ModernRailways
Established Member
- Joined
- 21 Apr 2011
- Messages
- 2,050
Try seeing it from a different point of view. The SOS button is there for a reason, i.e. in case someone genuinely needs help. Imagine having to go back and check every time one of these goes off. It is much like the bell to stop a bus. I must have been on hundreds of buses where the bell is pressed countless times by a young kid whilst the parent sits there and does nothing. It is a two way situation so people should keep better control over their children, to stop it from happening constantly.
Regarding announcements, do you really need to know the reason for every single delay? I've heard people muttering about the train going slow from Ilford Road to South Gosforth - if they looked through the front window, they would quickly realise that there is already a train at South Gosforth and therefore that one needs to clear the platform before another train can enter. Again, this happens countless times on the system everyday especially during the peaks with the short services running. In any case, most people take very little notice of the announcements, which is evident when there is engineering work on and services do not run to the normal destination.
Two way game. Not everyone plays it. That is life.
But the parent did tell the child not to do it and pulled him away. The same thing happens in lifts with the alarm buttons. A parent can't exactly predict that their child is going to do it, and they can't stop it until it's too late. If the parent had of let the child do it and not said anything - the kid did get shouted out - then I wouldn't have cared, but the way the driver spoke to the parent was unnecessary.
Yes. Why is it so hard for a driver to just pick up the announcement phone and say 'Sorry for the slight delay. There is a train ahead which is occupying the platform at South Gosforth, once that has cleared the platform we will move up.' Just because some people don't take notice of announcements doesn't mean they shouldn't be done. Also, what about those at the rear of the train who can't see through the train and don't know what's happening.
On London Underground an announcement must be made if a train is held for more than 30 seconds. Most drivers though make the announcement immediately. Why can't Metro drivers do the same? A lot of drivers just seem incapable of human interaction and lack any sort of customer service skills.