Docklands Light Railway safety announcements

[timstours]

when i was at prince regent station on the dlr last wednesday ,it was announced that it was prohibited to run at this station !!.
not if anybody would would because of the crowds and that the trains were so frequent,
health and safety at work again ,i wonder what our overseas guest make of this

 

[jopsuk]

Have you ever seen what happens when someone runs down stairs and gets it wrong? I have.I this case it was "only" a broken ankle. Still wasn't a pretty sight. People need protected from themselves, unfortunately

 

[Lrd]

Unfortunately accidents can and do happen all the time, companies do all they can with regards to audio announcements, posters etc but people do not listen now-a-days and think they know best, they have no respect for anyone apart from themselves.

This doesn't mean the companies should stop though! They are only covering their behinds by playing these announcements, so a passenger can't come to them and expect compensation as the company can turn around and say 'We did tell you not to run but you never listened' so by playing the announcements put's the onus on to the passenger to do what their told! Which of course they never will do because they are God's gift and know all.

 

[Temple Meads]

Have you ever seen what happens when someone runs down stairs and gets it wrong? I have.I this case it was "only" a broken ankle. Still wasn't a pretty sight. People need protected from themselves, unfortunately

I've also seen it, at Newport in January, an ankle injury and a head wound in this case, but guess what?

I ran down the very same stairs on Tuesday, so unfortunately running to catch a train is just a human impulse, and it would need to be made law to stop most people doing it (even then I'm not sure it would).

So to be honest, in my opinion it's just another announcement no one notices or obeys.

 

[jopsuk]

This doesn't mean the companies should stop though! They are only covering their behinds by playing these announcements, so a passenger can't come to them and expect compensation as the company can turn around and say 'We did tell you not to run but you never listened' so by playing the announcements put's the onus on to the passenger to do what their told! Which of course they never will do because they are God's gift and know all.

this is it. It has nothing whatsoever to do with "Health and Safety", at least in respect of what they are legally required to do. It is all about compensation culture, no-win-no-fee accident chasing lawyers.

 

[mallard]

this is it. It has nothing whatsoever to do with "Health and Safety", at least in respect of what they are legally required to do. It is all about compensation culture, no-win-no-fee accident chasing lawyers.

It's all part of "Health and Safety Culture". HSE requirements, insurance company stipulations, ass-covering, they're all just parts of the wider picture.

 

[WestCoast]

It's all part of "Health and Safety Culture". HSE requirements, insurance company stipulations, ass-covering, they're all just parts of the wider picture.

More like the "compensation culture"...

You can have as many announcements as you want, but when there's a real emergency and urgent information has to be broadcast, don't expect that people will listen.

When I was in New York earlier in the year (where they sue for everything), I don't remember hearing one personal safety announcement at Subway or Train stations. It was pretty much silent compared to what you hear in London, so draw your own conclusions from that.

 

[starrymarkb]

It's all part of "Health and Safety Culture". HSE requirements, insurance company stipulations, ass-covering, they're all just parts of the wider picture.

The HSE doesn't like most of what is done in their name, the problem is the No-Win No Fee lawyers who seek to redefine 'Reasonable precautions' and Insurers looking for ways to avoid having to pay out if there is a claim

 

[WatcherZero]

The amount of people ive seen riding bikes and skateboards along platforms.....

 

[mallard]

The HSE doesn't like most of what is done in their name, the problem is the No-Win No Fee lawyers who seek to redefine 'Reasonable precautions' and Insurers looking for ways to avoid having to pay out if there is a claim

I think the problem is that many people assume that when something is done/not done for "Health and safety reasons", they assume that means it's a HSE requirement. The HSE doesn't have a monopoly on the term "Health and safety". It's like blaming the DEFRA for your local Tesco running out of semi-skimmed milk.

 

[Mojo]

And of course there are many things done, such as putting up signs and making announcements, which companies think will absolve them of all legal liability, but in a number of cases do not.

 

[Skimble19]

These announcements are such a pointless exercise.. Most people don't bother paying attention to them anymore because they've gotten to this state! Then there's the people with headphones who won't be able to hear them anyway (mind you, anyone using the standard Apple ones needs throwing off the train anyway!)

 

[Clip]

I would be very surprised if that was an automated announcement. They have had people making announcements there all through the Olympics so it wouldve been one of them saying that on his own.

 

[Starmill]

"This is a safety announcement. It is not permitted to cycle, skateboard or rollerblade within this station building."

 

[BestWestern]

FGW have gone as far as attempting to implement a sort of 'lane control' system on some station stairways, with lots of 'No Entry' signage to try and keep upward and downward flows separate. There are also endless 'Take Care' type signs, including one advising people not to use mobile phones on the stairs (!!), and posters telling people that there were X number of accidents last year, and so on. People continue to rush, run, push, shove and all manner of other things in order to get to/from their train as quickly as possible.

Part of the problem, in my personal view, is the obsession with delay minutes which afflicts our railway today. Once these people eventually reach the platform and their train, the chances are there will be a member of staff there, blowing a whistle and shouting at them to hurry up, in order to ensure the doors are locked 30 seconds before the timetable says the train actually departs. Is it any wonder people feel obliged to rush?! As I have raised at safety briefings in the past, the idea of wrapping people up in extra-soft cotton wool while they walk around the station, and then yelling at them to rush once they reach the comparatively dangerous point of actually stepping onto the train, makes very little sense. There is overkill at both ends here, what we need is common sense.

 

[Lrd]

I think some people don't realize that their ticket allows them to travel on any train and that they have to get the one they selected online or stick strictly to the itinerary they were given by someone else, so they rush to get the train and as soon as they see what platform they need and where it is then they lose all focus until they are actually on the train, after checking departure boards and asking 3 members of staff if it's the right train.

Another situation is the fact that people want to get to places as soon as they possibly can and will do their best to get on the next train even if that means it leaves in 30 seconds and they have to cross the station, they would rather run and risk it than wait for 20mins (ok, occasionally longer but normally no longer than an hour) and take it easy.

You also get people who have absolutely no idea what they are doing or where they are going and sit in the ticket hall until their train is announced, often distracted by listening to music, reading a book etc and then have to cross the station in less than 5 mins and getting lost on the way, getting held up on the stairs etc.

Some people just don't help themselves sometimes and just expect it to all fall together and work out fine, which it often does but also can easily go wrong very quickly. And the others who don't plan at all and just rush, rush, rush and end up getting caught out sometimes.

If everyone had some common sense or even some sense of direction then things will run a lot smoother, if you've never been to a station before, find your way and sit on the expected platform before plugging yourself into your music and keep alert and watch the departure boards/other passengers.

You've got a variety of different situations and they often all crash together and get in each others way, this is where delays happen and people miss their trains. The TOCs do all they can to try and control this chaos but people don't read posters (they may read them but not take the info in) or listen to announcements because some people believe it doesn't concern them and the people who do listen are either sceptical about whether to believe it or not or just get on with it.

I could go on all night but think I will stop now.

 

[fairysdad]

I think some people don't realize that their ticket allows them to travel on any train and that they have to get the one they selected online or stick strictly to the itinerary they were given by someone else. . .

... except that they don't... What about people on Advance tickets who *are* restricted to what train they catch? Often tickets bought by somebody for somebody (ie, a HR department sending an employee on a course) will get the cheapest possible ticket which will generally be an Advance.

Admittedly, this is not on the DLR which is what this thread entails...

 

[Peter Mugridge]

FGW have gone as far as attempting to implement a sort of 'lane control' system on some station stairways, with lots of 'No Entry' signage to try and keep upward and downward flows separate.

They must have pinched the idea from SWT - this system has been in use at Wimbledon for about 3 - 4 years, but the trouble is nobody ever seems to bother to enforce it.

There is a similar - and sadly equally not enforced - system in the subway at Clapham Junction.