41194 Clarification on bicycles on escalators at Fenchurch Street

February 2011 in Network Rail and Suppliers

Method of working Rules and procedures South East

Passengers taking bicycles on escalators at Fenchurch Street station is a concern for one reporter. It is felt that this practice compromises the safety of other people using the escalators as they could be injured if a bicycle were to fall. There are stairs at the station that passengers with bicycles could use. On London Underground bicycles are not allowed on escalators for health and safety reasons but the reporter is not sure if this is the case at National Rail stations. There are no signs at the station advising people not to take bicycles onto the escalators.

• Could Network Rail outline their policy on bicycles being taken on to escalators and if necessary erect signage advising people of the policy?

Response from Network Rail

Could Network Rail outline their policy on bicycles being taken on to escalators and if necessary erect signage advising people of the policy?
Thank you very much for taking the time to raise your concern regarding our policy on bicycles and escalators. We take these concerns very seriously and have looked further into the matter.

Transporting bicycles on escalators is not prohibited at Fenchurch Street station as it is not viewed as being more dangerous than transporting them on the stairs. In fact, transporting a bicycle on the stairs could potentially be more dangerous due to the fact that the flow of people will be coming from various directions, whereas on an escalator the flow is more controlled. Provided the passenger dismounts the bicycle and holds it securely whilst travelling on the escalator, this should be ok. A passenger lift is also located near the escalators with adequate signage showing its location should passengers wish to use it instead. It should also be noted that c2c's Cycle Carriage Policy prohibits the use of non-folding bikes during the peak services thus it is unlikely that large bicycles will be transported at the station during peak hours. There are currently safety signs in place by all the escalators and we feel these adequately inform station users of the precautions to take when using the escalators. The accident records for the station are monitored on a periodic basis to highlight any trends and there has been nothing to suggest that the transport of bicycles on the escalators has contributed to any accidents at the station thus far. Needless to say, we will continue to monitor the situation and review the signage we have in place to see if any future improvements can be made. Thank you once again for raising this concern.