BBC.co.uk article asks ‘Is this the age of the train?’ but plugs bikes most

Sort of.

Headlined ‘Is this the new age of the train?’, the story leads with:

With motorists facing rising fuel prices and rail companies reporting growing passenger numbers, are we entering a golden age for public transport in the UK?

Last year, the National Road Traffic Survey recorded its first drop in car use since it began its annual study.

Motoring organisation the AA found that more than a third of 17,500 surveyed members had made a decision to start leaving their cars at home.

Much is made of the rise in rail passengers but then the article says Britain’s creaking rail infrastructure might not be able to cope with more rises in numbers and that folks are turning to bikes instead. The article finishes with a quote from Patrick Trainor of Evans Cycles:

“We have definitely noticed an increase in buyers in the last few weeks mentioning [the rising fuel price] as a factor in their decision to buy a bike…

“People who wouldn’t previously have considered buying a bike realise it now makes financial sense, particularly at the cheaper end of bikes.

“Because petrol prices are going up, it can cost £50 to fill up a tank. So people are finding they can buy a bike for the equivalent of a month’s worth of petrol.”

Evans doesn’t specialise in fifty quid bikes. In fact, I may be mistaken, but I think that’s the price for a puncture repair in an Evans store.