Work commuting deals

[Colin Blackburn]

I have just been forwarded a deal offered to employees of Oxford University, and some colleges, that
gives 300 quid towards the cost of a Brompton to purchasers on Thames Trains season tickets to
Oxford. They even provide free adult tuition for new/returning cyclists. Not a bad deal on the
surface, but the conditions limit the offer to the first ten applicants. And there was me imagining
Oxford awash with Brommies. Still, good luck to those ten.

Colin

 

[Tony Raven]

Colin Blackburn <[email protected]> wrote:
> I have just been forwarded a deal offered to employees of Oxford University, and some colleges,
> that gives 300 quid towards the cost of a Brompton to purchasers on Thames Trains season tickets
> to Oxford. They even provide free adult tuition for new/returning cyclists. Not a bad deal on the
> surface, but the conditions limit the offer to the first ten applicants. And there was me
> imagining Oxford awash with Brommies. Still, good luck to those ten.
>
> Colin

Expect to see a rush of adverts for "Brompton (unused - unwanted gift) for sale"

Tony

-- http://www.raven-family.com

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man persists in trying to
adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man." -- George
Bernard Shaw

 

[Geraint Jones]

Colin Blackburn <[email protected]> wrote:
( Ihave just been forwarded a deal offered to employees of Oxford ) University, and some colleges,
that gives 300 quid towards the cost of a ( Brompton to purchasers on Thames Trains season
tickets to Oxford. They ) even provide free adult tuition for new/returning cyclists. Not a bad
( deal on the surface, but the conditions limit the offer to the first ten ) applicants. And
there was me imagining Oxford awash with Brommies. ( Still, good luck to those ten.

There are rather more Bromptons about the University than there used to be, and by and large they
seem to be ridden by the professoriate (both titular and statutary).

Mind you, TT's season tickets are a good deal dearer than any reasonable Brompton. It's the first
I'd heard about the Bromptons, but we have a season ticket loan scheme with a cap of (only) five
kiloquid on the size of the loan.

Oxford University's problem is that its staff cannot afford to live in Oxford. Of course the problem
is really that its non-academic staff cannot afford to live either in or near Oxford.

 

[Colin Blackburn]

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...

> There are rather more Bromptons about the University than there used to be, and by and large they
> seem to be ridden by the professoriate (both titular and statutary).
>
> Mind you, TT's season tickets are a good deal dearer than any reasonable Brompton. It's the first
> I'd heard about the Bromptons, but we have a season ticket loan scheme with a cap of (only) five
> kiloquid on the size of the loan.

A friend received a flier from his departmental admin, forwarded from a central admin.

> Oxford University's problem is that its staff cannot afford to live in Oxford. Of course the
> problem is really that its non-academic staff cannot afford to live either in or near Oxford.

Don't I know. Mind, when I did live in Oxford I was fortunate enough to rent a Wytham property which
was well below normal rates as well as being a nice place to live.

Colin

 

[Al_mossah]

Sounds great. But will they provision for carrying bikes on the train? Will they provision for
parking at the station under cover without having to lug the bikes up and over the platform(s)? Will
they give up any of their space allocated for car-parking to allow cyclists the merest hint of some
dignity and faciilities?

They will point to the fact that they own neither the station nor the car park, and so it is nothing
to do with them.

However, great in as far as it goes. It's nice to see a train company associating cycles with rail .
It is a pity that TT are being forced to cancel the Bristol to Oxford train by the SRA to make
services more punctual on the GWR line. (Ironically in the last 6 weeks the trains have been
uncannily punctual.)

Peter

"Colin Blackburn" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:MPG.18fdf7de96f69e4d9898e6@localhost...
> I have just been forwarded a deal offered to employees of Oxford University, and some colleges,
> that gives 300 quid towards the cost of a Brompton to purchasers on Thames Trains season tickets
> to Oxford. They even provide free adult tuition for new/returning cyclists. Not a bad deal on the
> surface, but the conditions limit the offer to the first ten applicants. And there was me
> imagining Oxford awash with Brommies. Still, good luck to those ten.
>
> Colin

 

[Ian Walker]

On Wed, 9 Apr 2003 11:20:14 +0000 (UTC), al_Mossah <[email protected]> wrote:

<snip>
> However, great in as far as it goes. It's nice to see a train company associating cycles with rail
> . It is a pity that TT are being forced to cancel the Bristol to Oxford train by the SRA to make
> services more punctual on the GWR line. (Ironically in the last 6 weeks the trains have been
> uncannily punctual.)
>

I understand this is because the Oxford to Bristol service has been unofficially cancelled for quite
some time (indeed, since about the time the SRA first announced that it was going to be scrapped in
the future).

Ian

--
Ian Walker Remove the yummy paste in my address to reply. Homepage: http://www.drianwalker.com

 

[Colin Blackburn]

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> Sounds great. But will they provision for carrying bikes on the train? Will they provision for
> parking at the station under cover without having to lug the bikes up and over the platform(s)?
> Will they give up any of their space allocated for car-parking to allow cyclists the merest hint
> of some dignity and faciilities?

It depends who 'they' are here but since this particular promotion was about Bromptons I don't
really know what you are going on about.

Colin

 

[David Damerell]

Geraint Jones <[email protected]> wrote:
>There are rather more Bromptons about the University than there used to be,

My impression is that there are more Bromptons about everywhere. I wonder if they have started
buying controlling interests in train operators?
--
David Damerell <[email protected]> flcl?

 

[Al_mossah]

Tut Tut, silly me. I thought the promotion was being run by Thames Trains.

Peter

"Colin Blackburn" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:MPG.18fe14ecd95486a79898ec@localhost...
> In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> > Sounds great. But will they provision for carrying bikes on the train? Will they provision for
> > parking at the station under cover without
having to
> > lug the bikes up and over the platform(s)? Will they give up any of
their
> > space allocated for car-parking to allow cyclists the merest hint of
some
> > dignity and faciilities?
>
> It depends who 'they' are here but since this particular promotion was about Bromptons I don't
> really know what you are going on about.
>
> Colin

 

[Al_mossah]

The Oxford (actually Bicester) to Bristol TM is still running- I catch it occasionally. It is due to
be stopped in May when the summer timetable comes out.

Peter "Ian Walker" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]...
> On Wed, 9 Apr 2003 11:20:14 +0000 (UTC), al_Mossah <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> <snip>
> > However, great in as far as it goes. It's nice to see a train company associating cycles with
> > rail . It is a pity that TT are being forced to cancel the Bristol to Oxford train by the SRA to
> > make services more punctual on the GWR line. (Ironically in the last 6 weeks the trains have
> > been uncannily punctual.)
> >
>
> I understand this is because the Oxford to Bristol service has been unofficially cancelled for
> quite some time (indeed, since about the time the SRA first announced that it was going to be
> scrapped in the future).
>
> Ian
>
> --
> Ian Walker Remove the yummy paste in my address to reply. Homepage: http://www.drianwalker.com

 

[Sky Fly]

"Geraint Jones" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> Oxford University's problem is that its staff cannot afford to live in Oxford. Of course the
> problem is really that its non-academic staff cannot afford to live either in or near Oxford.

Really? I can understand why living in London is expensive - lots of high paying jobs, so the
people who have those jobs drive up the cost of acommodation. But Oxford? Who are the rich people
that live there?

--
Akin

aknak at aksoto dot idps dot co dot uk

 

[Colin Blackburn]

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
>
> "Geraint Jones" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
> > Oxford University's problem is that its staff cannot afford to live in Oxford. Of course the
> > problem is really that its non-academic staff cannot afford to live either in or near Oxford.
>
> Really? I can understand why living in London is expensive - lots of high paying jobs, so the
> people who have those jobs drive up the cost of acommodation. But Oxford? Who are the rich people
> that live there?

People who work in London.

Colin

 

[Colin Blackburn]

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> Tut Tut, silly me. I thought the promotion was being run by Thames Trains.

The promotion is being run by TT, Brompton and the University. I still don't see the relevance of
your comments to this promotion.

Colin

 

[Ian Walker]

On Wed, 9 Apr 2003 12:28:55 +0000 (UTC), al_Mossah <[email protected]> wrote:

> The Oxford (actually Bicester) to Bristol TM is still running-I catch it occasionally. It is due
> to be stopped in May when the summer timetable comes out.
>

Yes, although one of my colleagues who always relied on this to get to work says that since the SRA
announcement, the service has clearly begun to run down - far more cancelled/missing trains, etc.

Ian

--
Ian Walker Remove the yummy paste in my address to reply. Homepage: http://www.drianwalker.com

 

[Al_mossah]

Simply that if a train company was promoting the use of cycles on its trains, or to and from its
stations, it would be good if they did more to facilitate the use of those cycles on said trains
and stations.

Peter

"Colin Blackburn" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:MPG.18fe25aeb5c9f8c49898f0@localhost...
> In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> > Tut Tut, silly me. I thought the promotion was being run by Thames
Trains.
>
> The promotion is being run by TT, Brompton and the University. I still don't see the relevance of
> your comments to this promotion.
>
> Colin

 

[Colin Blackburn]

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> Simply that if a train company was promoting the use of cycles on its trains, or to and from its
> stations, it would be good if they did more to facilitate the use of those cycles on said trains
> and stations.

But they are promoting the use of folders. If enough people switch to folders for rail commuting
they can ditch some of those facilities for non-folders. I'm not arguing for one minute that this is
right but it is certainly a route they might want to investigate.

Colin

 

[Al_mossah]

I agree. It is the least reliable service which I could use between Bristol, Bath, Chippenham
and Swindon.

Peter.

"Ian Walker" <[email protected]> wrote in message news[email protected]...
> On Wed, 9 Apr 2003 12:28:55 +0000 (UTC), al_Mossah <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > The Oxford (actually Bicester) to Bristol TM is still running-I catch it occasionally. It is due
> > to be stopped in May when the summer timetable comes out.
> >
>
> Yes, although one of my colleagues who always relied on this to get to
work
> says that since the SRA announcement, the service has clearly begun to run down - far more
> cancelled/missing trains, etc.
>
> Ian
>
> --
> Ian Walker Remove the yummy paste in my address to reply. Homepage: http://www.drianwalker.com

 

[Geraint Jones]

"Sky Fly" wrote: ( Really? I can understand why living in London is expensive - ) lots of high
paying jobs, so the people who have those jobs ( drive up the cost of acommodation. But Oxford? Who
are the ) rich people that live there? ( ) -- ( Akin ) ( aknak at aksoto dot idps dot co dot uk

Many of them are people who think of Oxford as "out in the country" but have those high paying jobs
in London. We're under an hour out of Paddington on the fast services, which makes it better than
up the Cotswold line, and probably a shorter commute than that of people who live in many of the
leafier bits of London. It's also apparently quite a popular place to settle after having made
one's millions in the City, having a little more in the way of cultural life than most of the
otherwise estimable Thames Valley. Moreover, it's pretty expensive all the way from Oxford to
London, unlike the Other Place in the Fens, which is even more expensive but more in an isolated
island sort of way.

It's partly that there just aren't enough houses, but whenever more houses get built -- like all
those in the strip of land between the railway and the canal -- they fill up with commuters.