Sustainable Transport

I take that point entirely. There should be cycle racks in the guard’s van. If there is dedicated space for bikes on a train, there should be racks on which bikes can be put easily, rather than being slung up against the side. There should be a system whereby bikes can be parked quickly and efficiently. On most trains, the guard’s van is connected to the rest of the train by corridor, so the problem that my hon. Friend mentions must be a quirk of First Great Western trains. It is important that we address this matter at this level of detail and understand what the inhibitors are. Everyone agrees on the goal for this area of policy, but worries about the practical difficulties. To overcome those difficulties, we need train operators, cyclists and the Department for Transport to sit around a table and discuss them so that we can remove the impediments and let the number of cyclists increase.