Like @fredtc also don't drive so when I want to cycle around the country it's a huge fucking pain in the ass. Uusually you have to book train spaces via the rail franchise's twitter account which is doubly annoying because twitter is cesspit. 2 spaces per train! If you have to change trains that's four fucking reserved spaces for one bike ride and return journey. I have a friend in the transport game and apparently it's been put to National Rail to increase bike spaces on trains for years and years and they consistently decline to implement increased space.
Driving is bad, and there are often alternatives to doing so, but let's not pretend that the UK offers appropriate, reliable, or in any way reasonable bike accomdation on trains. That people choose cars over trains is not down to laziness but sensibility and flexibilty because the base train offering is inherently inadequate. I work my goddamn ass off to not drive places (helped by the fact I'm legally not allowed). I once had to ask an Audax organiser to keep the start open by 20 minutes once because the first train didn't get there until well past 6. Meaning I had to make an annual event bend its schedule to a shit and corrupt rail franchise. This is to a station less than 40 miles away on the same line as my starting station.
Like @fredtc also don't drive so when I want to cycle around the country it's a huge fucking pain in the ass. Uusually you have to book train spaces via the rail franchise's twitter account which is doubly annoying because twitter is cesspit. 2 spaces per train! If you have to change trains that's four fucking reserved spaces for one bike ride and return journey. I have a friend in the transport game and apparently it's been put to National Rail to increase bike spaces on trains for years and years and they consistently decline to implement increased space.
Driving is bad, and there are often alternatives to doing so, but let's not pretend that the UK offers appropriate, reliable, or in any way reasonable bike accomdation on trains. That people choose cars over trains is not down to laziness but sensibility and flexibilty because the base train offering is inherently inadequate. I work my goddamn ass off to not drive places (helped by the fact I'm legally not allowed). I once had to ask an Audax organiser to keep the start open by 20 minutes once because the first train didn't get there until well past 6. Meaning I had to make an annual event bend its schedule to a shit and corrupt rail franchise. This is to a station less than 40 miles away on the same line as my starting station.