Most people would agree that if a significant proportion of car commuters were to stay at home, or commute by some other means, our transport problems would be largely solved. More easily said than done, of course.

Our own delightful and multi-talented Teresa was headhunted by Bournemouth Borough Council a year or so ago, and made an offer she couldn’t refuse. Since then, she’s been working away two days a week (Incidentally, Thursdays and Fridays are the days to avoid if you want your A to B renewal dealt with quickly). Teresa agreed to experimentally replace the car commute with a folding bike and rail combination.

This is very typical of longer commuter journeys. Teresa currently travels by minimalist car (a ‘real’ Mini called Max), and the 30-mile journey from Dorchester to Bournemouth Town Hall typically takes 45 minutes, although traffic being what it is, the door-to-door time can vary from 40 to 75 minutes.

Max is an inexpensive car to run, so cost is not a big issue, but interestingly the pressure is more about demand management of parking spaces at both ends of the journey. Like many local authority jobs, Teresa’s comes with a parking permit, giving free all-day parking, but without actually guaranteeing a space. Until recently she was able to use the car park adjoining the Town Hall, but rationalisation of the spaces has meant a five-minute walk from further afield.

At the other end of the journey, there is very little on-street parking in central Dorchester, and the few streets that allow parking have recently been turned into pay-and-display zones, putting pressure on parking spaces in residential areas further out from the centre. Anyone returning home from work mid-evening was liable to find the spaces full before these changes, but the situation is now even worse. Residents permits are a possibility of course, but again, there are no guarantees for late arrivers. So although traffic congestion and car running costs are relatively insignificant elements here, parking issues are. Even in a rural county like Dorset, road space is limited, and political pressure is continuing to squeeze car parking spaces.

Public Transport

There is an alternative. The Weymouth to London railway line runs through Dorchester and Branksome (closer, and more convenient for the Town Hall than Bournemouth station), and since 2008, the electric trains have run to a half-hourly schedule, although not all stop at Branksome. The line speed limit is 85mph, but there are several 60mph restrictions, and in the morning peak, trains generally stop at all seven intermediate stations, so journey times are not particularly good – typically 42 minutes in the morning, and 35 minutes in the evening.

With rail, of course, door-to-door journeys are longer, because there’s usually a foot, taxi or bus element involved. According to Transport Direct, the Department for Transport’s online journey planner, Teresa’s journey by public transport can be expected to take around 84 minutes: a 15-minute walk to the station on top of the basic train schedule, plus a (rather optimistic) ten-minute bus journey from Branksome station to central Bournemouth, and a further ten-minute walk to the Town Hall. Hardly competitive with the car, and including a change onto – and in the evening from – a bus, something that we would never normally recommend unless a connection is guaranteed. What the government journey planner still doesn’t mention (despite numerous promises, but you know our opinion of the DfT) is that wonderful invention, the bicycle.

The trains here do carry bicycles, but like most British rail services, the number of bike spaces is strictly limited. In theory, there are six spaces on the Class 444 Desiro, but if the trains are not full, guards may allow more on board at this rural end of the London run. But, as with the parking spaces, nothing is guaranteed. Currently, there is not too much bike-space pressure in Dorset, but trains generally have a full load of five or six bikes, so turning up and hoping for the best can be something of a lottery. And even when you’re on board, it may be necessary to enter into complex negotiations with other cyclists to decide whose machine goes inside the three-tier racks, and whose goes outside. All-in-all, the process can be fraught with hassle and worry – not something likely to tempt anyone out of a comfy car unless they’re a hardened cycle enthusiast.

For everyone else, something more flexible is needed, and as expounded so often in these pages, the answer is often a compact folding bike. King of the compacts for the last twenty years has been the Brompton.

The Brompton S2L

There have been a number of changes to the Brompton range in the last year or so, principally to a matt – or more accurately satin – paint finish: in our case Cornflower Blue with white extremities, the sort of combination you either love or loathe. Brompton had selected an S2L, which is basically a cheaper version of the light and sporty S2L-X, but without the titanium bits, so almost half the price, at £617. This machine has only two gears (50 and 74-inch), but by swapping sprockets, it’s fairly easy to reduce bottom gear to 50-inch.

Two gears are quite a compromise, but it’s surprising what you can do with two ratios. The S2L comes with battery lights, which are fine for urban commuting, although we’d want something more powerful at the front in open country. The S2L weighs a reasonable if unspectacular 11.2kg, which – intriguingly – is exactly the same as our 1991-vintage 3-speed. Admittedly, this particular S2L has a slightly heavier telescopic seat pillar, and our elderly bike has lighter Kojak tyres and a few other lightweight bits, but it’s disappointing all the same. Of course, Brompton does offer much lighter bikes than this, but they’re also much more expensive, so only an option if you have deep pockets, or your bike/rail commute is saving a lot of money elsewhere.

Gauging the bike against our own fleet of older ‘M’ type Bromptons, we felt the rolling resistance of the new ‘stickier’ tyres was a bit high, but a roll-down test revealed little or no difference. Either way, for an inexperienced cycle commuter, the extra grip is probably useful insurance. We also felt the ‘S’ type bars were a bit low too, and this comment came up again and again with those who rode the bike. Cycle shops appear to be steering customers towards the ‘S’ type models these days, but take our word for it – the ‘M’ bars are more comfortable, and the upright position is safer in traffic. Even if you habitually ride an MTB with low, flat handlebars, give the ‘M’ type Brompton a try. So although the S2L is a good choice for short distance commuting, we think an M2L would have been more successful.

The Trial

Cycling from home to Dorchester South station takes about six minutes at 6.30am, although a minute or two extra would be needed later in the peak as traffic starts to build. All our trains were on time during the experiment, and at such an early hour, all had Brompton capacity to spare. The Class 444 trains are seriously lacking in luggage space, but there are plenty of nooks and crannies to hide a folding bike away, especially at commuter times. The Brompton will just fit behind facing seat backs on most trains including these (it’s probably the only folding bike that will), but as the trains have mostly airline-style seats, these useful spaces are limited. We put the Brompton in the disabled area, wheelchairs being rare at peak times, and this two-wheelchair space alone could provide room for up to 20 Brompton, should the need arise. It doesn’t, because in the whole experiment we only saw one folding bike (a Brompton as it happens), even though the conventional bike spaces were generally full and occasionally over-flowing into the vestibule.

At the Branksome end of the journey, the cycle ride takes 12 minutes downhill and about 15 minutes back up, against the (optimistic) DfT estimate of 20 minutes by bus and foot. Overall journey time door-to-door is about 64 minutes, each way, the morning run being slower on the train, but downhill on the bike, and visa-versa in the evening. This compares to a theoretical 50 minutes by car (45 minutes plus a five-minute walk), or 84 minutes by public transport alone.

Cost

The modern railway franchisees are supposedly quick on their feet, but most have missed a trick with flexible peak-time tickets. Teresa, like many commuters – and, perhaps soon a majority – works part-time with flexible hours, so the traditional weekly, monthly or annual season, offering an unlimited number of return journeys for a set period, is simple not practical. At £1,964 per year, it can halve the cost of travel for those who commute at least once a day, but is unrealistic for part-time workers. The only option is the Anytime Day Return at £9.90 per day. At 17p per mile, that’s a little more than the petrol cost for a small car these days, but around half the true running costs.

Recommendations

Employer: The factor that really skews commuting in favour of the car is the subsidised parking. Parking a car all day in central Bournemouth costs upwards of £8, so the free parking for council employees is effectively a big subsidy. In keeping with the tough economic conditions, the local authority is making noises about withdrawing the subsidy, but a kinder option would be to offer non-car vouchers in lieu. This alone would almost cancel out the train fare from Dorchester, and represent a cash bonus for those who cycled or took a bus over shorter distances. Like many local authorities, health authorities and other big employers, this one doesn’t operate a tax-free bicycle purchase scheme. Why? Apart from the admin issues, the cost is minimal. If big employers are serious about reducing their traffic and parking problems they need to provide a carrot as well as a stick.

Department for Transport: The Transport Direct web portal (www.transportdirect.info) is a useful innovation, but despite being around for a few years, it still fails to address its primary function – incentivising a switch from private car to alternatives. The site only shows private car versus public transport, and – as in this case – the car times usually beat train/bus/foot hands down. But it takes little account of congestion, ignores the time taken to park, and walk from the car park, and for longer trips, fails to include essential ‘comfort’ stops. Most annoyingly, despite promises, bicycle, and bike/rail options are neither displayed nor even discussed. In many cases, the bike/rail option will give the fastest door-to-door time, and it’s usually comparable, something that potential mode switchers would fail to discover if they approach government sources for advice.

The Rail Industry: South West Trains could make life easier for part-time or self-employed workers who travel irregularly, by issuing carnet tickets (this is another grumble that surfaces in A to B once in a while). The company or user purchases a book, typically of ten tickets, and uses them as and when required, saving money and eliminating queueing time. Carnets are rare in the UK, but National Express is experimenting with transferable carnet books for businesses, although these offer a rather disappointing 10% discount over the full fare, so they can actually work out quite expensive at off-peak times.

For National Rail, the infrastructure could be improved in Dorset, as elsewhere. A line speed of 85mph was good twenty years ago, but speed restrictions on the competing roads have since been bypassed, leaving rail under pressure. SWT also has to live with a lengthy section of single track here, making scheduling very awkward.

Brompton: As Teresa discovered when her new mode of transport came up for discussion, several other employees had looked into and dismissed bike/railing to work, but none seem to have discovered the Brompton option. The Brompton has traditionally sold through recommendation by early-adopters, which has worked well in the big cities, but elsewhere the bikes are still rare. How to encourage more people to try this fast, healthy and effective form of commuting is a big question, but one that needs to be addressed.

Teresa’s Commuter Diary

Once again I find myself in the role of A to B guinea pig as David Henshaw sells me an idea. “Surely it would be less stressful to take a Brompton on the train to Bournemouth and cycle from the station?” he said. Prior to my A to B association, I tended to view Brompton riders with a mixture of amusement and admiration. However, let’s face it, anyone who drives a car smaller than a shopping trolley can’t afford to be too high and mighty! “OK.” I replied.

The biggest negative of the experiment was psychological, as en route photography meant getting up half an hour earlier than usual to straightening my hair, apply make-up and choose clothing that was indicative of an office professional and yet allow easy cycling.

 

I managed to unfold the bike in a respectable time (considering my one lesson), squeeze my normal haversack into a Brompton bag and leave the house without disturbing the sleeping inmates. The morning was dark and autumnal, but the sky was beginning to brighten and soon I found myself taking real delight in blowing away the last vestiges of sleep.

Getting on at such an early point in the journey meant plenty of seats to go round, and I parked the bike easily in the wheelchair space. The train’s population increased with each stop and I noticed a mixture of admiring and curious looks at the bike from other travellers – I began to enjoy my commuter role.

At Branksome station I left the train accompanied by a sizeable number of passengers and a couple of bicycles. I rebuilt my wheels, lugged bag and bike up the stairs and into the car park. This was a mistake. I understand that with practice I’ll develop my own carrying technique.

By now there was a continuous flow of traffic on the roads and everyone wanted to be somewhere quickly. The handlebars on the ‘S’ type Brompton are much lower than I would choose and I felt that all I could d

o was keep my head down and pedal. I’m not sure that I’m cut out for standing my ground on two wheels against blindly determined motorists. I was relieved when I entered the protection and calm of the Bourne Valley cycle path into the Upper Gardens. The quiet tree-lined pathway is bumpy with protruding roots breaking through the tarmac, making me aware that I might be a little saddle-sore later but it is none-the-less a welcome final stretch.
At the Town Hall I collapsed the Brompton with what I felt was professional speed and negotiated the flight of stairs and series of security doors with relative ease. With my ‘steed’ stashed under a table, I tried to calm my frizzy hair, and subdue my high temperature and flushed face. Throughout the morning colleagues greeted me with a variety of comments ranging from; “Is that a bike?” (obvious or what?), to “Did you ride to work” (all the way from Dorchester?), and finally a sensible and heartening comment: “I was thinking about buying a folding bike, how do you get on with it?”

The day soon passed and although I work flexi-hours, I have a heavy workload and was concerned about leaving on time. Would I make the train? I wasted a few moments before I worked out that the saddle has to be raised before the frame can be assembled. There were a few joggers and dog walkers in the gardens, but otherwise this was again a great route. As I joined the traffic the journey became hazardous, but I stood my ground and resisted the temptation to cycle on the pavement. Unfortunately the final bit is uphill and before long I realised that either I’m extremely unfit or I need more than two gears.

The station was quite crowded so there was a surge as the train doors opened. I opted to use the bike carriage and withstood the curious and possibly hostile looks of two cyclists who were standing defensively by their machines. Once again the human traffic dwindled as we travelled west and I found a seat. The obvious thing would have been to store the Brompton behind the seat but I didn’t want to make a fool of myself by squeezing it into a tight space, so I sat on the edge of my seat, guarding at a distance.

That night, as I soaked my sore bits in a Radox bath and counted the bruises on my thighs (evidence of a poor carrying technique) I reflected on the day. My contract includes a parking permit and ‘flexible’ flexi-hours, but not all my colleagues share these perks. Driving for anything up to an hour I can’t imagine spending further time and money trying to park Max for the day. Without parking I might consider a half commute: perhaps driving to a quiet area of Bournemouth and parking up for the day and cycling the final stretch. I want to be greener, but it also has to be a practical solution. The bike commute involves getting up earlier and getting home later, it is dependent on a regular finish time, train fares are more expensive than petrol, and how would I feel on a rainy day? I had missed the mist over the River Frome, John Humphries and even the traffic jams, where I gain childish pleasure in catching up the vehicles that had whipped past me earlier in the journey.

After day one, the positives and negatives of the experiment were evenly balanced. Who knows, as the Council is currently carrying out a review of staff parking, I may find that a Brompton becomes an essential part of my life in the future.

Bike/Rail Hints and Tips

• Despite a lack of cycling information, Transport Direct gives a useful guide as to which core rail or bus combination will work best. Extra work will be needed to calculate the bike bits.
• Put the National Rail ‘Live Departures’ page in your web browser for instant access. The information can also be displayed on some phones.
• Set your watch one minute fast. Useful for those tight connections.
• When making the first outward cycle journey, always check the start-to-stop cycling time. Add five minutes for contingencies (more for longer, hillier rides) and you know when to depart on the return.
• With the Brompton, practice sitting on the folded bike. This can give you a free seat on a packed station or train. Crossing a bridge with bag in one hand and tea in the other? Balance the nose of the saddle on your shoulder, leaving hands free.
• At busy stations fold the bike well clear of the barriers. With buses, always fold and cover the bike in advance. Arguing is pointless!

A to B 55 –