Belgium: possible new peak-time train bike ban from Feb 2019

[mjr]

In a move straight out of British Rail's handbook, SNCB/NMBS have reacted to the successful increase in passenger numbers by proposing to ban bikes from Belgian peak-time trains.

Politicians of various parties are outraged, such as N-VA's Inez De Coninck saying "this shows once more a lack of empathy for passengers" and SP.A's David Geerts saying "SNCB should be a pioneer of mobility and not a frustrater. They want to abolish bikes on trains, of course, then think of an alternative at stations. It's all backwards." The major cycling campaigns (Fietsersbond and Gracq) are also reacting.

Cycle tourists may find their journey gets more complicated from next year if they're travelling onwards by train from Brussels on Eurostar's popular "any Belgian station" tickets (at the moment, you simply buy a bike ticket at Brussels) or riding from Dunkirk port to a Belgian border station.

[Cyril Haearn]

"It's everything backwards", I must add that to my list of sayings

[mjr]

"It's everything backwards", I must add that to my list of sayings

You will see that the original was something like "c'est le monde à l'envers" (itself probably translated from Flemish, given that it's an SP.A member), which I think is literally "it's the world reversed". I suspect there's a better English idiom like "they've gone through the looking glass", "it's a mirror universe", or the USAism "it's Bizarro World" but I just couldn't choose the perfect one so I went more literal I've now realised that "it's all backwards" would be a less conspicuous literal phrase, so I changed it.

Translation is difficult, especially for us poor old software authors

[JakobW]

I had a look in some of the Dutch-language papers to see if I could find the original quote, but no dice. 'It's topsy-turvy' would be another UK idiom that would fit well.

Anyhow, it looks like a blanket ban probably won't be happening, as the Transport Minister has assured parliament that he agrees 'neither with [the railways'] strategy nor their methods': http://m.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20181017_03851815

Basically the SNCB/NMBS are going to be sent away to do transport analyses per route and consult with cycling organisation stakeholders before making new suggestions, so worst-case this has been kicked into the long grass for a while.

[Bmblbzzz]

" à l'envers" suggests to me "turned inside out". Not that my French is that good mind, but it conjures up a nice image of an inverted globe like a pillow case.

[Cyril Haearn]

"Bouleversement" n'est ce pas?

[Cyril Haearn]

Belgium has been the greatest country for producing cycle sport heroes, but is it not so good for ordinary cyclists?

[mjr]

Belgium has been the greatest country for producing cycle sport heroes, but is it not so good for ordinary cyclists?

It's not the Netherlands but it's still very good for ordinary cycling. As you can see from the political responses to this stupid proposal by the railways, cycling has many more supporters and is supported by government much more strongly than here, with all the benefits that follow from that. I would put it in a close second tier of good places to cycle, alongside Denmark and ahead of Germany and Austria, quite noticeably ahead of the UK.