A few "Parking your bike in Stations" questions..

[90019]

But I do have one (maybe two) cautions about bicycle parking in stations. If you use the 'two tiered' or 'double decker' racks which (so far) I've only used in Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley, then there is a very real risk that while you grapple with your lock or whatever on your bike, if its on the lower level, then, when you're finished doing whatever it was, you might stand up. In fact I'm sure you will.
Your head will now have hit the upper level at some speed and the back of your head will be in pain.

This is the main reason why I tend to use the upper ones whenever I can

The second gripe applies only if a kind forum member lets you share thier combination lock with their own bike and, having given you the key code number while they reman in a comfy restaurant, you find that the slight 'jiggle' required to release it takes you so long that you reach the point where you are tempted to abandon the bike and catch your train home without it.

I did warn you!


Though, be glad you didn't need to use it after it had been sitting out in the open for nearly 4 months including almost a month of snow

 

[thelem]

Being £1000 out of pocket thanks to NR and knowing many, many others who were in the same boat, isn't nice.

I think we can agree there.

Fair to point out that one member of staff had to be taxied to & from his home address, resulting in a lot of disruption.

Why did that cause disruption? Presumably he was on shift when his bike was nicked, so he would have found out about it when he went to go home. He might have been late home, but it's then his responsibility to turn up to work on time for the next shift by leaving early enough for the method of transport he is using. If NR provided the taxis then I think they were being generous.

When a weeks wages are effectively pinched from a member of staff, he/she is in no hurry to return to work. I was late for a night shift once, after being told by the cleaners that mine had been nicked.

During your contracted hours your responsibility is to your employer. You may want to look into your stolen bike, but that's not your choice unless your employer allows you to. I would have dealt with this under whatever procedures there are for poor punctuality and not accepted a stolen bike as a valid excuse.

The new designated staff cycle 'lock-up' was in the poorly lit undercroft beneath plat 1&2, seriously flooded, covered in rats and was subject to a multiple theft where five bikes went (in one theft), after the main door lock was smashed off.

I don't know the station, but it sounds unsuitable. Why not use the public cycle parking and/or discuss the issue with station managers?

All this is a result of people that have'nt got a clue about how a working railway should be run, and providing something as simple as a room with a lock is beyond them.

That's just an insult without really making a point

The point at the end, which user:thelem misses completely, highlights how NR spent all their time fixated on 'illegally parked' (potentially exploding) bicycles, citing security, when something as serious as members staff trapped inside a fire risk area was ovelooked.

Assuming these are handled by the same team, the issue that caused staff to be trapped may not have been caught even if there were no changes to the cycle storage.

I imagine there are scheduled periodic reviews of both the security of the station and the fire procedures. You're suggesting that the first review overran and therefore the second review didn't happen - that sounds very unlikely to me and you don't provide any evidence.

 

[brompton rail]

Dave does have a point here, I too have never had a bike nicked from a station or anywhere else in the past 20 years, & dont tend to worry too much,
I put my luck down to a combination of good lock & having oldish looking road bikes that dont look appealling to steal...

Nonetheless with cycle space on trains being over subscribed on many services, I think it would be in TOCs best interest to provide better cycle parking facilities at stations to encourage more cyclists to leave bikes at stations. obviously with lighting/cctv, but also covered bikes racks so bikes dont go rusty.

Northern have just done that - spending over £1m installing more bike parking and shelters at around 100 stations mostly in the Leeds City Region, but also including some locations on the west side (East Lancs being just one example). True that the million was government money but at least bike parking has improved. And, of course the Leeds Cycle Point I mentioned earlier, did include funding from Abellio.

 

[DaveNewcastle]

Though, be glad you didn't need to use it after it had been sitting out in the open for nearly 4 months including almost a month of snow

I am glad about that!
It might even have been better had it spent the winter under cover (on one of the racks in Waverley if nowhere else was available).

And yes, you did warn me. Though the lock's 'knack' seemed more elusive than your warning had suggested!
But I am grateful, thank you.