Select Committee on Crossrail Bill Minutes of Evidence


Examination of Witnesses (Questions 18040 - 18059)

  18040. As you know, these Petitioners represent the National Council of the Cycling Touring Club and are concerned about the provision of bicycles in relation to Crossrail.

  18041. As I understand it, the principal concern still outstanding is the carriage of bicycles on the Crossrail service. The final policy on the carriage of cycles, as we have explained, will be decided by the Franchising Authority and the Train Operating Company, not by us, and we are wholly committed to continuing to talk to the CTC about that policy and the policy may vary. It may depend on local conditions and it may vary between hours.

  18042. It is right to say that it certainly will at least take into account the London Underground policy on cycles which, in essence, is that cycles cannot be carried in the deep parts of the tube at any time and cannot be carried anywhere at peak hours, so they can be carried on the subsurface and surface level tubes outside peak hours. We are not saying that will necessarily be our policy but obviously it is likely to inform our policy, but we are very much still in discussion and will continue to be in discussion with the CTC -- not just about bicycle carriage policy but also about matters such as where cycle racks go and detailed design issues such as that in the appropriate time in the project.

  18043. I am not going to say any more now, sir. I have Mr Anderson here to give evidence if the Committee feels that is necessary later.

  18044. Chairman: Mr Selway?

  18045. Mr Selway: I have a small problem immediately which I must apologise for. I need to switch on my notebook and it will make a noise, and I must apologise for that happening first. I cannot find the device I need to make it not make a noise, but there we are.

  18046. Chairman: We may just have a small problem also. The stenographers need to hear you, so if you could just lift your voice it would be helpful.

  18047. Mr Selway: I am deaf, I have to be careful, and I am not sure whether my hearing aids are working, and when my hearing aids are not working I find it difficult to tell how loudly I am speaking.

  18048. Chairman: You are not having a very good day!

  18049. Mr Selway: No. I will not go into the technical reasons for it, but it does make life difficult. You may or may not be able to help me, or the Clerk may be able to help me on it. Are there induction loops?

  18050. Chairman: Yes, and they are on.

  18051. Mr Selway: In which case I will switch on the induction loop and see if that helps.

  18052. Chairman: I think we will just have to get on and try and help each other.

  18053. Mr Selway: Thank you, sir.

  18054. With all respect to what counsel for the Promoters has said, the point about carriage is one of the core points of our concern, as is indicated in the skeleton argument, if I may call it that, that we have supplied and which I hope honorable Members have copies of.

  18055. Chairman: We have.

  18056. Mr Selway: There are a considerable number of issues which flow from our concern about carriage, both about access to stations all along the route and about the application of best practice, because this is not a here-today-gone-tomorrow undertaking, it is a piece of infrastructure work, the effects of the decisions of which will be with us for decades to come. There are still shortcomings on these deep level tube lines for people like me who have some mobility difficulties which were built 100 years ago and have not yet been resolved, so I am thinking about it in those time scales and that takes us to the over-arching concern that we mention in our skeleton argument, which has to do with climate change and how best to reduce the carbon dioxide output from travel and using Crossrail when it is in place.

  18057. One of the most simple and effective ways of doing it, sir, is making it much more bicycle friendly, both on the surface sections and on the subsurface, the deep level section across central London.

  18058. We have also supplied copies of the Best Practice Guide covering the issues that arise and material which, for the purpose of the original session, which did not go ahead on October 24, we supplied URLs for in relation to the carriage of bicycles on deep level tubes in various cities in North America.

  18059. As far as I can tell, those set out the broad picture of the case we are trying to make out to you, sir, and to the Promoters, which is in effect that measures could be taken in respect of their proposals to make them better and more consistent with policy than they are at the moment. That is the core of what we have to say and we have supplied the material in the hope that it will assist honorable Members to determine whether that is a reasonable possibility.


 
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