The Yorkshire Post says: On your bike... Some advice for Chris Grayling

THE POLITICAL bruiser Norman Tebbit's famous '˜on your bike' speech in the early 1980s was aimed at the young unemployed '“ and how they needed to search for work. It was not intended for 21st century rail commuters.

By The Newsroom

Published 28th Dec 2018, 23:48 BST

Updated 9th Jan 2019, 02:50 BST

Graeme Bandeira's cartoon on Chris Grayling from earlier this year.

Yet, judging by the stop-start state of train services, cycling might be the way forward after the Department for Transport announced that an extra £1.6m would be spent on cycle facilities at stations.

Given the pitiful levels of performance still being experienced on many lines here, it will be tempting for some riders to stay on their bikes – the more athletic will reach their final destination before their intended train.

But that is not the point. Passengers don’t want gimmicks, they just want to know when they can expect their train to run on time so they don’t have to put Lord Tebbit’s mantra to the test. And if Transport Secretary Chris Grayling cannot offer any guarantees when fares go up next week, he knows what to do...

Yorkshire Post Department for Transport