di 17 dec, 2002 10:22
De European Cyclists Federation is een campagne begonnen om fietsenvervoer mogelijk te maken in hogesnelheidstreinen. Zie het volgende persbericht. Voor meer info over deze campagne: www.ecf.com
PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE
15 December 2002
THALYS BRUSSELS - COLOGNE :
FASTER JOURNEY TIME - POOR SERVICE FOR CYCLISTS
Improvements to the track between Louvain and Liege will shorten the journey time between Brussels and Cologne by 10 minutes. The timetable will change on 15th December 2002. Despite these improvements customers with a bicycle must still endure a restricted service, says the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF), the representative body of 40 associations in 25 countries comprising 460,000 bicycle users across Europe.
Thalys will not accept bicycles unless both wheels and saddle are removed and fitted inside a bike bag which the customer must provide. “By enforcing such a requirement, Thalys is making transportation of bicycles virtually impossible,” explains Marie Caroline Coppieters, ECF secretary-general.
Thalys is not the only railway undertaking to fail to satisfy cyclists’ needs despite rising demand; Eurostar and most other high speed train services have similar rules in place. As the bicycle tourism market in Europe has grown over the past few years, the provision among international railway operators for the carriage of bicycles has declined. Once a high speed line is open, the “normal train” is put out of service, making moving around Europe with a bicycle increasingly difficult.
Holes in the provision of service on international trains were highlighted in a recent European Commission publication, “International Rail Passengers’ Rights and Obligations”. Specifically, the report outlines the inconsistency of provision for cyclists on international trains, and with regard to intermodality says considerable improvements are required.
“About 50% of car trips are for leisure purposes,” stresses Patrick D’haese, director of the Fietsersbond. Converting some of those car journeys into train journeys would reduce emissions and congestion”. Bicycles on car roof racks are a common sight on European highways during the summer. “In 1999, 3.2 million Germans had a holiday by bicycle. Does it not occur to the international rail companies that there is a market to take?,” Sarah Claeys, of Gracq Les Cyclistes Quotidiens, wonders.
ECF would like to see guarantees of service enforced by a EU regulation that would impose a basic quality service for rail passengers. This refers to all passengers at all stages of the journey - ticketing, bookings, information, pricing, accessibility to the trains and stations, parking facilities as well as bicycle transport on the trains themselves. The technical requirements of setting up a multi-purpose space to accommodate large luggage, bicycles, and skis on a 200 metre-long train appear as negligible compared with the engineering achievements of high speed locomotion.
PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE
15 December 2002
THALYS BRUSSELS - COLOGNE :
FASTER JOURNEY TIME - POOR SERVICE FOR CYCLISTS
Improvements to the track between Louvain and Liege will shorten the journey time between Brussels and Cologne by 10 minutes. The timetable will change on 15th December 2002. Despite these improvements customers with a bicycle must still endure a restricted service, says the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF), the representative body of 40 associations in 25 countries comprising 460,000 bicycle users across Europe.
Thalys will not accept bicycles unless both wheels and saddle are removed and fitted inside a bike bag which the customer must provide. “By enforcing such a requirement, Thalys is making transportation of bicycles virtually impossible,” explains Marie Caroline Coppieters, ECF secretary-general.
Thalys is not the only railway undertaking to fail to satisfy cyclists’ needs despite rising demand; Eurostar and most other high speed train services have similar rules in place. As the bicycle tourism market in Europe has grown over the past few years, the provision among international railway operators for the carriage of bicycles has declined. Once a high speed line is open, the “normal train” is put out of service, making moving around Europe with a bicycle increasingly difficult.
Holes in the provision of service on international trains were highlighted in a recent European Commission publication, “International Rail Passengers’ Rights and Obligations”. Specifically, the report outlines the inconsistency of provision for cyclists on international trains, and with regard to intermodality says considerable improvements are required.
“About 50% of car trips are for leisure purposes,” stresses Patrick D’haese, director of the Fietsersbond. Converting some of those car journeys into train journeys would reduce emissions and congestion”. Bicycles on car roof racks are a common sight on European highways during the summer. “In 1999, 3.2 million Germans had a holiday by bicycle. Does it not occur to the international rail companies that there is a market to take?,” Sarah Claeys, of Gracq Les Cyclistes Quotidiens, wonders.
ECF would like to see guarantees of service enforced by a EU regulation that would impose a basic quality service for rail passengers. This refers to all passengers at all stages of the journey - ticketing, bookings, information, pricing, accessibility to the trains and stations, parking facilities as well as bicycle transport on the trains themselves. The technical requirements of setting up a multi-purpose space to accommodate large luggage, bicycles, and skis on a 200 metre-long train appear as negligible compared with the engineering achievements of high speed locomotion.
