Great Western Coffee Shop

All across the Great Western territory => Introductions and chat => Topic started by: grahame on July 18, 2021, 08:00:30



Title: Mask wearing rules & advice, Thames Valley & South West England from 19.7.2021
Post by: grahame on July 18, 2021, 08:00:30
As from 19th July 2021, the wearing of face masks on public transport (including on GWR trains) in most of England becomes the choice of individual rather than a legal requirement.  In Wales, in Scotland, on Transport for London services, on Heathrow Express services,  and on Transport for Wales services that cross the border into England, the use of face masks remains mandated by law.

I personally - and in line with almost everyone else - impeach implore you to continue to wear masks on public transport and in other enclosed and crowded places. See http://grahamellis.uk/blog198.html

Regular hand cleaning, social distancing, contactless payment, use of quieter services, not travelling if you don't feel well remain strong advice too.

If you are instructed to self-isolate or if you have a positive test or are "pinged", you are required to stay in one place.

This thread will be linked to from the top Coffee Shop pages for current advice.  Members are welcome to post clarifications / updates for the next 24 hours to help fine-tune the summary of the mess of messages being put out from various places.

Edit to add: GWR advice:

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/gwr_20210719.jpg)


Title: Re: Mask wearing rules & advice, Thames Valley & South West England from 19.7.2021
Post by: stuving on July 18, 2021, 09:57:15
A slight word confusion there - "I impeach you" sounds like an echo of Cromwell's "I beseech you", or the equally antiquated "I entreat you", but can't be right. Further, and more modern, alternatives are of course available.


Title: Re: Mask wearing rules & advice, Thames Valley & South West England from 19.7.2021
Post by: IndustryInsider on July 18, 2021, 10:12:51
In the warm weather of yesterday it was noticeable how the percentage of people wearing masks properly had reduced considerably - especially on platforms - and of course it currently is still a legal requirement!

I personally don’t think making it an emergency bye-law condition of travel as some have suggested would make much difference in the percentage of people wearing a mask properly come Monday.

I will miss the feeling of power you get when walking through a carriage in uniform and observing passengers quickly lift their mask up over their face almost creating a Mexican wave effect as you walk through! :)


Title: Re: Mask wearing rules & advice, Thames Valley & South West England from 19.7.2021
Post by: grahame on July 18, 2021, 10:44:11
A slight word confusion there - "I impeach you" sounds like an echo of Cromwell's "I beseech you", or he equally antiquated "I entreat you", but can't be right. Further, and more modern, alternatives are of course available.

Which alternative do you think?  "implore"?? - which is probably what I meant to type in the first place


Title: Re: Mask wearing rules & advice, Thames Valley & South West England from 19.7.2021
Post by: stuving on July 18, 2021, 10:45:50
A slight word confusion there - "I impeach you" sounds like an echo of Cromwell's "I beseech you", or he equally antiquated "I entreat you", but can't be right. Further, and more modern, alternatives are of course available.

Which alternative do you think?  "implore"?? - which is probably what I meant to type in the first place

Sounds about right. Unless you were specifically addressing only Boris, in which case "impeach" would fit, at least as wishful thinking.


Title: Re: Mask wearing rules & advice, Thames Valley & South West England from 19.7.2021
Post by: onthecushions on July 18, 2021, 18:22:10

Try "urge", but don't be put off from using good English even if you are accused of using Middle Class "elaborated code" rather than Plebeian "restricted code".

Shakespeare is I believe in the National Curriculum so most ought to know what you mean.

OTC


Title: Re: Mask wearing rules & advice, Thames Valley & South West England from 19.7.2021
Post by: ChrisB on July 18, 2021, 18:55:43
Check first - but I read somewhere that HEX are mandating face coverings as well as TFL


Title: Re: Mask wearing rules & advice, Thames Valley & South West England from 19.7.2021
Post by: PhilWakely on July 18, 2021, 20:24:15
In the warm weather of yesterday it was noticeable how the percentage of people wearing masks properly had reduced considerably - especially on platforms - and of course it currently is still a legal requirement!

I was in walking along the platform at Newton Abbot earlier today wearing my mask as required and was confronted by a maskless and very vocal customer who proceded to instruct me to "take your <expletive deleted> mask off you wuss". I had to pass them again and was greeted with the remark "you haven't removed it yet I see".


Title: Re: Mask wearing rules & advice, Thames Valley & South West England from 19.7.2021
Post by: bobm on July 18, 2021, 20:51:41
Totally unacceptable.


Title: Re: Mask wearing rules & advice, Thames Valley & South West England from 19.7.2021
Post by: TaplowGreen on July 19, 2021, 07:19:53
Check first - but I read somewhere that HEX are mandating face coverings as well as TFL

Correct

https://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2021/07/16-heathrow-express-to-insist-on.html


Title: Re: Mask wearing rules & advice, Thames Valley & South West England from 19.7.2021
Post by: grahame on July 19, 2021, 12:35:23
I have edited the post at the top of this thread to cover HEX's mandated masks, and to add the GWR graphic:

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/gwr_20210719.jpg)


Title: Re: Mask wearing rules & advice, Thames Valley & South West England from 19.7.2021
Post by: oxviem on July 19, 2021, 12:45:09
I feel to add for those travelling in the inner-thames valley that as TFL rail is operated by TFL then mask wearing is mandated on those services but not on the GWR services serving the same station.

It also I guess means at the stations run by TFL - so is that every station bar Reading; Maidenhead and Paddington? - mask wearing is mandiatory.


Title: Re: Mask wearing rules & advice, Thames Valley & South West England from 19.7.2021
Post by: bobm on July 19, 2021, 15:08:01
I feel to add for those travelling in the inner-thames valley that as TFL rail is operated by TFL then mask wearing is mandated on those services but not on the GWR services serving the same station.

It also I guess means at the stations run by TFL - so is that every station bar Reading; Maidenhead and Paddington? - mask wearing is mandiatory.

While hopefully it will not make any difference to mask wearing - Twyford and Slough are also managed by GWR.


Title: Re: Mask wearing rules & advice, Thames Valley & South West England from 19.7.2021
Post by: IndustryInsider on July 19, 2021, 16:08:35
Can’t say I’ve noticed any real change in compliance on GWR trains today against last week.  Perhaps over time fewer face coverings will be worn, but as yet there’s little evidence of a change since it has gone from ‘law’ to ‘recommendation’.


Title: Re: Mask wearing rules & advice, Thames Valley & South West England from 19.7.2021
Post by: TaplowGreen on July 19, 2021, 18:38:08
Can’t say I’ve noticed any real change in compliance on GWR trains today against last week.  Perhaps over time fewer face coverings will be worn, but as yet there’s little evidence of a change since it has gone from ‘law’ to ‘recommendation’.

Good to hear & good to see people acting responsibly. Let's hope it stays that way.


Title: Re: Mask wearing rules & advice, Thames Valley & South West England from 19.7.2021
Post by: IndustryInsider on July 19, 2021, 19:12:32
Can’t say I’ve noticed any real change in compliance on GWR trains today against last week.  Perhaps over time fewer face coverings will be worn, but as yet there’s little evidence of a change since it has gone from ‘law’ to ‘recommendation’.

Good to hear & good to see people acting responsibly. Let's hope it stays that way.

Yes. 

I'm interested to hear what others think based on their public transport journeys this week?


Title: Re: Mask wearing rules & advice, Thames Valley & South West England from 19.7.2021
Post by: froome on July 19, 2021, 19:21:43
Can’t say I’ve noticed any real change in compliance on GWR trains today against last week.  Perhaps over time fewer face coverings will be worn, but as yet there’s little evidence of a change since it has gone from ‘law’ to ‘recommendation’.

Good to hear & good to see people acting responsibly. Let's hope it stays that way.

Yes. 

I'm interested to hear what others think based on their public transport journeys this week?

Just a short return bus journey into town today. Almost everyone wearing masks, apart from one teenage girl, who just after the bus started, shouted at her friend next to her "Take your mask off, it is making me sweat". Not sure of the logic there, but I was pleased that her friend didn't take hers off.


Title: Re: Mask wearing rules & advice, Thames Valley & South West England from 19.7.2021
Post by: Gordon the Blue Engine on July 20, 2021, 08:56:44
I drove into Reading yesterday to drop a car off for servicing.  Came back on the local bus to Pangbourne: all 5 of us wore masks. 

Went back into Reading on 1422 train (8 coach, air conditioned of course) from Pangbourne.  About 8 people on the platform, none wearing masks. I hopped in the second coach: there was one other person already there, not wearing a mask, and I sat down well away from him and didn’t either. 

I hopped off at Tilehurst and walked down to the Reading Bus 16 bus stop.  Everyone on the bus wore masks, including me, except one teenage girl who got on later shouting into her mobile phone.

So, allowing people to make their own judgements seems eminently sensible.  I doubt any “rules” would have had any impact on the teenage girl.

Can any compulsory mask advocates explain the logic of anything different?   


Title: Re: Mask wearing rules & advice, Thames Valley & South West England from 19.7.2021
Post by: eightonedee on July 20, 2021, 14:00:16
I have also had my first "post freedom day"  ??? public transport experience today.

I travelled back from Milton Gate to Didcot Parkway by bus, then train to Didcot.

On the bus, the only person not wearing a mask was a driver, although it was quite lightly loaded. At Didcot almost all were wearing masks, the same for those boarding at Cholsey. At Goring there were 4 out of the dozen or so joining without masks, one of whom was wearing an exemption card and lanyard. The non-wearers were a young chap who I'd guess was a worker in the building trade from his overalls and what he was carrying, a girl (late teens?) and a woman in her 20s or 30s carrying a suitcase onto the train - no "yob element" discernable!

Tomorrow I have to go to London for the first time since before lockdown.....


Title: Re: Mask wearing rules & advice, Thames Valley & South West England from 19.7.2021
Post by: IndustryInsider on July 20, 2021, 14:57:55
Tomorrow I have to go to London for the first time since before lockdown.....

You’ll barely recognise it!  Quiet trains, quiet streets…quiet everything.  Well, until mid-morning anyway.


Title: Re: Mask wearing rules & advice, Thames Valley & South West England from 19.7.2021
Post by: eightonedee on July 21, 2021, 21:38:33
.....and on today's expedition to London.....

I took a stopping train to Reading, changed to an IET from Cheltenham for Paddington then Circle/Hammersmith & City to Faringdon - same in reverse home leaving after 6 pm (the IET being Swansea bound).

On stations, most were not wearing masks at Goring but duly donned them on boarding the trains. My onward train to Paddington had quite a high (but not universal) proportion of passengers complying. As neither train was crowded (perhaps 20-25% occupancy on the IET) it did not feel threatening.

Similar proportions complying on the return GWR legs of my journey, the IET being somewhat fuller, but not quite 50%, so everyone could distribute themselves in accordance with guidance about not facing, and only twos travelling together side by side.

On TfL surprisingly considering the publicity in the press and notices on trains and stations the mask wearing was no higher on either trains or platforms. Insofar as there was any pattern, there seemed a slightly higher proportion of the "holiday maker with suitcase" type passenger not using masks. There were quite a few who still have not got he message about mouths and noses to be covered - and not all were confused elderly folk, which seems the case elsewhere. On the tube there were a few healthy looking young men without masks sitting conspicuously on the middle seat of three with no face covering - is it just a way of increasing their personal space? The other common factor was some using mobile devices with earphones, usually with masks around necks/beside them or in hands, as if using their devices was equivalent to eating justifying taking the mask off.

I saw no hostile reactions either way (in favour of or against masks).

Oh, I can reassure GWR 158 that the aircon on all GWR trains was working fine!


Title: Re: Mask wearing rules & advice, Thames Valley & South West England from 19.7.2021
Post by: IndustryInsider on July 21, 2021, 22:48:30
Thanks for that report…it pretty much mirrors my experiences.

London is certainly getting busier during the day.  I was at Victoria trying to get to Paddington.  Usual route is Victoria Line to Oxford Circus then cross platform change to the Bakerloo, but two trains arrived and departed pretty much packed to the rafters, so I baulked at the prospect and got a Circle Line train instead which was still busy but much better.

On the tubes I noticed about 75% complying with mask rules, about 10% not wearing them properly, and about 15% either exempt or not complying.  Probably about the same as a typical mainline train.



This page is printed from the "Coffee Shop" forum at http://gwr.passenger.chat which is provided by a customer of Great Western Railway. Views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that content provided contravenes our posting rules ( see http://railcustomer.info/1761 ). The forum is hosted by Well House Consultants - http://www.wellho.net