The bicycle that beats train bans

Commuters who have tried to combine a train journey with a bicycle trip can feel at best as if the rail operators are doing their best to dissuade them.

Peak-time bans are common – even London-to-Brighton charity bike riders are prevented from travelling by train – but a sustainable way of getting about that is almost as old as the bicycle itself provides a tantalising glimpse of how harmoniously the two modes of transport can coexist.

Railbiking

So-called ‘railbiking’ has been around since the late 1860s when the pedal-powered vehicles were used by railroad companies for checking the track, moving workers and even providing breakdown services for stranded locomotives.

The advent of the car brought an end to the railbiking although it is now a popular means of sight seeing.

A company called Railbike Tours runs a tour along the scenic Willamette River between Lake Oswego and Portland in America.

A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “Taking a bicycle on the train makes light work of many journeys – cycle hire schemes can help but rail operators do very little to help.”

Whilst unlikely to ever be seen on British commuter lines, a use for rail bikes might have been found in the building of the National Cycle Network. Many miles of disused railway in Britain have been converted to become cycle tracks free of motorised traffic, but railbiking could have made use of the original tracks while they were still in place.

Cycle insurance

Cycle insurance from ilovemybike.co.uk includes new-for-old replacement and cover for accidental damage (even at race events), third party insurance, personal accident cover and if you breakdown, we will even come out and recover you and your bike.