Comments on: If Mohammed will not go to the mountain … http://www.velorution.biz/2009/02/if-mohammed-will-not-go-to-the-mountain/ Just another WordPress weblog Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:22:28 +0100 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: velorution http://www.velorution.biz/2009/02/if-mohammed-will-not-go-to-the-mountain/#comment-1396 velorution Sun, 15 Feb 2009 04:07:20 +0000 http://www.velorution.biz/?p=1917#comment-1396 The absurdity of not providing docking stations at the railway stations is that it is going to frustrate many potential non-commuters who want to ride to a railway station. Say you need to catch the 16:00 to Manchester from Euston; there is a docking station around the corner from your office and you don't particularly want to leave your bicycle in that makeshift arrangement Network Rail calls bicycle parking. The Vel-On would be ideal, except though you are going to miss the train because there is nowhere to return the bicycle near the station. The absurdity of not providing docking stations at the railway stations is that it is going to frustrate many potential non-commuters who want to ride to a railway station. Say you need to catch the 16:00 to Manchester from Euston; there is a docking station around the corner from your office and you don't particularly want to leave your bicycle in that makeshift arrangement Network Rail calls bicycle parking. The Vel-On would be ideal, except though you are going to miss the train because there is nowhere to return the bicycle near the station.

]]> By: John Biggins http://www.velorution.biz/2009/02/if-mohammed-will-not-go-to-the-mountain/#comment-1397 John Biggins Sat, 14 Feb 2009 22:40:24 +0000 http://www.velorution.biz/?p=1917#comment-1397 How very English: put the bikes where no-one wants them, so that no-one uses them (...and you can then shut the service down after a couple of years on the grounds that no-one uses it ,QED).<br><br>I first encountered this in 1976 when I was working as a draughtsman on a remote building site in the Thames valley near Marlow. My usual morning lift was taking a fortnight's holiday, so I put my bike on the train to Maidenhead in order to ride the five miles or so onwards to work. Coming back to the station that evening I asked where I could leave my bike overnight since it cost a half-fare to carry one by train in those days and I didn't want to shell that much out each day. The station master looked at me as if I had just made an indecent proposal to him and said "Couldn't possibly do that sir: if we let you leave your bicycle here overnight we'd have everyone wanting to do it..."<br><br>No wonder the Dutch and other continentals think the English are rather strange. The attitude to them in Holland, I found, is that people regard them as a dysfunctional tribe of relatives addicted to drink and domestic violence: entertaining perhaps to visit from time to time in order to laugh afterwards about their uncouth behaviour, the grubby curtains and the dogs piddling in the corners, but definitely not the sort of people you'd ever wish to spend a weekend with.<br><br>In the UK "public enterprise" is an oxymoron. How very English: put the bikes where no-one wants them, so that no-one uses them (…and you can then shut the service down after a couple of years on the grounds that no-one uses it ,QED).

I first encountered this in 1976 when I was working as a draughtsman on a remote building site in the Thames valley near Marlow. My usual morning lift was taking a fortnight's holiday, so I put my bike on the train to Maidenhead in order to ride the five miles or so onwards to work. Coming back to the station that evening I asked where I could leave my bike overnight since it cost a half-fare to carry one by train in those days and I didn't want to shell that much out each day. The station master looked at me as if I had just made an indecent proposal to him and said “Couldn't possibly do that sir: if we let you leave your bicycle here overnight we'd have everyone wanting to do it…”

No wonder the Dutch and other continentals think the English are rather strange. The attitude to them in Holland, I found, is that people regard them as a dysfunctional tribe of relatives addicted to drink and domestic violence: entertaining perhaps to visit from time to time in order to laugh afterwards about their uncouth behaviour, the grubby curtains and the dogs piddling in the corners, but definitely not the sort of people you'd ever wish to spend a weekend with.

In the UK “public enterprise” is an oxymoron.

]]> By: David Hembrow http://www.velorution.biz/2009/02/if-mohammed-will-not-go-to-the-mountain/#comment-1398 David Hembrow Sat, 14 Feb 2009 18:15:00 +0000 http://www.velorution.biz/?p=1917#comment-1398 They are "not proposing" to put them where they will be most used ? Just amazing...<br><br>We have a difference scheme over here specifically for this: the OV-Fiets. These are bicycles specifically intended for use by after rail commuters (OV == Openbaar Vervoer == Public Transport). You can rent them for up to 23 hours, but no longer. They are available at most railway stations in the Netherlands, in addition to the normal hire bikes which you can hire for as long as you want. The other thing provided is <a href="http://hembrow.blogspot.com/2009/01/long-commute.html" rel="nofollow">quite a lot</a> of secure cycle parking at the stations so that you can leave a bike safely at your destination for the second half of your commute. They are “not proposing” to put them where they will be most used ? Just amazing…

We have a difference scheme over here specifically for this: the OV-Fiets. These are bicycles specifically intended for use by after rail commuters (OV == Openbaar Vervoer == Public Transport). You can rent them for up to 23 hours, but no longer. They are available at most railway stations in the Netherlands, in addition to the normal hire bikes which you can hire for as long as you want. The other thing provided is quite a lot of secure cycle parking at the stations so that you can leave a bike safely at your destination for the second half of your commute.

]]>