Are there too many signs at our stations - even the smallest ones?



Are they all necessary?

Are they all correct?

Do they all apply at this station?

Will passengers have time to read them?

Are they written in understandable English?

Will people be able to find the answer to any question even if the answer id there?

Are they all legible when needed?

Is anything missing?

 
Yes.

Also, it was curious to watch several passengers off the up service at Warminster the other day cross to the down side and walk past the open exit by the footbridge to the 'Way Out' notice for the booking office exit to find that that that was closed: they retraced their steps to the very visible side exit.

Meanwhile I couldn't locate the ticket machine, then found I was looking at it. To passengers entering the station, it presents an anonymous grey flank that I'd dismissed as a piece of lineside equipment.

Mark

 

Wow!

Thanks for posting that pictorial detail from ... well, Melksham station, unless I'm much mistaken.

I'm not convinced we have that many posters and signs, in total, at Nailsea & Backwell station - which has two full working platforms, being on the main line between Bristol and Taunton.

Give me a bit of time tomorrow morning, and I'll stroll down to NLS to count the relevant signs here.

CfN.

 
I am going to start with some answers to my own questions


Nice to tell us - except it's wrong.  Rail Replacement buses call at the rail replacement bus stop on Station Approach


There is no ticket office here.  There is no Permit to Travel Machine. There is no smart card system here.  With a big "Penalty Fare £100" in big text above this, it's over complex and frightens the bajeebers out nervous potential customers.


There are no Cross Country of Transport for Wales services anywhere near - so why say this?  And in any case Transport for Wales do have Penalty Fares.


The Glee Club and Cafe closed several years ago


Now this is excellent advice - but if you drop something onto the track, are you really going to read into the text of a big poster?  I don't know the alternative but ...


But there is a toilet ... installed with a grant from the Town Council and others for the use of passengers while the cafe is open. It would be correct to say, sadly, that "No toilet is available"


There's a coin slot ... but nothing behind it and coins fed in here just fall to the bottom of the inside of the machine


"Cheaper off peak fares may be available ... etc.  Except that it's already the off peak fare being offered and the super off peak fare - if you know the various buttons to press - will get you a London return for £71.20.  But that is seven button presses for the knowledgable.


What extra would I like to see? ... for starters ...

* An emergency number to call in addition to the "Emergency" button on the help point

* A simple sheet of train departures / line of route to include the times of direct trains back

* An advice button on the ticket machine where you can speak to someone to explain the various fares on offer

 
The Trowbridge fare looks a little out of place cost wise when Westbury, further down the line is 70p less and Bradford on Avon is just 20p more. Sure, we’re not talking large sums of money here, but a little strange.

 
And most of them are bilingual here in Carmarthen so twice the information