ei weld, yn dweud ei fod, didoli

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Sad person that I am, I spent my entire journey from Totnes to Newton Abbot a week or so back walking the length of the train attempting to close open windows.

The message is being drummed into us as we travel by train that is we see anything that's a bit odd, we should report it to a member of the train crew or BTP^▸ (British Transport Police).   The sentiment of everyone being vigilant (IMHO^▸ ('in my humble opinion')) is a good one, but I find myself wondering at some of the things I do and wonder if others might regard them as a bit odd. Certainly some of the things that are done in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) - such as photographing trains and buses - would be regarded as suspicious / arrest able for investigation in many other countries, and the idea (when told not to lean out of the window) of sticking your hand out as a member of the public to operate an external lever is an interesting one!

I will admit to "people watching" - getting myself an idea of the mix of travellers on trains, group sizes, luggage during the day, age, social and cultural background. To getting myself an idea of what people do during travelling, of where they're not aware of how some things "work" on the railway and could do with assistance / better signage / information (and yet avoid covering the whole of every carriage with notices).   The intent is to be generally informed - to learn for positive marketing or suggestions, or where it's a service we've been promoting at TransWilts, to help us learn where we may have reached and to spot gaps where little traffic has been generated.

[ChrisB]

The message is being drummed into us as we travel by train that is we say anything that's a bit odd, we should report it to a member of the train crew or BTP^▸ (British Transport Police). 

I assume that's a serious typo? In that it ought to be 'see'?

[grahame]

The message is being drummed into us as we travel by train that is we say anything that's a bit odd, we should report it to a member of the train crew or BTP^▸ (British Transport Police). 

I assume that's a serious typo? In that it ought to be 'see'?

That is indeed a serious typo which I'll back up and correct!

[PhilWakely]

The message is being drummed into us as we travel by train that is we say anything that's a bit odd, we should report it to a member of the train crew or BTP^▸ (British Transport Police). 

I assume that's a serious typo? In that it ought to be 'see'?

That is indeed a serious typo which I'll back up and correct!

Interestingly, when I read it the first time, the brain registered 'see'. I guess that I have heard the automated announcement so many times now, the brain automatically assumes 

I do have the attitude though that if, having 'seen it', it poses no risk to me, I will just 'sort it' , rather than having it 'sorted' and thus cut out the middle man.

[Red Squirrel]

See it, say it, not cut?

[grahame]

See it, say it, not cut?

weld, yn dweud ei fod, nid torri?

I must listen to the announcement in Swansea more carefully next time.   Translators have great powers amend meanings between languages ...

[Red Squirrel]

Mae fy postillion wedi cael ei daro gan fellten

[grahame]

Mae fy postillion wedi cael ei daro gan fellten

I guess if you see something like that, you should report it to the authorities and they will fix it.

Or was that a colloquialism 

[grahame]

I do have the attitude though that if, having 'seen it', it poses no risk to me, I will just 'sort it' , rather than having it 'sorted' and thus cut out the middle man.

Once the good citizens of this country (and good citizens of other countries who are visiting us) start watching and following up on what other citizens are doing, we end up with some interesting scenarios

1. If we fix things ourselves (having perceived no danger to us) are we vigelantes?

2. If we report things to others, are we not building ourselves up towards an all-seeing totalitarian regime?

3. If we were to see something from which we could benefit, why not go for that benefit. Has anyone tried asking people if they're travelling the same way he/she is so you can share the benefit of a GroupSave?

4. If you see that you have something others could benefit from, have you tried offering it to them? Spare seats in the car spring to mind - we could cut congestion if average car ridership went up from 1.2 to 1.6 passengers.

Could "See it, say it, sorted" go further than providing a bit of help and awareness with regards to security (and safety?)

[PhilWakely]

3. If we were to see something from which we could benefit, why not go for that benefit. Has anyone tried asking people if they're travelling the same way he/she is so you can share the benefit of a GroupSave?

I've tried promoting Groupsave travel on a local community Facebook page (where the local rail service is provided by SWT^▸ (South West Trains)) that regularly has posts requesting car sharing and folk bemoaning heavy traffic delays. However, I am regularly rebuked with the comment "It is too restrictive". This is most illogical since those responding in such a way are more than happy to car share. I will then ask "What is the difference between car share and Groupsave?" in terms of cost saving and have yet to get anything resembling a sensible answer. The usual answer is along the lines of "You can choose the time you drive, but you can't choose the time of the train!"  D'oh!