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Booking Bikes on Virgin - Easy



 
 
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  #61  
Old July 24th 04, 02:24 PM
Neil Williams
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Default Booking Bikes on Virgin - Easy

On Sat, 24 Jul 2004 10:22:26 +0100, (Nick Kew)
wrote:

Are you volunteering to help - perhaps carry - someone who can't walk
through several crowded carriages? You'd need some training, unless
you're already a qualified nurse.


No, I'm suggesting that only one wheelchair facility is provided, next
to the wheelchair space. If there are two wheelchair spaces, then
provide two such facilities, one next to each wheelchair space. There
are certainly no more than that.

All other 'tiolet' facilities should be of the traditional, small
type. The extra space should be used either to allow two facilities
to be installed, or for additional luggage space.

In any case, one bog per coach is a decent minimum for long-distance
trains (the Voyagers have one less than this as the shop takes the
place of the bog in other vehicles).

Neil

--
Neil Williams in Milton Keynes, UK
To e-mail use neil at the above domain
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  #62  
Old July 24th 04, 02:32 PM
Roland Perry
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Default Booking Bikes on Virgin - Easy

In message , Nick Kew
writes
One such "tiolet" would have sufficed for that purpose, or at most two
if you were having one per class.


Are you volunteering to help - perhaps carry - someone who can't walk
through several crowded carriages?


A better idea would be to provide all the disabled-priority seating in
the coach with the disabled loo. Or is that too simple?
--
Roland Perry
  #63  
Old July 24th 04, 03:48 PM
Terry Harper
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Default Booking Bikes on Virgin - Easy

"Stimpy" wrote in message
...
Terry Harper wrote:

Well, they would have had space, had they not chosen to waste so much
in providing all those disabled tiolets. Had that been used for
luggage and/or cycles, it would have been far better for all
concerned.


All concerned EXCEPT for the incontinent disabled...


And that only if four of them happen to be in one carriage at the same time,
which still applies.
--
Terry Harper, Web Co-ordinator, The Omnibus Society
75th Anniversary 2004, see http://www.omnibussoc.org/75th.htm
E-mail:
URL:
http://www.terry.harper.btinternet.co.uk/


  #64  
Old July 24th 04, 04:40 PM
David Hansen
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Default Booking Bikes on Virgin - Easy

On Fri, 23 Jul 2004 18:53:53 GMT someone who may be "Richard"
wrote this:-

Then because its hanging it
swings with the train motion so persistently bangs into the bike next


Do you not use the retaining strap?


Interesting snip. The words after "next" in the original posting are
"door or the carriage wall."

Does the retaining strap, if it has not been stolen or broken,
prevent bikes hitting the carriage wall? I have no idea as I have
not looked at this in detail, despite placing my luggage underneath
such hooks a week and a half ago (I preferred to sit on the carpeted
floor by the external door). I am not complaining about this, there
was a problem with the line and the train was conveying people from
several trains.


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E
I will always explain revoked keys, unless the UK government
prevents me using the RIP Act 2000.
  #65  
Old July 24th 04, 04:40 PM
David Hansen
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Default Booking Bikes on Virgin - Easy

On Fri, 23 Jul 2004 17:57:46 +0100 someone who may be Tony Raven
wrote this:-

Sat here cramped up for five hours in a seat which has a
socket to power my laptop but not enough room to open a laptop up!.


Your laptop is too big:-)

Train is packed and many are standing all the way.


I have been using the train services that are now called Virgin
Cross Country since the 1970s. They can be crowded at busy times,
but then so can the roads and being stuck in a traffic jam for hours
is not fun. People standing tends to only be for relatively short
distances, when the train calls at big towns at peak times.

a comfy car seat where I can relax, listen to the
radio, stop when I want to have a coffee


How often do you use your laptop while sitting in a car seat?

You can listen to the radio in trains, either by bringing a radio
with you or by plugging headphones into the socket at the seat of
some trains (including the sort of train you were on). Note that I
did not claim that the latter is perfect, my comments on it get sent
to Virgin from time to time.

You don't have to stop to have a coffee, or can of something
stronger, on a train.

This is one of the new Voyager trains so we can't expect the situation
to improve with new rolling stock


They have already removed some seats to make more space for luggage.
Virgin said before the trains were introduced that they would like
to make these trains longer by one coach, but could not make the
figures add up.


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E
I will always explain revoked keys, unless the UK government
prevents me using the RIP Act 2000.
  #66  
Old July 24th 04, 05:35 PM
Tony Raven
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Default Booking Bikes on Virgin - Easy

David Hansen wrote:


Does the retaining strap, if it has not been stolen or broken,
prevent bikes hitting the carriage wall?


No. If there are two bikes on the hooks it just makes sure the metal
bits are in contact as they move around, ensuring the paint gets worn
off during the journey. That is also if the owner of the inner bike has
not undone them to get their bike out and not done them up again afterwards.

Tony
  #67  
Old July 24th 04, 05:42 PM
Tony Raven
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Default Booking Bikes on Virgin - Easy

David Hansen wrote:

On Fri, 23 Jul 2004 17:57:46 +0100 someone who may be Tony Raven
wrote this:-


Sat here cramped up for five hours in a seat which has a
socket to power my laptop but not enough room to open a laptop up!.



Your laptop is too big:-)


Alas they don't make the old Toshiba Librettos, which were ideal for
such situations, any more.


I have been using the train services that are now called Virgin
Cross Country since the 1970s. They can be crowded at busy times,
but then so can the roads and being stuck in a traffic jam for hours
is not fun. People standing tends to only be for relatively short
distances, when the train calls at big towns at peak times.


I would liken traffic jams more to sitting on a delayed train for hours.
I no longer take anything other than a direct train on Virgin now as I
have never made a connection and once that happens and its busy, you are
the one standing without a seat reservation.


How often do you use your laptop while sitting in a car seat?


Fairly often if I'm not driving. On a Voyager, not very often because
there is very little space, unless you are lucky enough to have a table
seat by chance (booking clerks tell me they have no indications of which
are table seats for booking)


You don't have to stop to have a coffee, or can of something
stronger, on a train.


No but I've had trains with no supplies, trains with no catering staff,
trains which were so crowded there was no point in trying to get there
and yesterday a train without any change so it was credit card for a coffee.


This is one of the new Voyager trains so we can't expect the situation
to improve with new rolling stock



They have already removed some seats to make more space for luggage.
Virgin said before the trains were introduced that they would like
to make these trains longer by one coach, but could not make the
figures add up.



What you mean they were finding 4+1 = 3?

Tony


  #68  
Old July 24th 04, 10:41 PM
James Annan
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Default Booking Bikes on Virgin - Easy

Tony Raven wrote:

Well I'm just in the middle of my Virgin journey. No first class seats
left when I booked earlier in the week so I got a normal seat
reservation. Sat here cramped up for five hours in a seat which has a
socket to power my laptop but not enough room to open a laptop up!.
Train is packed and many are standing all the way. So for twice the
price of doing the same journey by car I have a cramped uncomfortable
noisy seat instead of a comfy car seat where I can relax, listen to the
radio, stop when I want to have a coffee (no chance here, too crowded in
the aisle to get there and they are announcing they have no change in
the on-board shop so no payment with notes)


I sometimes consider hiring a car for our occasional weekend trips to
the mountains. I guess driving would generally be a bit faster taking
into account our 30 minute trip to the nearest station, and (usually)
bus connection at the end of the train trip.

But then I think about the relaxing 2-3h on a comfortable express train,
with decent coffee served at my seat, space to stretch out and read a
book or doze off. I wouldn't swap that for a similar time driving, and
that's before I even consider the parking problem and the limitation of
having to end every trip at the start point.

On our last trip to the UK we had several long journeys planned, so we
hired a car for the month!

James
--
If I have seen further than others, it is
by treading on the toes of giants.
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/julesandjames/home/

  #69  
Old July 25th 04, 08:17 AM
James Annan
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Default Booking Bikes on Virgin - Easy

Tony Raven wrote:

David Hansen wrote:


Your laptop is too big:-)


Alas they don't make the old Toshiba Librettos, which were ideal for
such situations, any more.


Sharp Zaurus? Not exactly ideal for heavy-duty typing or those with poor
eyesight though. I spent my last long train trip teaching myself some
Java on mine.

James
--
If I have seen further than others, it is
by treading on the toes of giants.
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/julesandjames/home/

  #70  
Old July 25th 04, 08:46 AM
Tony Raven
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Default Booking Bikes on Virgin - Easy

James Annan wrote:

I sometimes consider hiring a car for our occasional weekend trips to
the mountains. I guess driving would generally be a bit faster taking
into account our 30 minute trip to the nearest station, and (usually)
bus connection at the end of the train trip.

But then I think about the relaxing 2-3h on a comfortable express train,
with decent coffee served at my seat, space to stretch out and read a
book or doze off. I wouldn't swap that for a similar time driving, and
that's before I even consider the parking problem and the limitation of
having to end every trip at the start point.


Yebbut you've got the Japanese train system and anyone who drives any
distance in Japan needs their head examining. I spent two weeks at
Easter travelling by rail and buses with the family in great comfort all
over Japan and I don't think any of our trains was more than one minute
off the timetable or the trains and the people on them less than
exemplary. Beats the two lads, with their Brixton briefcase at full
volume being aggressive to everyone, that joined my Virgin train at
Manchester.

As my SO says, the main problem with public transport in the UK is the
public (after she and the children shared a carriage with a stag party
on their way to Blackpool)

Tony
 




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