A Letter to East Midlands Trains

[Jezston]

So I'm thinking of sending the following letter to East Midlands Trains, controllers of Nottingham and Derby train stations, and Arriva, controllers of the trains that travel between them. Anyone got any thoughts, contributions, dismissals and derogatory remarks as to my person they would like to add?

Hi - travel between Nottingham and Derby every day as part of my journey to work and take my bicycle with me as I have a 5-mile ride between Derby station and work.

Generally I've been very happy with EMT and Arriva's attitude towards cyclists, however - it seems recently more rules and regulations have been introduced which I feel are generally unnecessary and make my commute awkward for, I feel, no reason.

The gates being introduced was the first - having to get my ticket out whilst pushing a bike is somewhat of a pain, especially when only one or two gates in each station are suitable for pushing a bike through - that combined with the fact that despite having to prove my legitimacy to travel to enter the platform, I STILL have to show my ticket to an inspector on the train, despite there being no way I could have gotten on that train without one. When these gates were first activated I would ask inspectors why I have to show them my ticket, and their reasoning would usually be something along the lines that they would call the police if I didn't. How pleasant and informative.

Now the gates were annoying enough (especially as I used to be able to just go out of a gate straight from the platform into the car park at Derby) but now a new rule appears to have reared it's head which has had staff badgering me and disrupting my journey, and that's having flashing lights on my bike in the station.

The first time I was told of this rule, after a year of it never being mentioned, I asked why - apparently it is because a flashing red light to a driver means emergency stop. Well that seemed fair enough - until I arrived at Derby station and had a look around and there were flashing red lights EVERYWHERE! Half the platforms had powerful flashing red lights at the end of them - how on earth would a little red light on the back of my bicycle be a problem, and why has it only recently become one?

Please revisit this rule and see if it's actually really worth it - I'd be interested in hearing about cases where drivers have pulled emergency stops because they were confused by a cyclists rear light. I'd also then like to know what the reasoning for asking me to turn off the small flashing white light on the front of my bike would be.

And then please either tear down those ticket barriers or reassign ticket inspectors. There's clearly no need for both.

Yours Sincerely,

(my name)

 

[ianrauk]

Why shouldn't you have to show your ticket at the barrier? What makes you different to the other fare paying ticket showing passengers?
As to regards your flashing lights, this has been a rule for as long as I can remember. Just live with it. Is it such a hardship to wait until you are outside the station to turn your lights on?

1: Show your ticket
2: Turn on lights outside station

What is the problem here?

 

[BentMikey]

Don't see a problem with either of those "issues". Sorry!

 

[upsidedown]

My Smart 1/2 watt would certainly get a driver's attention if i switched it on when on the platform. I never have done but only through consideration for those walking behind me.
The ticket thing i'm with the train companies, checking on entry to the station stops the place being used as a doss-house and busking site. Checking them on the train ensures you haven't bought a ticket for 1 stop. I travel daily on London Midland and Chilterns, most journeys i have my ticket checked once or twice. If you had to travel on London Midland you'd be grateful for any revenue raising scheme that they come up with, the trains are awful.

I think we should be asking them about provisions for bikes in general, there's already about six or seven on the Chilterns train i get in the morning, that's bound to double when the summer arrives.

 

[Jezston]

My problem is that they (at least seemed) to be new rules - the barriers have only been there six months or so (not saying I should be treated differently, I just don't think they should be there at all as they seem to have managed for over 100 years without them until now), and I'd never been asked to turn my lights off until most days last week - perhaps they are cracking down on it.

It's not a huge deal, just the whole thing seemed like pointless bureaucracy and shouldn't go unchallenged.

 

[thomas]

Don't see a problem with either of those "issues". Sorry!

+1. I'd expect to show my ticket. Turn your light off anyway, save some battery power!

 

[skrx]

Don't bother arguing about the flashing red lights. Stopping at a red flag or light is a very old railway safety rule. (You can check with Thomas the Tank Engine ;-) ). Your tiny inconvenience is outweighed by the usefulness of this -- accidents have been prevented by people waving lights at trains.

Perhaps you can get on the train without showing your ticket at a different (smaller?) station.

 

[ianrauk]

New rules? Well rules are rules. And the light thing seems a sensible rule to me. As for the barriers, no they haven't managed for over a 100 years, they have lost serious amounts of revenue over a 100 years.

My problem is that they (at least seemed) to be new rules - the barriers have only been there six months or so (not saying I should be treated differently, I just don't think they should be there at all as they seem to have managed for over 100 years without them until now), and I'd never been asked to turn my lights off until most days last week - perhaps they are cracking down on it.

It's not a huge deal, just the whole thing seemed like pointless bureaucracy and shouldn't go unchallenged.

 

[BrumJim]

My problem is that they (at least seemed) to be new rules - the barriers have only been there six months or so (not saying I should be treated differently, I just don't think they should be there at all as they seem to have managed for over 100 years without them until now),

Sadly, government initiative has caused station owners to be forced to add barriers. Big bust-up in Sheffield over this as it has stopped public access to the tram station over the bridge. And bigger bust-ups on the way for some of the bigger, more historic stations. Claim is that it reduces fare dodgers and anti-social activity on stations. So berating EMT for fitting the barriers is not going to help as HMG is bigger than you and can hurt them more than your regular train ticket. However there should be some pressure on stations to improve the flow of cyclists through these gates.

 

[Jezston]

Oh blimey

Guess I've been spoiled by Arriva's generally highly friendly attitude to cyclists and lack of issues in the past - I'll be keeping my opinions to myself then and not bothering EMT with them!

Nice if they had some kind of oyster-esque mechanism at the barriers so I don't have to faff around with paper though. Looks like the barriers are equipped to take such a technology so I might just ask if they have any plans to introduce something like it.

Thanks for the feedback though - even though it might not have been what I wanted to hear Think I can relax about it a bit more now!

 

[Arch]

I can see your point about the barriers/inspectors - if I'm reading it right, then you're annoyed at having to show your ticket when you've already used it to gain access to the platform, which implies they don't trust the barriers...

I dislike barriers too, even when just on foot - mainly because they so often aren't all working properly and cause logjams. To have them and then to need to back them up, seems pointless.

(also, I don't know if you can still get platform tickets, but they get in the way of seeing people off a bit).

The lights thing, if I was about to get on a train I'd have turned my lights off already, and probably have removed them to prevent damage, so that's not really an issue for me.

 

[JamesAC]

Don't send the letter. The staff have a tough enough time as it is with fare dodgers and abusive passengers. Enjoy the fact that Arriva let you on the train with your bike.

But if you must send the letter, be aware that there's no apostrophe in "its" in this case.

Cheers

 

[marinyork]

As all the southerners are joining in on this thread offering up opinions on what they don't understand because they do it differently, I'd like to point out that in many stations in the north of england are not closed stations and haven't been for a very, very long time. What Jezston says is entirely reasonable.

Write to EMT.

 

[marinyork]

Sadly, government initiative has caused station owners to be forced to add barriers. Big bust-up in Sheffield over this as it has stopped public access to the tram station over the bridge. And bigger bust-ups on the way for some of the bigger, more historic stations. Claim is that it reduces fare dodgers and anti-social activity on stations. So berating EMT for fitting the barriers is not going to help as HMG is bigger than you and can hurt them more than your regular train ticket. However there should be some pressure on stations to improve the flow of cyclists through these gates.

It's a bit more subtle than that. It stops access to an entire area, people have used the route for a very long time (allegedly hundreds of years in fact) and the alternative walk around is a lengthy one. There is an alternative grotty bridge that is still a lot further but there have been a number of muggings and sexual assaults on it over the years. The issue of who paid for the bridge, Sheffield City Council are entitled to be enraged - they should get a refund, build an alternative bridge or knock it down. They've even done a bit of work on budging the stop and are wanting to redo the paths leading there.

Then there is the disabled argument, a lot of disabled people use that bridge through the tram and just passing through to a particular part of town, there is no like for like replacement, they are shafted plain and simple. Then there is the tram itself that is at the station for that and the small matter of the ticket office being the other side of the station. Then there is the additional business lost through closing it off, when I go to buy/book tickets on the day/advance I access the station to the south, even the transport executive who have incredibly weird opinions on some things recognise 'real people' do this. Then there is the listed building argument and so on.

 

[Big T]

Nottingham station did have manned barriers until the 1980's.

There don't seem to be any barriers on the overbridge leading to the tram and Station Street (or there weren't when I last used the station before Christmas), so any fare dodger could gain access to the station this way.