Old couple walk into Quiet Zone, immediately start constant conversation

[SSp]

On the 07:17 from Preston to New St and there hasn't been a moment of silence from them, utterly ridiculous an d disrespectful.

I know its not the 'Silent Zone' but if you want to gas away constantly why not sit in the standard zone?

 

[ExRes]

On the 07:17 from Preston to New St and there hasn't been a moment of silence from them, utterly ridiculous an d disrespectful.

I know its not the 'Silent Zone' but if you want to gas away constantly why not sit in the standard zone?

Why do put 'old couple' in your title? on the last train trip I did there were numerous people using their phones, holding loud conversations and sharing their 'music' in the 'quiet zone', should I underline that they were mostly under the age of 20? if I did complain on here about their 'utterly ridiculous and disrespectful' behaviour I would be shot down as a miserable old youth hating baby boomer

 

[al78]

Well I guess the quiet zone doesn't mean it has to have monastery levels of silence, I would see it as a minor irritant rather than ridiculous. It is hardly ridiculous for people to want to talk to each other, although on a longish train journey I wonder what they find to talk about constantly for the journey time.

If you want irritating, try the person who have a conversation with the bus driver which prevents him continuing on his route, delaying everyone on the bus, or the person in the supermarket who has a natter with the checkout girl, slowing her to a crawl (so much for multi-tasking) holding up the rest of the queue in the process. Some people either just don't think, or really do think everything is about them and no-one else exists, their visible universe only consists of the two cubic meters of personal space around their bodies.

 

[BestWestern]

This is a pet annoyance of mine. It depends on the traction (for example on SWT units the 'quiet zone' is a hardly labelled end of one coach in the middle of the train, which is pointless), but where there is an entire coach set aside (eg GWR HSTs), there is little excuse really. The worst deliberate offenders, in my experience, are suited business types who think that 'quiet coach' means 'business area without other people's noise'. They invariable get 'politely advised' if I'm about. The exception is when a train is full to capacity, in which case it's a little more tricky as people will, understandably, grab whatever seats they can find.

OP, did you say something? I would have! Passengers shouldn't be afraid to have a polite word if the staff aren't immediately available!

 

[AM9]

If silence or very quiet conditions are that important it really is the responsibility of that person to 'protect themselves from it with ear defenders or earplugs. What happens if somebody sneezes or coughs, are they supposed to leave 'your' coach?

 

[BestWestern]

Well I guess the quiet zone doesn't mean it has to have monastery levels of silence, I would see it as a minor irritant rather than ridiculous. It is hardly ridiculous for people to want to talk to each other, although on a longish train journey I wonder what they find to talk about constantly for the journey time.

No, but it's reasonable to expect them to do so somewhere other than in the quiet zone, though!

 

[BestWestern]

If silence or very quiet conditions are that important it really is the responsibility of that person to 'protect themselves from it with ear defenders or earplugs. What happens if somebody sneezes or coughs, are they supposed to leave 'your' coach?

It's a quiet coach. The expectation is that people will keep noise to a reasonable minimum as for as possible. Quite obviously, several people sat having a natter at full conversational volume is not doing so. Thus, the quiet zone is not the place to sit if you want a natter! Simples!

 

[AlterEgo]

Stick your earphones in and relax.

 

[BestWestern]

Stick your earphones in and relax.

You best have the volume down!

 

[DerekC]

I wonder if the time of the Quiet Coach is over. It was a good idea when people did spend lots of time shouting down their (non-smart) mobile phones. Now most people spend most of the time doing quiet stuff on their smart phones and tablets. I sat in the quiet coach near a large family party with several children a couple of weeks ago. Lots of noise, but not a breach of the rules. So why have a quiet coach if it isn't, realistically, going to be any quieter?

 

[Upton]

I've had a similar problem numerous times on c2c train's quiet coaches where people seem blind to the "stare you in the face" warning signs. I find from my experience that the next coach is always quieter, so invariably go there.

 

[GatwickDepress]

It is a Quiet Coach, not a Silent Coach! As long as they aren't screaming at each other, I'm not sure what the problem is. Quiet Coaches always seem to be more about reducing the noise from technology rather than people anyway.

 

[HowardGWR]

Just another disadvantage of using public transport. In your car, apart from the engine noise, you are the boss. Perhaps there is an opening here for 'pods' in coaches. The user pays a supplement and gets 'car comfort' environment. As we read here, unfortunately, paying first class prices will not solve this, as well-heeled pax can be just as noisy, just as germ-ridden and they can serve smelly free snacks in first, too.

 

[Merseysider]

Ah, this old chestnut.

Someone has a moan, some people agree, some people don't. Some argue that Quiet Zones should be removed, some don't, and then we invariably get examples of other passengers being selfish.

Virgin Trains removes standard class quiet zone; worst intercity TOC in living memory
Policing the 'quiet coach'
Quiet Zones?
c2c quiet zones - have things improved?
Quiet coach etiquette
Quiet zones on only some South West Trains, trains
Quiet zones
Should the quiet coach be called the silence coach?
Default Quiet coach- what's the point?
Designated quiet coaches

Round and round we go

 

[GW43125]

Just another disadvantage of using public transport. In your car, apart from the engine noise, you are the boss. Perhaps there is an opening here for 'pods' in coaches. The user pays a supplement and gets 'car comfort' environment. As we read here, unfortunately, paying first class prices will not solve this, as well-heeled pax can be just as noisy, just as germ-ridden and they can serve smelly free snacks in first, too.

You mean the compartments that used to be everywhere?

 

[clc]

Mobile phones are my main irritant on public transport. It would please me if signal blockers could be deployed in certain carriages. Same goes for buses.

 

[xotGD]

I would rather sit in a regular coach and accept that there will be people jabbering on their phones than sit in a quiet coach and get stressed when someone ignores the rules.

 

[ChilternTurbo]

After some deliberation, I purchased a pair of Bose noise cancelling headphones which do a fantastic job of isolating noise such as Voyager diesel engines, the "tsh tsh" noise leaking from (usually) Apple earphones and Nigel from accounts having a conference call. They've improved my commute and intercity journeys immensely and if used considerately, don't treat other passengers to my taste in music...
Anyway, I don't think it's unreasonably to politely ask people to refrain from using their mobile phone or refrain from having loud conversations in a quite carriage.

 

[Llanigraham]

On the 07:17 from Preston to New St and there hasn't been a moment of silence from them, utterly ridiculous an d disrespectful.

I know its not the 'Silent Zone' but if you want to gas away constantly why not sit in the standard zone?

No it isn't the "Silent Zone", it is the quiet zone that asks you not to use phones etc.
I suggest that if you don't like it you move somewhere else, or hire the whole coach to yourself.

Mix: a life get!

 

[D365]

Mobile phones are my main irritant on public transport. It would please me if signal blockers could be deployed in certain carriages. Same goes for buses.

Yes but that would cause more problems than it would solve as people wouldn't be able to text or use their data connection...

 

[bramling]

On the 07:17 from Preston to New St and there hasn't been a moment of silence from them, utterly ridiculous an d disrespectful.

I know its not the 'Silent Zone' but if you want to gas away constantly why not sit in the standard zone?

Sadly nothing unusual about it. Me me me is the way of life for some people. I've never understood why some people are only too happy to broadcast their business to the world. Fact of life sadly, and even more sadly a good reason why many people take the car over train.

 

[MotorcycleAlan]

I would like a "feet on seats" coach and then all the thoughtless ones that do this could sit together in their own filth, and leave the other coaches for those that don't want to risk dog poo on their clothes.

 

[Mag_seven]

The exception is when a train is full to capacity, in which case it's a little more tricky as people will, understandably, grab whatever seats they can find

I don't see why even that should be an exception - in the days of smoking/non smoking coaches were people allowed to start smoking in a non smoking coach just because the smoking coaches were full?

 

[urbophile]

As a septuagenarian I get annoyed when old people in their 60s do the same. But they are clearly not married since they didn't sit there in grumpy silence the whole time.

I think a lot of people take zero notice of any public notices or instructions. Like when the PA system has obviously got something important to say and people just keep on chatting. Or how people stand in stupid places like the hatched areas at the bottom of escalators.

 

[NickBucks]

Surely we need an enlightened TOC to reintroduce corridor coaches with compartments they could sell of to the highest bidder per journey. Then the Trappist monks could travel in peace and the noisy brigade could purchase another compartment for their own use. Seriously in response to the OP for some elderly people this may be the only chance they get to speak to another human being. There are stats out there which show that some elderly folk go for days without speaking to anyone. The OP might be one of them in years to come.

 

[PeterC]

in the days of smoking/non smoking coaches were people allowed to start smoking in a non smoking coach just because the smoking coaches were full?

No but people did sometimes think that it was ok to light up when held at the signal outside their destination.

 

[Richard1960]

People talking do not bother me but the thump thump thump of open ear headphones does .....................Ergo throw away the cheap headphones that come with the phone and purchase a pair of closed headphones , others do not want to hear your mobile concert :cry:, especially in the quite zone.!

 

[PeterC]

I can't generalise about elderly people but my mother, as she became deaf would talk at the volume that she could hear, which usually took in half the room. Most embarassing in a restaurant when she started commenting on the other diners.

 

[All Line Rover]

Stick your earphones in and relax.

Headphones do not block out conversations. Not even Bose's noise-cancelling headphones.

Are people hard of hearing and/or do they play their music at deafeningly loud volumes?

 

[All Line Rover]

On the 07:17 from Preston to New St and there hasn't been a moment of silence from them, utterly ridiculous an d disrespectful.

I know its not the 'Silent Zone' but if you want to gas away constantly why not sit in the standard zone?

I was pleased that VTWC dispensed with the idea of replacing the standard class quiet carriage with a "calm carriage".

However, all problems would be solved if a £5 supplement was charged for use of the quiet carriage.

I note that you are travelling on a Saturday. It is my experience that the VTWC quiet coach only tends to be well respected on weekdays (prior to 7pm).