Embarrassing problem regarding the toilets

[CaptainHaddock]

You can't have a real lock on the sliding automatic doors, but a fake lock is a good workaround that should be easy to understand.

You then have something understandable in any language. Close, lock and open.

Can't we just scrap automatic doors and go back to conventional ones that you physically close and lock yourself?

As others have said, not only are the electronic locking systems confusing for some, they're also somewhat claustrophobic - supposing you got trapped in one and the electronic lock failed, how would you get out? Often there's no manual handle on the sliding door from the inside so how would you force the door open?

 

[jon0844]

You have the alarm for that. A physical door could be quite hard to operate, if not impossible for the curved ones.

 

[David Sinnett]

I had my first experience of opening an occupied toilet door yesterday. Fortunately, or not, it was just a chap stood up doing his stuff. Just apologised and faced the other way until he'd done.
Why is it so difficult to understand you have to press a sceond button to lock the door? This was on a Pendo.
Later in the day I was on a XC voyager and saw a chap having to read the door instructions.
I'm usually on Bedpan 377s and don't see any problems though I use the toilets every journey.
On automatic locking there may be a problem when people attempt to close the door from outside having done their stuff by pressing the close button inside and jumping out. The newer models have a close button on the outside which is a lot better.
David

 

[DaleCooper]

If only some genius could invent something like this; but I suppose that's the stuff of science fiction

 

[Bungle73]

Can't we just scrap automatic doors and go back to conventional ones that you physically close and lock yourself?

As others have said, not only are the electronic locking systems confusing for some, they're also somewhat claustrophobic - supposing you got trapped in one and the electronic lock failed, how would you get out? Often there's no manual handle on the sliding door from the inside so how would you force the door open?

How are you going to do that? The doors are too big! A hard job for an able-bodied person; never mind someone in a wheelchair.

If only some genius could invent something like this; but I suppose that's the stuff of science fiction

And how is that going to work on an automatic sliding door?

 

[Tetchytyke]

I wasn't joking about the East Coast disabled door locks, you know. You push one button to close it and then another button to lock it. It flashes if it is unlocked and then the light stays on if it is locked. Press the button too many times and the door swings open again.

They've had to print five-step instructions because they are so complicated. I don't know what's wrong with having a dial switch, like on Siemens trains, but there you go.

 

[DaleCooper]

How are you going to do that? The doors are too big! A hard job for an able-bodied person; never mind someone in a wheelchair.

Make the doors smaller and lighter.

And how is that going to work on an automatic sliding door?

It's not meant to, it's for manual doors which presumably have yet to be invented.

 

[Wolfie]

Can't we just scrap automatic doors and go back to conventional ones that you physically close and lock yourself?

As others have said, not only are the electronic locking systems confusing for some, they're also somewhat claustrophobic - supposing you got trapped in one and the electronic lock failed, how would you get out? Often there's no manual handle on the sliding door from the inside so how would you force the door open?

Disadvantage the genuinely needy to appease the downright stupid (and address a situation likely to occur one in a blue moon)? Absolutely not! How exactly would a wheelchair user, for example, close the door to an accessible toilet?

If only some genius could invent something like this; but I suppose that's the stuff of science fiction

Sarcasm lives huh! So tell me how exactly someone with dexterity or visual issues uses that.... oh but its simple for the terminally stupid and thats all that matters.....

 

[Flamingo]

A favourite of certain faredodgers travelling "Toilet Class" is to leave the door unlocked, as then it is not obvious to the traincrew that the toilet has a body in it.

If I find somebody in an unlocked toilet (and I will inspect unlocked toilets as I walk through the train), then I am very keen to see their ticket. Often, they need to buy one (usually asking for one from the last station, who's name they can't remember...).

Maybe it's because HST's are "low tech", but I don't often find unlocked toilets in use.

 

[Howardh]

Going back to earlier replies "is it THAT hard to lock the door", well the answer is yes if you have mild Alzhiemer's (like my dad) who can travel with me perfectly OK< but using controls (eg TV remote) is very difficult, and remembering to lock the toilet door is nigh impossible.

Yes, I accompany him to the cubicle and press the button for him (and dash out as the door closes) and hope he finds the *open* button (!) but many in his condition may be travelling alone.

 

[jednick]

I have a weak bladder and need to use the toilet frequently.

It really, really angers me when I'm dying to go and somebody locks themselves in there for ages and obviously haven't got a ticket.

Once a kid locked himself in the toilet for about 20 minutes so I called the train manager over and said he'd better investigate because I think somebody's died in there!

 

[DaleCooper]

Disadvantage the genuinely needy to appease the downright stupid (and address a situation likely to occur one in a blue moon)? Absolutely not! How exactly would a wheelchair user, for example, close the door to an accessible toilet?

Most public toilets with access for wheelchair users have manually operated doors, including those on station platforms.

 

[Bungle73]

Most public toilets with access for wheelchair users have manually operated doors, including those on station platforms.

Not on a moving train, with minimal space though.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Most public toilets with access for wheelchair users have manually operated doors, including those on station platforms.

They're very rarely sliding doors though, they normally swing open outwards.

 

[jon0844]

They're very rarely sliding doors though, they normally swing open outwards.

And even they can be confusing at first, as you lift the handle up to lock rather than there being a separate lock.

 

[wellwhatitis]

A favourite of certain faredodgers travelling "Toilet Class" is to leave the door unlocked, as then it is not obvious to the traincrew that the toilet has a body in it.

If I find somebody in an unlocked toilet (and I will inspect unlocked toilets as I walk through the train), then I am very keen to see their ticket. Often, they need to buy one (usually asking for one from the last station, who's name they can't remember...).

Maybe it's because HST's are "low tech", but I don't often find unlocked toilets in use.

I was just going to say. When I started I found that calling' tickets and passes' would soon generate a red light on a toilet door. But then I found out the hard way that the clever ones sit in there with the door unlocked to avoid detection. I have a regular dodger so desperate to avoid the £3 fare every morning that the last time he did this I opened the door and he was standing over the toilet with his tackle out waving me away with the accompanying expletives... It was almost convincing, except he'd left the toilet lid down
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Fairly recently, I opened a toilet door to find a woman sitting there. I looked at her, she looked at me and said "I'm on the toilet". "So I see" I replied "Why didn't you lock the door?" She said nothing and looked rather baffled.

I stepped back, pressed the closed button outside and went into the next carriage to use the facilities there. After finishing, I came back into the first carriage just in time to see someone else enter the toilet only to find the same woman still there - she still hadn't locked the door

I wondered if there was actually a door fault but, when she eventually exited, the second person went in and, within seconds, the door locked light came on.

With some people there is just no hope.

This is absolutely priceless.... You can't beat the awkward statement of the bleedin obvious! I'm still chuckling....

The amount of morons that can't decipher the lock button from the Passcom in a 350 toilet also beggars belief.... I have had to fight my way in several times when the train has come to a stop and the driver says' toilet passcom'...You knock away furiously telling them what they've done and asking to be let in and they just ignore you, time to go in the cupboard and switch to manual!!

 

[86246]

There was just the one occasion when I have interrupted an individual sitting on the toilet. It was when the 156s were new and it was on a north west to Harwich trip. I was hoping people have learnt how to lock train toilet doors in the meantime but obviously not.

A couple of times in the past few weeks I have noticed that the coach B toilet on a Liverpool Street to Norwich service has been a popular hiding place for fare dodgers. On both occasions they were caught by the conductor as it is right by the DVT.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I also don't think an auto-lock would work, as people would find out that it was "fun" to press the button, jump through the doorway as it slowly closed, and deny the facility to anyone else until someone could come down to reset it.

It could be set with a 5 minute auto release; that's long enough that anyone actually using the toilet would have time to finish but not so long that it would be inconvenient to someone waiting to use it after the lock-out practical joker. Come to think of it, such a timed release would probably reduce the practical joke instances as it would no longer be worth their while trying it in the first place.

My favourite (fail) was the Pendolino 'Flush button behind raised toilet seat'. As an engineer you can understand the possible dangers of a vacuum flushed toilet but hiding the flush button as a solution - what were they thinking?

I think the reasoning is to ensure that it can't be flushed while someone is sitting on it.

 

[infobleep]

I've witnessed on a 150 such an instance in the last few days. Is it so complicated to lock the door?

On one train I've used you can turn the handle to lock whilst the door is closing. This doesn't cause the door looked sign to illuminate though. They only works if you turn the ha. Die on ethereal electronic door is closed. I could see how that might lead to confusion.

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--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Of course I'm use to people trying to open a toilet door and sometimes succeeded, when I'm on the loo. Most public accessibility toilets cannot be locked. Whilst you need a RADAR key to open one, when inside all you can do is left the handle up. This then turns the white colour to red to show it's in use. If users ignore that or assume the door will be locked and not be possible to. Open if so and they put their key in, they can open the door quite easily.

Of course sometimes people forget to put the handle down so I always ask if anyone is inside before opening such a door and would hope others would do the same. They not everyone does!

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[Hughby]

A quick poll at the pub last night revealed that 100% of women (OK, 2 out of 2) would do just about anything to avoid using train toilets with electronic locks mainly because of the confusion over whether the door was really locked or not (there were also the obvious side issues of cleanliness). Both were fully aware of the press to lock/unlock buttons and the door locked indicator.

 

[PeterC]

This then turns the white colour to red to show it's in use. If users ignore that or assume the door will be locked and not be possible to. Open if so and they put their key in, they can open the door quite easily.

Except that those mechanical indicators fail so often that people will check by trying to open the door.

I haven't made any long distance journeys requiring the use of a train loo for quite a few years so I don't have much experience of the automated doors. The main problem I recall when using one was that I was standing there with my legs crossed while the door took what felt like half an hour to close.

 

[infobleep]

Except that those mechanical indicators fail so often that people will check by trying to open the door.

I haven't made any long distance journeys requiring the use of a train loo for quite a few years so I don't have much experience of the automated doors. The main problem I recall when using one was that I was standing there with my legs crossed while the door took what felt like half an hour to close.

I think your confusing train accessibility toilets with public RADAR operated ones. Instead of just trying to open the door, a friendly if anyone in their or hello wouldn't go a miss.

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[mark-h]

In reference to using a PIR to auto-lock the doors:

How would you get out? Apart from that it's another case of technological overkill.

The internal button would open the door at any time- the external one would only work if the toilet was not occupied (with train staff overide avaliable).

 

[NickBucks]

Same thing happened yesterday on the Chiltern 165 unit fitted with the wheelchair accessible toilet. Now these have huge buttons and a broadcast the whole carriage can hear- either "toilet door locked " or "toilet door unlocked",. Seems the lady involved paid no attention to buttons or message. Fortunately she was using the basin at the time ( to wash her hands) but it surprised the man and his young child when they tried to enter,. Actually a good thing nothing more serious was occurring as the closest row of seats is how can I put this not so much in the front row of the stalls as in the orchestra pit !

 

[Alex 2901]

I've only ever had one dodgy experience with train bogs, which was some point in 2015...

A friend and I were on a CrossCountry Vomiter, a 220, I think, but anyway, we were having to stand as the train was busy enough to leave no seats within the adjacent two carriages. My friend and I split up, my mate went to find a seat, me to go to the bathroom. At the time I opened the door, I saw something I really didn't want to see...A couple having sex! I think my only reaction was "Wrong door!"

I still remember the incident as the "Aisle High Club", in reference to the well known aviation club...

 

[Mordac]

I've only ever had one dodgy experience with train bogs, which was some point in 2015...

A friend and I were on a CrossCountry Vomiter, a 220, I think, but anyway, we were having to stand as the train was busy enough to leave no seats within the adjacent two carriages. My friend and I split up, my mate went to find a seat, me to go to the bathroom. At the time I opened the door, I saw something I really didn't want to see...A couple having sex! I think my only reaction was "Wrong door!"

I still remember the incident as the "Aisle High Club", in reference to the well known aviation club...

I always thought of it as the "mile Long Club." What time of the day was this?

 

[Stampy]

..... At the time I opened the door, I saw something I really didn't want to see...A couple having sex! I think my only reaction was "Wrong door!"

I still remember the incident as the "Aisle High Club", in reference to the well known aviation club...

Saw the same a few months ago on a late night "365" out of King's Cross back to Peterborough....

Said couple had snuck in there before departure, and re-emerged (both red-faced) when ONE of them must have hit the "DOOR OPEN" button in mid-passion as the train pulled out of Finsbury Park..

They both landed in a heap in the aisle...

 

[Paul Kelly]

Some toilets don't now have close buttons on the outside so how does the poor person sitting down close the doors if you can't?

In my experience of those, even though the button is marked "open", if you press it while the door is already open it will close it.

 

[PeterC]

I think your confusing train accessibility toilets with public RADAR operated ones. Instead of just trying to open the door, a friendly if anyone in their or hello wouldn't go a miss.

No, read the post again in the context of the one that I was replying to!

 

[infobleep]

I've only ever had one dodgy experience with train bogs, which was some point in 2015...

A friend and I were on a CrossCountry Vomiter, a 220, I think, but anyway, we were having to stand as the train was busy enough to leave no seats within the adjacent two carriages. My friend and I split up, my mate went to find a seat, me to go to the bathroom. At the time I opened the door, I saw something I really didn't want to see...A couple having sex! I think my only reaction was "Wrong door!"

I still remember the incident as the "Aisle High Club", in reference to the well known aviation club...

I once saw a couple busy in the aisle on a late night train. If they weren't busy they were certainly pretending to be fairly realistically.

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