train ordering the cyclists to get off. We then had the ludicrous situation where the guard is getting cyclists off at one end of the carriages, while other cyclists are getting on at the other. It was chaotic and farcical.

"Then she was scuttling down the other end and the same thing was happening. She was saying it was for health and safety reasons, though it is difficult to see what those could have been.”

Northern Rail was named Operator of the Year at the 2014 National Cycle Rail Awards for its role in the Tour de France Grand Départ. However, Harrison said the experience gave a very negative impression and that the line needed to cater for all passengers.

A spokeswoman said that Northern Rail trains were able to accommodate two bikes and that space was allocated on a first come, first served basis. Harrison, however, said that there was a lack of common sense in the application of the rules.

The same complaint has been made by a Nottingham cyclist who suffered a similar incident on his way to work last week.  Roger Whiting was told the CrossCountry train he was trying to board could take no more than three bikes, but Whiting told the Nottingham Post that as the carriage was half-empty, there had been no need for the conductor to stick so strictly to the rules.

"The conductor said, 'No, I have already got two bikes on board and I can only have three.' There was a young lady with a bike as well so I let her on instead. I then find out the next train would only allow two bikes so, knowing I might be unlucky again, I got on my bike and cycled.”

Whiting points out that he had to buy a ticket in advance with no certainty that he would be allowed on the train. "You have to buy a ticket before you board the train anyway – then what are you supposed to do if you see more than two or three bikes? Leave the bike behind?"