Olympic Restrictions

[anonymous-user]

This is counter intuitive. ALL bicycles except complete fold up ones will not be allowed on Trains (I guess any London area ones) during the Olympics. I take the train out of London every day towards Faversham with my bike, and its busy if there are 2 people in my coach. I'm also not sure what Olympic goers will make on my trains.

Anyways, so this will be one more motorcycle on the road for those 2 weeks. I'm not buying a fold up just for that. Now I'm just waiting for some insane congestion charge to be levied on motorcycles and cars during that time.

[lemonslap]

If your talking about the HS1 trains? The one I get from Ashford has always been folding cycles only.

[Gizmoish]

Lots of the London area trains allow normal bikes: the Chingford, Shenfield etc lines for example. But not during the games.

[anonymous-user]

lemonslap said:

If your talking about the HS1 trains? The one I get from Ashford has always been folding cycles only.

Only arriving in London at peak times. Leaving to Ashford on the HS you can take, I've been doing it for nearly a year.

[7Llewelyn]

Killboy said:

This is counter intuitive. ALL bicycles except complete fold up ones will not be allowed on Trains (I guess any London area ones) during the Olympics. I take the train out of London every day towards Faversham with my bike, and its busy if there are 2 people in my coach. I'm also not sure what Olympic goers will make on my trains.

Anyways, so this will be one more motorcycle on the road for those 2 weeks. I'm not buying a fold up just for that. Now I'm just waiting for some insane congestion charge to be levied on motorcycles and cars during that time.

Boo Hoo! Dry your eyes, stop your whinging and use your motorbike for two weeks - it's not the end of the world now is it, you might even enjoy it! Perhaps you can even dig deep within yourself and be proud that London's hosting the olympics, although from your poorly written post I'm guessing you might be a foreigner.

Richard.

[LiamB]

7Llewelyn said:

Boo Hoo! Dry your eyes, stop your whinging and use your motorbike for two weeks - it's not the end of the world now is it, you might even enjoy it! Perhaps you can even dig deep within yourself and be proud that London's hosting the olympics, although from your poorly written post I'm guessing you might be a foreigner.

Richard.

Steady on.

That post was a bit un-needed? The Olympics are just a huge inconvenience if you ask me.

[daz3210]

I suspect it may be a big flop. But then I can't see how it is going to bring a lot of money to the country like folks are saying it will

[DJFish]

Can you post where you got this info from?
I've just booked my tickets, reserved my seats and booked my bike on all my commutes during the Olympics with Greater Anglia....

[Kermit power]

7Llewelyn said:

Boo Hoo! Dry your eyes, stop your whinging and use your motorbike for two weeks - it's not the end of the world now is it, you might even enjoy it! Perhaps you can even dig deep within yourself and be proud that London's hosting the olympics, although from your poorly written post I'm guessing you might be a foreigner.

Richard.

Between this and your other post in the last 30 days, you certainly seem to have got out of bed on the wrong side! Why the need to be unpleasant?

Personally, I'm at a loss to understand how we should feel proud of the fact that London is hosting the Olympics?

Am I supposed to be proud of the fact that I can't go to my office because it's in the middle of an Olympic travel hotspot and therefore shut to all but critical personnel for 3+ weeks?

Am I supposed to feel proud that some British people did a better job of greasing the right corrupt IOC committee palms than some French people did?

Maybe I'm supposed to be proud of the vast amount of money our beloved political leaders have pissed up the wall in pursuit of this daft vanity project in the middle of a global recession?

Might it be the insane cost of tickets and the debacle of a purchase process that should be pressing my pride button?

All in all, if English athletes win medals, I shall feel pleased. Where they do so makes not a blind bit of difference.

All of this from one of the very few people who actually will get something of an Olympic legacy, as many of my regular cycling roads are being resurfaced for the road race. Having the Olympics in London and all that entails is far, far too high a price to pay for a bit of fresh tarmac up the Zig Zags.

Proud that London is hosting the games???? My ideal venue would be "anywhere other than here". Nice if it's in more or less the same time zone though.

[Mobile Chicane]

Kermit power said:

7Llewelyn said:

Boo Hoo! Dry your eyes, stop your whinging and use your motorbike for two weeks - it's not the end of the world now is it, you might even enjoy it! Perhaps you can even dig deep within yourself and be proud that London's hosting the olympics, although from your poorly written post I'm guessing you might be a foreigner.

Richard.

Between this and your other post in the last 30 days, you certainly seem to have got out of bed on the wrong side! Why the need to be unpleasant?

Personally, I'm at a loss to understand how we should feel proud of the fact that London is hosting the Olympics?

Am I supposed to be proud of the fact that I can't go to my office because it's in the middle of an Olympic travel hotspot and therefore shut to all but critical personnel for 3+ weeks?

Am I supposed to feel proud that some British people did a better job of greasing the right corrupt IOC committee palms than some French people did?

Maybe I'm supposed to be proud of the vast amount of money our beloved political leaders have pissed up the wall in pursuit of this daft vanity project in the middle of a global recession?

Might it be the insane cost of tickets and the debacle of a purchase process that should be pressing my pride button?

All in all, if English athletes win medals, I shall feel pleased. Where they do so makes not a blind bit of difference.

All of this from one of the very few people who actually will get something of an Olympic legacy, as many of my regular cycling roads are being resurfaced for the road race. Having the Olympics in London and all that entails is far, far too high a price to pay for a bit of fresh tarmac up the Zig Zags.

Proud that London is hosting the games???? My ideal venue would be "anywhere other than here". Nice if it's in more or less the same time zone though.

It's ok. 7Llewelyn is allowed to proselytise, since he lives in Exeter.

However, I'm with you Kermit. An epic waste of money.

Little-known facts are that all lottery funding has been withdrawn from grass-roots sport (which does make a difference) in favour of this Great White Elephant.

Moreover that organisations such as the Little Havens Children's Hospice now have to find £3M a year in voluntary subscriptions as a result of having their lottery funding withdrawn as well.

Meh, I'd keep the bumpy Zig Zag as it was. I've noticed the National Trust have been cutting down vast swathes of trees on the lower stretches to allow more standing room for cycling spectators.

Clearly, they don't give a toss about the endangered plants and animals which live in a Site of Special Scientific Interest, given the need to sell event tickets. NT in the gubberment's pocket? Ever so slightly.

[Kermit power]

Mobile Chicane said:

Meh, I'd keep the bumpy Zig Zag as it was. I've noticed the National Trust have been cutting down vast swathes of trees on the lower stretches to allow more standing room for cycling spectators.

Clearly, they don't give a toss about the endangered plants and animals which live in a Site of Special Scientific Interest, given the need to sell event tickets. NT in the gubberment's pocket? Ever so slightly.

National Trust said:

Detailed surveys funded by LOCOG have shown that many patches of scrub and young secondary woodland on Box Hill contain comparatively few species. Typically they are home to between five and 10 different types of plant, animal and insect, compared with the 60-100 species found per metre on Box Hill’s chalk grassland areas.

These patches can, therefore, be cleared and visitors can walk on the newly exposed ground without damaging the overall ecological balance of the site. With regular mowing, these newly exposed areas will slowly be re-colonised by the rare chalk-grassland species which make Box Hill so special.

Who am I to say whether that's accurate or not? It seems perfectly plausible though - just look at the similar-sounding efforts on places like Epsom common to get back to what the special habitat actually was in the first place.

[New POD]

LiamB said:

The Olympics are just a huge inconvenience if you ask me.

Not an inconvience for the rest of the UK - 90% of whom don't give a toss.

Now if they'd put it in Birmingham, Manchester or Newcastle I might have cared.

[Hackney]

I cycled to Ashford and got the train back to St. Pancras. Nigel, the very helpful steward / conductor on the train gave me a leaflet which I've sadly lost.

Normal rules are no bikes other than foldaways during rush hour. This is being extended to all trains though and applied across London. Sorry I can't be more specific but I've no plans [-]to go out in public[-/] to use trains with my bike during the olympics.

I'm sure a quick google will give you all the info you need though.

[Kermit power]

New POD said:

Not an inconvience for the rest of the UK - 90% of whom don't give a toss.

Now if they'd put it in Birmingham, Manchester or Newcastle I might have cared.

What a strange attitude. Why would it make any difference which city it was in?

[Mobile Chicane]

Kermit power said:

Mobile Chicane said:

Meh, I'd keep the bumpy Zig Zag as it was. I've noticed the National Trust have been cutting down vast swathes of trees on the lower stretches to allow more standing room for cycling spectators.

Clearly, they don't give a toss about the endangered plants and animals which live in a Site of Special Scientific Interest, given the need to sell event tickets. NT in the gubberment's pocket? Ever so slightly.

National Trust said:

Detailed surveys funded by LOCOG have shown that many patches of scrub and young secondary woodland on Box Hill contain comparatively few species. Typically they are home to between five and 10 different types of plant, animal and insect, compared with the 60-100 species found per metre on Box Hill’s chalk grassland areas.

These patches can, therefore, be cleared and visitors can walk on the newly exposed ground without damaging the overall ecological balance of the site. With regular mowing, these newly exposed areas will slowly be re-colonised by the rare chalk-grassland species which make Box Hill so special.

Who am I to say whether that's accurate or not? It seems perfectly plausible though - just look at the similar-sounding efforts on places like Epsom common to get back to what the special habitat actually was in the first place.

There you have it. The area being cleared is colloquially known as 'Dormouse Alley'.

It's in shade and therefore will never be colonised by sun-loving grassland plants.

Impartial research given the vested interest? I think not.

wkers.

Edited by Mobile Chicane on Wednesday 27th June 22:30

[New POD]

Kermit power said:

New POD said:

Not an inconvience for the rest of the UK - 90% of whom don't give a toss.

Now if they'd put it in Birmingham, Manchester or Newcastle I might have cared.

What a strange attitude. Why would it make any difference which city it was in?

Your Profile lists your location as some where in the south east, and therefore you can't expect to understand the attitudes of "Northern" People to anything that happens in London.

[Kermit power]

New POD said:

Kermit power said:

New POD said:

Not an inconvenience for the rest of the UK - 90% of whom don't give a toss.

Now if they'd put it in Birmingham, Manchester or Newcastle I might have cared.

What a strange attitude. Why would it make any difference which city it was in?

Your Profile lists your location as some where in the south east, and therefore you can't expect to understand the attitudes of "Northern" People to anything that happens in London.

My life so far....

Worcestershire 4 years
Cheshire 8 years
France 3 years
Buckinghamshire 3 years
Wales 2 years
Liverpool 4 years
Spain 1 year
Hampshire 1 year
London 3 years
Surrey 12 years

So 16 years out of 41 in the South East, 12 in the North West, 4 in the Midlands, 2 in Wales and 4 outside the UK. Oddly, when I moved to the South East, there was no obligation to have myself lobotomised to erase all memories of what it was like to live elsewhere before I got here.

Manchester had the Commonwealth Games in 2002, and Glasgow will get them in 2014. I don't see why anyone other than the citizens of Manchester & Glasgow would care about that any more than anyone other than the citizens of London and other affected areas of the country would care about the Olympic location?

The weirdest one I've seen was on here, with someone moaning about it being called "The London Olympics" rather than "The UK Olympics", as though the naming protocol which has been in place for all modern Olympics actually only came in to force just for this year to wind up the non-London residents of the UK.

[oyster]

New POD said:

LiamB said:

The Olympics are just a huge inconvenience if you ask me.

Not an inconvience for the rest of the UK - 90% of whom don't give a toss.

Now if they'd put it in Birmingham, Manchester or Newcastle I might have cared.

Because Birmingham has all the glamour of Sydney, Beijing, Los Angeles, London, Athens, Barcelona etc.....

[oyster]

Killboy said:

This is counter intuitive. ALL bicycles except complete fold up ones will not be allowed on Trains (I guess any London area ones) during the Olympics. I take the train out of London every day towards Faversham with my bike, and its busy if there are 2 people in my coach. I'm also not sure what Olympic goers will make on my trains.

Anyways, so this will be one more motorcycle on the road for those 2 weeks. I'm not buying a fold up just for that. Now I'm just waiting for some insane congestion charge to be levied on motorcycles and cars during that time.

Since it's Olympic fortnight and the focus is on sporting achievements, why don't you just cycle in instead of using the train?

[Gizmoish]

oyster said:

Since it's Olympic fortnight and the focus is on sporting achievements, why don't you just cycle in instead of using the train?

That's what I'm doing.

I expect cries of "oo do you fink you are, Vicky Pendleton?"