I had an interesting and timely email from Rod King of the Warrington Cycle Campaign.

It said (if I remember correctly) the future of rail policy - and how cyclists fit in with it - is being consulted on before policy is decided for the next 30 years.

I followed some links and sent off an email from the CTC website supporting good bike provision.

I got a letter on Tuesday morning from my MP Derek Twigg saying he had got my message and had written to the minister on my behalf.

It will be interesting to see what comes back.

Derek Twigg, duing my time on the local Widnes paper, never impressed me much as an independent thinker. But he had a good reputation as a local campaigner, so I'll hope for the best.

And on Saturday I used the train and my bike together for the first time, and a pleasure it was.

I went to Liverpool to buy some tickets, and with the bike the journey to the station and around town seemed almost embrassasingly easy.

Thanks to the bike I had the time and energy to get around to doing more than I planned.

It would appear John Snow, president of the CTC is right.

Here's a quote from him on the CTC campaign to influence rail policy.

"Cycling and rail travel are perfect partners. The combination provides a doorstep-to-destination' option for longer-distance journeys which might otherwise be possible only by car.

"It is also a really simple way to set about tackling a whole range of problems all in one go: obesity, air pollution, congestion and climate change to name but a few."