Station and on board train announcements - merged topic, ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[phile]

A gap is the norm and little different to stepping off some pavements to cross the road.    There would only be something abnormal if the train was wedged tight against the platform.

[Btline]

Look - they should be scrapped. End of.

People "zone out" of repetitive announcements, so they become of no use whatsoever. Not just commuters, the typical one off traveller will hear mind the gap several dozen times in one trip!

They also state the bleeding obvious. No-one leaves their bags around these days as they don't want it nicked! We need to get people to take responsibility for their own actions and shift it away from other people. The culture needs to change.

1) Mind the gap should ONLY be used if there is a significant gap - a la Worcester Foregate Street platform 1 (which, if boarding a train with doors 1/3 along the carriage, must be one of the biggest in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom)).

2) Take your belongings/ if you see anything suspicious/ security personnel tour this station etc... 100% pointless - scrap. It also lets terrorists win as we are "striking fear" into people.

3) Smoking. 100% pointless - scrap (I was on a station in Kent recently; a chav lit a fag, shortly after there was an auto no smoking announcement; shock horror, the chav ignored it!

4) Wet weather - scrap. It's insulting and common sense.

5) Fast trains through platform - I'll allow this (having changed at Dicot in the past )

6) This is coach no - scrap, unless the train is going to split or there are short platforms. Otherwise, no-one cares.

7) The buffet sells - scrap, put a menu in each carriage, or make it brief (and done by the guard so we don't have 2 long announcements after each stop)

I'm sure there are more, but you get the picture. Trains and stations are fast becoming noise polluted areas.

[Super Guard]

No-one leaves their bags around these days as they don't want it nicked!

Any proof to back up your claim?  However, you are of course correct, and the lost property offices across the network will be closing in due course... 

2) Take your belongings/ if you see anything suspicious/ security personnel tour this station etc... 100% pointless - scrap. It also lets terrorists win as we are "striking fear" into people.

While there is nothing funny about terrorism, the thought of terrorists sitting there laughing at the fact that rail passengers are being subjected to a security announcement and therefore they have "won" is unlikely...

4) Wet weather - scrap. It's insulting and common sense.

I agree it's common sense, but sadly in the world we live in, while it might be insulting to most/you, if it stops just one person being able to call 0800-SUE-FGW^▸ (First Great Western), then it's not going anywhere.

[phile]

Yes. There may be opinions in  favour of some announcements, but you only hear them in the Rail Industry.

[Super Guard]

Yes. There may be opinions in  favour of some announcements, but you only hear them in the Rail Industry.

Not sure which announcements you are referring to there? 

Security you get in aviation and many many other places.. Duty Free and other food/beverage offerings are announced on planes, as are smoking announcements too.  Fog warnings on motorways?  It's obvious there is fog, but people don't get insulted by being told the obvious do they?  Things like "Mind the Gap" you only hear on the rail industry because that situation is pretty unique to rail/underground.  If you asked anyone, "do you intend to fall down the side of the train and platform?", they will of course say no, yet there are still numerous injuries across the network, and sadly again, "well I wasn't warned!" would no doubt appear in a law suit...

To be clear, i'm all for "less is more", i'm just trying to get across the possible reasons why certain announcements refuse to go - the vast majority of us don't actually want to make endless announcements, and remember a lot of our more "senior" staff may find it tough to stop old habits, after decades of saying the same thing!

[Btline]

Yes. There may be opinions in  favour of some announcements, but you only hear them in the Rail Industry.

Indeed! Although it is spreading. At the end of an escalator in Birmingham Library there is a constant repetitive announcement warning people that they are near the end of the escalator! You couldn't make it up. I wish I was.

Your example re: lawsuits is a poor reason. If you do announcements to prevent lawsuits, then you end up in a never ending circle that gradually removes all responsibility from people and the Nanny State takes over.

There needs to be a change in the culture. At the moment it's "I know my right". It needs to be "I know my responsibilities".
Starting with fewer safety announcements. And then if somebody does sue after injure themselves by slipping over in wet weather, the judge needs to tell them to take responsibility for their own lives and throw the case out (unless it is clear negligence by the other party).

[Super Guard]

Your example re: lawsuits is a poor reason. If you do announcements to prevent lawsuits, then you end up in a never ending circle that gradually removes all responsibility from people and the Nanny State takes over.

There needs to be a change in the culture. At the moment it's "I know my right". It needs to be "I know my responsibilities".
Starting with fewer safety announcements. And then if somebody does sue after injure themselves by slipping over in wet weather, the judge needs to tell them to take responsibility for their own lives and throw the case out (unless it is clear negligence by the other party).

I agree with your sentiment, the judges of this country have not helped matters in the slightest, but whether you think it's a poor reason or not, you may feel differently if it was your personal balance sheet that could take a hammering.

[ellendune]

Your example re: lawsuits is a poor reason. If you do announcements to prevent lawsuits, then you end up in a never ending circle that gradually removes all responsibility from people and the Nanny State takes over.

Unless you regard the Judiciary as the state, how can this be the Nanny State takes over.  The real Nannys are so called H&S^▸ (Health and Safety) reps who have never done a real job in  their lives and only know how to see a risk rather than assess it and decide whether it is reasonable and what it would be reasonable to reduce that risk if it is unacceptable. 

[4064ReadingAbbey]

Your example re: lawsuits is a poor reason. If you do announcements to prevent lawsuits, then you end up in a never ending circle that gradually removes all responsibility from people and the Nanny State takes over.

Unless you regard the Judiciary as the state, how can this be the Nanny State takes over.  The real Nannys are so called H&S^▸ (Health and Safety) reps who have never done a real job in  their lives and only know how to see a risk rather than assess it and decide whether it is reasonable and what it would be reasonable to reduce that risk if it is unacceptable. 

Part, at least, of the problem is that there seem to be too many people who can't distinguish between a 'hazard' (in the sense of a potential source of danger) and a 'risk' (a possibility of danger).

[stebbo]

What's also needed is for the courts to be more robust. I was heartened a few years back to read of a judge that threw out a case where somebody sued a cafe because they burnt their lip on a hot cup of coffee. As the judge pointed out if the coffee had been cold the customer would soon have complained.

[martyjon]

I'm sure the first of my beefs have been mentioned before on this board ;-

Please stand clear on platform n, the next rain is not scheduled to stop, e.g. Weymouth.

Why not, the next train to arrive at platform n will form the hh:mm service to (destination).


Second beef, heard at Warminster yesterday waiting for a service post Imberbus event ;

For safety reasons passengers are requested to stand behind the yellow lines except when boarding or alighting from trains.

NO YELLOW LINES AT WARMINSTER ON EITHER PLATFORM.

Why not, for safety reasons passengers are requested to stand well back from the platform edge except when boarding or alighting from trains.

I agree the yellow line message is better than nothing at all but young children on the platform were asking mums and dads where the yellow lines were and were looking for them over the platform edge.

[Chris from Nailsea]

I agree the yellow line message is better than nothing at all but young children on the platform were asking mums and dads where the yellow lines were and were looking for them over the platform edge.

That is indeed counter-productive, and rather scary.