Earlier this year, we pressed for a Bikes on Metro trial – although NEXUS bosses said no, at least it kick started a stakeholders’ group examining the long-standing question of whether bicycles can be carried on the TW Metro.
As part of this investigation, NEXUS are surveying Metro passengers (on-train) and a wider population (off train) in order to capture the views of bike users and non-bike users:
This week the Campaign for Better Transport released their 2012 Car Dependency Scorecard. In the scorecard, Gateshead was ranked last in the category for Walking and Cycling, with Newcastle also ranking low at 22nd (out of 26).
In the scorecard, the Future Plans for Newcastle and Gateshead are also seen as a problem as they seem to have no measures to address the low Walking and Cycling scores for the area.
In a letter today Bernard Garner says the task & finish group is in the process of being set up. His own head of communication was of the opinion it had been set up. Communications! Wires. Crossed. Inching closer...
Today Metro announces the first modernised carriage has taken to the tracks http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-17032582. Years ago the cycling community had been promised that the refurbishment would give consideration to the carrying of bikes. Funny that.
CYCLE CAMPAIGNERS’ CALL FOR A TRIAL OF BIKES ON THE METRO
An open letter was sent today to Metro bosses asking to pilot the carriage of standard bicycles on their network.
The bicycle ban on Metro trains has for decades been a big bugbear to the cycling community. The Newcastle Cycling Campaign collected corroborating evidence in 2011, and swiftly submitted this to Metro bosses. The cycling community was also quick to renew their demand to carry bikes on the trains at an event organised by Metro in November 2011.
Metro's press release following the conference now reveals they weren't considering the matter of bicycles on the metro after all. They'd already ruled it out!
Why, Metro, why?
Left hand, right hand... or is it something altogether more sinister? We'll have to keep wondering...
To celebrate Bike Week Newcastle Cycling Campaign and online-bikes.co.uk launched a competition to gather views about the metro and how to better integrate cycling into the journey.
