On Feb 27, 9:44 am, somersetchris wrote:
On 26 Feb, 22:43, Tim Woodall wrote:



The barriers at Euston platforms 8-11 cannot cope with the volume of
people trying to get through them.

http://www.woodall.me.uk/img_00000010.jpeg
is a still from my bike camera (sorry the quality isn't very good but
gives some idea, especially if you already know the layout of these
platforms.)

This is about 07:25 (I arrived on the 07:01 from Watford Junction) so
this isn't the peak of the rush hour. Later trains you cannot get a seat
at Watford Junction unless you're lucky, let alone Harrow and
Wealdstone.

I'm approximately at the back of the crowd, there aren't that many
people behind me. But a fair few must have already gone through the
barrier before I got there because I sit at the extreme Northern end of
the train and unfold my bike before I walk down the platform.

Tim.

--
God said, "div D = rho, div B = 0, curl E = - @B/@t, curl H = J + @D/@t,"
and there was light.

http://tjw.hn.org/ http://www.locofungus.btinternet.co.uk/

The problem with Euston is that the staff will allow anyone and
everyone to use the gate and show their tickets. The gate is meant to
be for wheelchairs, bikes and passengers with large luggage. Using the
gate means that people do not have to take their season out of its
wallet. Or they can show a nectar card or whatever.
If the staff insisted on passengers using the barriers the flow
through would be a lot quicker. I think that the revenue would be a
lot greater as well.

Maybe a lot do get through on Nectar cards etc but a proportion also
get stopped. I actually don't understand why people want to use the
gate because there's often a holdup when someone gets stopped
(although I suppose for people without luggage they can get past, it's
just the people with bikes, prams etc that get held up).

One day this week I noticed another Brompton rider who took his bike
through the barrier. I did ask if he had a special ticket or a special
trick but he just said you have to be quick.

I've done this but if you get the timing slightly wrong then either
you get bashed by the paddles (and it's hard enough to hurt) or they
grab the bike and then you're completely stuck until a guard comes and
opens the gate.

I'd really like to have some way of having my oyster card (or ticket
if you're a season ticket holder) flagged to hold the barrier open for
a few seconds more - five seconds would be all it would take. I know
this _could_ be abused but there's enough regular cyclists who are
using these barriers every day (I see the same 5 or six on my train
every morning) and we're recognised by at least some of the staff as
regular cyclists so it could be something like getting a form and then
getting one of the barrier guards to sign that you are a regular
cyclist and then getting some sort of flag put on your ticket (of
course, this all presupposes that the gates are even capable of having
an extended opening - I know they can stay open with the right ticket
but I don't know about a longer opening.)

Tim.