Platform Edge Sitting

[Deepgreen]

I was at Dorking Deepdene yesterday morning and this scene greeted me at the eastern end of the platforms. It was foggy and the youth was wearing earphones. He was engrossed in his music and his studying. The fog made it harder to see or hear any approaching trains. I had to shout very loudly about ten times to him from my platform before he responded, and I told him fairly bluntly that he had no chance of hearing a train and moving in time to avoid losing his legs quite messily. He seemed unaware of the danger, and quickly moved and apologised to me. It was clear that he did not anticipate any trains before his (due in a few minutes).

Another in the spate of platform edge sitting, and at this quite busy and very small station, the seating provision is severely lacking. While there is no excuse for this behaviour, the provision of plenty of seating would surely help to prevent it and at no great cost.

I'll be suggesting this to GWR, but, as they can't even manage/pay for the basics of keeping their trains up to anything like reasonable standards, I don't hold out much hope.

 

[SPADTrap]

Here we see the standard basic millennial......

 

[bb21]

We get around 10 reports a day of such behaviour on our patch.

This is nothing new and some of the (mostly) youths are truly ignorant of the dangers around them. A programme of education (school talks, etc) is needed imo.

I doubt more seating would necessarily help tbh. Those spoken to weren't complaining about lack of seating, and this behaviour is mostly observed at quieter times of the day anyway.

 

[Ianno87]

Here we see the standard basic millennial......

Millennial-bashing again...

None of my millennial peers I would place as dim enough to try that, so it's anything but standard.

Reminds me of my 1920s-born Dad who used to tell me about clinging onto the backs of trams to save walking up hills (occasionally kicked off - literally - by the conductor) - older generations were just as bad in their youth...

 

[Warwick]

If - as you stated - there was some decent seating there instead of those stupid steel angled things people might be encouraged to sit on them. No excuse for the child though.

 

[Tim R-T-C]

Millennial-bashing again...

None of my millennial peers I would place as dim enough to try that, so it's anything but standard.

Reminds me of my 1920s-born Dad who used to tell me about clinging onto the backs of trams to save walking up hills (occasionally kicked off - literally - by the conductor) - older generations were just as bad in their youth...

My dad told of lads at school in the '60s who would hitch rides on freight trains along the route of the crosscountry runs.

I'm sure loads of people sat on platform edges throughout time. Difference now is that people can share these pictures via social media.

 

[bb21]

Millennial-bashing again...

None of my millennial peers I would place as dim enough to try that, so it's anything but standard.

Reminds me of my 1920s-born Dad who used to tell me about clinging onto the backs of trams to save walking up hills (occasionally kicked off - literally - by the conductor) - older generations were just as bad in their youth...

I won't go quite so far as to generalise millennials, but it is unfortunately an undeniable fact that the overwhelming majority of (if not all) such behaviour is from young people.

Doesn't mean other generations didn't do the same while around the same age themselves though.

 

[LowLevel]

Two such occasions come to mind. One recently where one of our 158s struck a girl a glancing blow doing this and happily she survived with some lacerations when the police turned up expecting a corpse.

One pre mobile telephones where the crew of a DMU at Belper turned up to find a lad on the platform who had had his legs amputated by the preceding express. They loaded him into the brake van and ran fast to Derby to get him to hospital. I don't recall if he lived or not.

It's a really, really rather stupid thing to be doing.

 

[SPADTrap]

Millennial-bashing again...

None of my millennial peers I would place as dim enough to try that, so it's anything but standard.

Reminds me of my 1920s-born Dad who used to tell me about clinging onto the backs of trams to save walking up hills (occasionally kicked off - literally - by the conductor) - older generations were just as bad in their youth...

I'm 26 so don't take it personally lad.

 

[tsr]

I had to get trains cautioned only a few days ago due to idiots doing this at two stations on a busy mainline route - and not just that, but also jumping onto the track and clambering back off again. The latter behaviour, too, is surprisingly common. Network Rail took the matter very seriously and BTP ended up dealing with it too, not before some considerable disruption to services. Only two hours of my time wasted as well...

It can be very hard to get people to co-operate as almost everyone outside the rail industry thinks that a train is so incredibly obvious that they have no chance of getting struck. How wrong they are!

I believe a particularly brutal fatality recently in the north of England was associated with two kids doing this. One survived and one was unfortunately destroyed by a train. Doesn't bear thinking about really.

 

[brick60000]

We get around 10 reports a day of such behaviour on our patch.

This is nothing new and some of the (mostly) youths are truly ignorant of the dangers around them. A programme of education (school talks, etc) is needed imo.

I doubt more seating would necessarily help tbh. Those spoken to weren't complaining about lack of seating, and this behaviour is mostly observed at quieter times of the day anyway.

Completely agree re education. Having finished sixth form just over a year ago, I can safely say that we were not once taught anything about railway safety. If we were, it was not anywhere near as substantial as it perhaps ought to be, as I'm pretty sure I'd have remembered anything more than a "don't play on the railway lines kids".

There are so many education programmes about car safety. In sixth form, we were delivered a presentation entitled 'crash course' or something similar, where we had talks from family of those killed in road accidents and were shown some rather graphic images. Whilst I'm not suggesting this is a necessary step for road or rail safety, it does show that rail safety education is miles behind road safety. In a world where the law has prosecuted for failures to provide adequate preventative measures at a depot, the law should not allow education to assume that rail safety is just 'common sense'. Rail safety should form part of the compulsory curriculum at various ages.

 

[Bald Rick]

I had to warn a hooded ‘yoof’ doing this some years ago at St Albans Abbey, as the train was pulling in with the driver sounding his horn. As I was telling this lad to shift, the driver out the brake into emergency to stop short. The lad gave me a bit of lip back (whilst keeping safely under their hood) and I’m afraid I saw red and gave them a right rollicking in front of everyone waiting. The yoof then removed his hood and was revealed to actually be a girl!

 

[PHILIPE]

Completely agree re education. Having finished sixth form just over a year ago, I can safely say that we were not once taught anything about railway safety. If we were, it was not anywhere near as substantial as it perhaps ought to be, as I'm pretty sure I'd have remembered anything more than a "don't play on the railway lines kids".

There are so many education programmes about car safety. In sixth form, we were delivered a presentation entitled 'crash course' or something similar, where we had talks from family of those killed in road accidents and were shown some rather graphic images. Whilst I'm not suggesting this is a necessary step for road or rail safety, it does show that rail safety education is miles behind road safety. In a world where the law has prosecuted for failures to provide adequate preventative measures at a depot, the law should not allow education to assume that rail safety is just 'common sense'. Rail safety should form part of the compulsory curriculum at various ages.

At one time drivers would go to schools to talk to pupils about railway safety. Privatisation seems to have put an end to this

 

[daveshah]

In London when we were about 11 we had someone from TfL come in and spend half a day discussing safety on public transport in general, including hazards on/around tubes and trains. A few things I remember were the hazards of the inter-carriage doors on the Tube, danger of vandalising safety equipment and not to throw anything at a train (we were told this could lead to life imprisonment if it caused a crash).

 

[NoOnesFool]

It's really shocking that someone would find it acceptable and safe, even someone with no knowledge of railways, to sit with their legs over the edge. The fact they were wearing headphones just makes it even more imbecilic. Isn't Dorking third rail too?

Please don't bring age in to it though. Not all people who fit the 'millenial' category would be so stupid. In fact, I tend to find the older generation more commonly going beyond the yellow line at stations.

 

[Warwick]

It's really shocking that someone would find it acceptable and safe, even someone with no knowledge of railways, to sit with their legs over the edge. The fact they were wearing headphones just makes it even more imbecilic. Isn't Dorking third rail too?

Please don't bring age in to it though. Not all people who fit the 'millenial' category would be so stupid. In fact, I tend to find the older generation more commonly going beyond the yellow line at stations.

No third rail at Dorking (Deepdene).

 

[Edders23]

i

It's really shocking that someone would find it acceptable and safe, even someone with no knowledge of railways, to sit with their legs over the edge.

The problem is that in this day and age people don't bring their children up to understand safety,respect for other people and property or law and order. There is a large number of people out there who believe they have the right to do wrong and get away with it.

I come across it every day and unfortunately people believe they can do no wrong and how dare they be told until the day they get injured or killed and then they and their families are the first to demand justice and compensation irrespective of who is at fault

 

[Ianno87]

Please don't bring age in to it though. Not all people who fit the 'millenial' category would be so stupid. In fact, I tend to find the older generation more commonly going beyond the yellow line at stations.

<Cites example of that bloke videoing a steam engine an inch from being wiped out by a passing 170>

 

[Elecman]

Very many years ago some apprentices from the local railway works did exactly the same thing, given a stern talking to by a foreman who was waiting on an adjacent platform. The following day the whole apprentice intake were summonsed into the training school, the miscreants identified and summarily dismissed from their employment in front of everyone else! No more platform sitting after that.

 

[bb21]

It's really shocking that someone would find it acceptable and safe, even someone with no knowledge of railways, to sit with their legs over the edge. The fact they were wearing headphones just makes it even more imbecilic. Isn't Dorking third rail too?

Please don't bring age in to it though. Not all people who fit the 'millenial' category would be so stupid. In fact, I tend to find the older generation more commonly going beyond the yellow line at stations.

Why not bring age in to it? Where there is a very strong connection, it helps concentrate remedial effort and resources where most effectively used.

It does not mean all those of the same age are guilty or should be tarred with the same brush. Neither does it mean those of other ages do not commit stupid acts.

 

[Kanrakuq]

Weren't as many people wearing headphones in the good old days but I wouldn't exactly say they were bastions of safety.

 

[Edders23]

Weren't as many people wearing headphones in the good old days but I wouldn't exactly say they were bastions of safety.

But in those days there wasn't an army of no win no fee solicitors waiting for the first opportunity to sue or insurance companies insisting on every possible step taken to minimise their exposure to claims

 

[Kanrakuq]

But in those days there wasn't an army of no win no fee solicitors waiting for the first opportunity to sue or insurance companies insisting on every possible step taken to minimise their exposure to claims

Indeed, plus there was an emphasis on taking personal responsibility for one's own actions, something which the current generation of young people has become the first probably in the history of human existence to be told they're uniquely incapable of — and therefore legally prevented from — utilising.

 

[Esker-pades]

I felt the need to phone the Network Rail emergency line to alert them to a moron doing something similar. The next service passed through at 5mph. When the people from NR turned up, the moron had already left. He also got a warning blast from a train going through on the other track but made no effort to move.

 

[30907]

I think safety talks are/used to be targeted at primary schools (I certainly remember the leaflet mine brought home, from their ages it was post privatisation.

 

[fowler9]

I've seen film of someone being unexpectedly hit by a train. It was horrific. Warn kids when they are younger, show them that perhaps when they are sixteen.

 

[silverfoxcc]

OR Get a crash test dummy on the edge with legs dangling over and then run a train at it
Put that film around the schools, but as was said earlier privatisation seems to have put paid to the PR side of things Is it down to the accountants gain?

 

[142Pilot]

It's not just the youth who are clinically stupid regarding the railway.

I very nearly come to blows with a "mature" enthusiast who decided that droplight rules didn't apply to him and decided to hang out of a window whilst headed towards Sutton weaver tunnel. I popped out of the toilet to see this buffoon flailing.

He understood the error of his ways after being thrown from said window to the floor and given a royal bollocking from me, which attracted the guard who disposed of the male at the next stop.

 

[Bevan Price]

Weren't as many people wearing headphones in the good old days but I wouldn't exactly say they were bastions of safety.

That was common practice on railtours, Often an officially organised photo stop. However, the inspector in charge would have ensured that no other trains were in the vicinity, and, where applicable, the section would have been temporarily shut by the nearest signalbox(es).

 

[StoneRoad]

I've seen platform sitting at T&W Metro stations ... I've made use of the passenger enquiry points to report it.

Shortly followed by either a PA announcement, or an inspector visiting (or both) and the next service stopping short(ish).