My congratulations to all the Evan's Clapham staff.

PostieJohn

For not decking someone.
I'm not slow in taking an opportunity to critise this company, so it's only fair that I report on their good stuff.

We were in Clapham Saturday pm readying ourselves for the L2B.
Wifey wanted new shades, (yes she could/should have done this weeks ago).
As for probably the 1st and only time, I was in a bike shop with no interest to purchase, I was just wandering around listening.

The poor fellas were being asked some of the most bizarre questions ever, and too their credit, they kept going.
I really enjoyed listening to the woman decide whether she wanted to change the biggest tyres I've ever seen on the heaviest mountain bike possible, for slicks.
She was politely told she'll have to wait 20 mins, to which she replied 'oh I can't wait that long'.

I felt like saying (and I'm sure the fella did too) 'well 20 mins now or 3 hrs extra tomorrow, what's it to be'.

Well done lads, I see myself as a paitent guy, but all day of that must have been hell.

DavidBelcher

On the other hand, no congratulations to the stuffed shirts manning the Southern ticket barriers at London Victoria yesterday evening and failing to exercise common sense by not allowing me to take my bike to Clapham Jn. (I wasn't aware of the blanket ban on cycles that day, so my fault too, really) even though (a) it was against the traffic flow of potential returning L2B participants, (b) there's loads of trains making that journey therefore bags of capacity and (c) it's only 2 stops down the line at most. Worth writing to Southern and asking them if they've any plans to tweak the "no bikes" policy on L2B day to cater for passengers travelling in the opposite direction to ride participants (and possibly some rule such as bikes only allowed between, say, Victoria and East Croydon), or would this be like talking to a brick wall?
Thumbs up to the LU staff at Victoria Circle/District line station, though, for sorting out an alternative route so that I could get to Waterloo instead and pick up a train back to Winchester.

David

il_principe

DavidBelcher wrote:

On the other hand, no congratulations to the stuffed shirts manning the Southern ticket barriers at London Victoria yesterday evening and failing to exercise common sense by not allowing me to take my bike to Clapham Jn. (I wasn't aware of the blanket ban on cycles that day, so my fault too, really) even though (a) it was against the traffic flow of potential returning L2B participants, (b) there's loads of trains making that journey therefore bags of capacity and (c) it's only 2 stops down the line at most. Worth writing to Southern and asking them if they've any plans to tweak the "no bikes" policy on L2B day to cater for passengers travelling in the opposite direction to ride participants (and possibly some rule such as bikes only allowed between, say, Victoria and East Croydon), or would this be like talking to a brick wall?
Thumbs up to the LU staff at Victoria Circle/District line station, though, for sorting out an alternative route so that I could get to Waterloo instead and pick up a train back to Winchester.

David

Not being funny David but why didn't you just cycle to Clapham; it's no distance at all from Victoria...

DavidBelcher

jashburnham wrote:

Not being funny David but why didn't you just cycle to Clapham; it's no distance at all from Victoria...

I don't know the area well enough, and didn't have my A-Z on me at the time. Plus, based on my limited experience of cycling in central London, it's pretty scary compared to the more modest traffic levels in my neck of the woods!

David

iainment

DavidBelcher wrote:

On the other hand, no congratulations to the stuffed shirts manning the Southern ticket barriers at London Victoria yesterday evening and failing to exercise common sense by not allowing me to take my bike to Clapham Jn. (I wasn't aware of the blanket ban on cycles that day, so my fault too, really) even though (a) it was against the traffic flow of potential returning L2B participants, (b) there's loads of trains making that journey therefore bags of capacity and (c) it's only 2 stops down the line at most. Worth writing to Southern and asking them if they've any plans to tweak the "no bikes" policy on L2B day to cater for passengers travelling in the opposite direction to ride participants (and possibly some rule such as bikes only allowed between, say, Victoria and East Croydon), or would this be like talking to a brick wall?
Thumbs up to the LU staff at Victoria Circle/District line station, though, for sorting out an alternative route so that I could get to Waterloo instead and pick up a train back to Winchester.

David

Would you pay their wages if they were suspended for letting you on?
Blame the government and the bosses who won't provide a proper service that caters for all possible users instead of a machine for rewarding shareholders.

DavidBelcher

iainment wrote:

Blame the government and the bosses who won't provide a proper service that caters for all possible users instead of a machine for rewarding shareholders.

Fair point there - having read the cycle policy FAQ (part draconian, part couldn't-give-a-monkey's-about-cyclists) on the Southern website, it's the management rather than the station employees who are really at fault [1]. Oddly, the same holding company (GoVia) are also responsible for Southeastern services, on which the cycle policy is a little more relaxed (bikes allowed on peak hour trains outside the core London commuter catchment area, etc. - I think Tonbridge & Gillingham are the boundary stations on the two main routes to the Kent coast).

David

[1] As for government, don't even get me started on the short-sighted hectoring carried out by the Strategic Rail Authority....