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CTC calls for meeting with Eurostar over change in bike carriage policyEurostar announce increase in cycle traffic

CTC calls for meeting with Eurostar over change in bike carriage policy

Mayor of Paris becomes latest to question Eurostar’s green credentials
by Alex Bowden
Wed, Oct 21, 2015 17:27
2

CTC, the national cycling charity, has requested a face-to-face meeting with Eurostar officials regarding the company’s change in bike carriage policy. Despite pressure from a number of politicians and thousands of members of the public, Eurostar remains committed to the new rules which will come into effect next month.

Cyclists could previously take a complete bicycle on Eurostar for a £30 fee, but citing a lack of space, the company now says that all bikes must be bagged or boxed. In most cases, this means dismantling the bike.

David Murray, CTC’s Head of Communications and Campaigns, said:

“Despite the public outcry and support for our campaign from many leading politicians, Eurostar seem stubbornly determined not to shift from their stance. We have contacted Eurostar asking if we can sit down and have a sensible, face-to-face meeting about this proposal.

“We believe entering into a dialogue is the least they can do bearing in mind how much controversy it has caused and how much it will inconvenience cyclists travelling to and from the Continent – passengers who have paid good money but will be getting a third-class service.”

Last week, mayor of London Boris Johnson joined thousands of people in writing to Eurostar to complain about the change. Johnson described the move as ‘a backward step’. The company has sponsored the Ashden Awards for Sustainable Travel for the last four years and Ruth Cadbury, chair of the all party parliamentary cycling group (APPCG) said that it should be looking to make cycle-rail integration easier, not more difficult.

More recently, the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, has expressed her displeasure via Twitter, accusing Eurostar of sending out the wrong signal as the French capital prepares to host the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) between November 30 and December 11.

Eurostar’s response can be roughly translated as: “Hello the procedure has changed, the terms and conditions are the same with the goal of securing bicycles on board.”

Eurostar
CTC
Alex Bowden

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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2 comments

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hawkinspeter | 8 years ago
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I get fed up with being treated as a third-class citizen by train companies. I usually get the train to work, but they don't allow any booking of the available cycle spaces (usually space for 2 bikes) and there's often up to 6 bikes wanting to travel. It's typically down to how the train guards feel as to whether we're allowed to travel with our bikes. Now, Eurostar are making it more difficult to travel with a bike.

Whatever happened to integrated transport policies?

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JonD replied to hawkinspeter | 8 years ago
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hawkinspeter wrote:

I get fed up with being treated as a third-class citizen by train companies. I usually get the train to work, but they don't allow any booking of the available cycle spaces (usually space for 2 bikes) and there's often up to 6 bikes wanting to travel. It's typically down to how the train guards feel as to whether we're allowed to travel with our bikes. Now, Eurostar are making it more difficult to travel with a bike.

Whatever happened to integrated transport policies?

In one word - privatisation.
And botched at that - although various cheerleaders saying it has been a success despite its flaws, the reality is with investment rather that running it down we would have still had an improved system (in the year or so prior to sell-off the 'subsidy' to BR decreased and 'investment' on roads increased - note the differing government terminology - by the same amount). We now have a largely state - run system, except its by the state train companies of France, Germany, Netherlands, and the profit per pound of their investment greatly exceeds that of any other normal business (financial sector aide). Pricing is fragmented and piecemeal, and there's no requirement on ticketing to provide the customer with the cheapest fare - a supposed benefit of privatisation. No surprise transport integration is non-existent.

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