CYCLING BY TRAIN contd........

Well, that's another bank holiday weekend over with. It was, at least weather wise, a typical bank holiday. Heavy rain caused flash floods which in turn brought the rail network in parts of the south to a grinding halt. Because the weather was so bad, people started heading home early.
The main road routes were then nose to tail but then that seems normal these days.
Going back to the rail network, the floods were bad enough to stop the trains running from the Dorset coast back up towards London. The power rails at Southampton were at one point under water. The rail companies arranged for rail replacement buses and coaches to operate, but with the volume of traffic on very wet roads it was obvious that people's journeys were not going to run like clockwork.The rail staff were doing their best to get pasengers on to buses and load up their luggage and get everyone on their way. And then we come to the cyclists!!
Now those of you that know me will be aware that I am a very keen cyclist myself ,but I must ask why it is that cyclists are their own worst enemy?
The rail companies state very clearly that cycles cannot be transported on rail replacement buses. However, the rail staff were doing their best to get the cyclists on their way and were overlooking this ruling and loading the bikes on to the buses where space permitted. This meant that some passengers with bikes were having to wait till space became available. Were the cyclists grateful to the rail staff for doing their best to get them to their destinations? Were they heck! They moaned and groaned and whined at having to wait for space on the buses for their bikes. When the staff pointed out the ruling concerning bikes on buses and that they were doing their best to get everyone on their way, that was met by more whining about 'stupid rules' etc...
Now lets just think about it,the bikes were being transported FREE. Bikes take up a lot of room, more room than a case even a large one. Bikes are also an awkward shape. There is not a great deal of room on a coach to transport items of this size and shape. The staff were doing their bit and what were the cyclists doing? Having a go at the very people who were trying to help them. How stupid (let alone unfair) is that?
One of the staff ,who was obviously a cyclist himself,suggested to them that they remove front wheels-drop saddle stems and turn handlebars in line. This would reduce the overall size of the bikes and improve the shape to make loading easier. Some of the cyclists complied but what did the others do? Moaned and whined of course. It's obviously easier to moan and groan at someone else than it is to help yourself. Well it's about time that cyclists stopped, moaning and started to wise up. You might not like the rules but at least be aware of them and be intelligent enough to recognise when people are trying to help you. And while your at it, get off of the pavements and stop jumping red lights. It strikes me that the modern cyclist feels that no rules actually apply to them. Well I have a message for you -THEY DO!!