Forum Changes - High Speed and Light Rail

[IanXC]

Following feedback from the recent member survey, the staff team have decided to make a couple of changes to the Forum.

Firstly, we have decided that High Speed Rail justifies its own sub forum, rather than the current situation with most discussion in a single thread which many of you told us you find impenetrable. The new sub forum is to be found under Infrastructure, and is called Future UK High Speed Rail.

Secondly, we have decided that Light Rail Systems justify multiple threads, rather than the current situation with most discussion in a single thread which many of you told us you find equally impenetrable. We will continue to keep this area of the forum under review following this change.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

It will be interesting to see how matters develop.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Think this is the right way forward as some discussions were being lost in arguments etc. Good work Mods.

 

[142094]

I have a feeling that posts in the light rail section might slowly decrease with the current changes.

 

[rebmcr]

I have a feeling that posts in the light rail section might slowly decrease with the current changes.

I agree.

I would like to suggest, however, as part of your ongoing consideration, the possibility of subforums for each of the major Light Rail systems, alongside the London Underground one.

LU is certainly the most necessary and LRT isn't on the same scale, but I still feel they'd be best served within a section (plus it'd be much easier for an occasional poster like myself to keep abreast of topics at a glance).

 

[Crossover]

I think it may be a good move for some of the larger systems. I once posted a query about the new part of Metrolink as a new thread, it got merged, lost into the thread and I immediately gave up with bothering to see if anyone replied again to it!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Whilst appreciating the reasons why the decision was taken to lock all the four threads in the Other Transport section, would it also be the case that a blanket aspirational hope that individual sectionalised threads to arise to be more likely on the Manchester Metrolink system with its existing lines, lines under construction and future proposed lines than on that of the Blackpool Tramway ?

I can see the matter of both the Tyne and Wear Metro and the Sheffield Supertram as being areas where this aspiration may have problems, but that is just my own personal opinion.

 

[142094]

I have similar feelings to Paul Sidorczuk - any threads for future operations and expansions of systems such as Tyne and Wear, Sheffield, Blackpool etc. will probably start off slowly then gradually disappear. At least in the current (locked) topics, they were up to date and added to at a steady pace.

 

[Muzer]

Mmm. I would still suggest keeping rail and bus/planes completely separate - you'd maybe have subfora for the major light rail systems, and then a subforum for other light rail systems (including tramways), and a final subforum for non-rail transport (perhaps split into two or more if necessary for different forms of non-rail transport depending on the demand). This, IMHO, would solve most of these issues. But maybe I'm biased as someone who isn't particularly interested in buses/planes.

 

[Mojo]

There is an ongoing consultation with the top-posters from the 'Other Transport' section regarding several proposals that the forum staff have put together. However there is unfortunately an insufficient level of posts to justify us creating multiple forums for different light rail networks.

 

[Manchester77]

I have a feeling that posts in the light rail section might slowly decrease with the current changes.

It appears that this has happened with the only light rail threads on page one relating to a question as to where the master threads have gone and the Edinburgh tram developments master thread.

Is there a way of comparing the number of posts relating to light rail before and after the recent changes?

I thought I'd add that while I think recent changes are good I feel people may have refrained from posting as to avoid the fuss of creating a new thread. Perhaps one solution could be to retain the multiple threads but less of a new thread for each separate issue but more threads dedicated on going threads to specific areas so while you can pin point if you want to talk about for example why a tram was delayed the user doesn't have to create a separate thread but it won't get lost in a large master thread which may discuss separate issues.

 

[rebmcr]

Perhaps one solution could be to retain the multiple threads but less of a new thread for each separate issue but more threads dedicated on going threads to specific areas so while you can pin point if you want to talk about for example why a tram was delayed the user doesn't have to create a separate thread but it won't get lost in a large master thread which may discuss separate issues.

I agree this isn't working, but many casual viewers will just click on the page title and see all the obsolete information of page one, regardless of whether there are 20 more pages with much more relevant posts nearer the end.

Perhaps a dedicated subforum for all light rail, or possibly changing the Underground subforum to 'Underground and Light Rail' might be best, considering that a dedicated subforum for each system has been ruled out.

Or, as a radical departure, promoting an "Underground and Light Rail" section to be a fully-fledged forum alongside "UK Railway Discussion", "Infrastructure & Stations", et.al. These systems are certainly much more closely related to the phrase "RailUK" than buses & planes, which could continue to live in "Other Public Transport".

 

[Mojo]

There is an ongoing consultation into the future of the Other public transport forum, and LU Subforum. It should be noted that this will form the basis for what is happening with that area.

 

[142094]

It appears that this has happened with the only light rail threads on page one relating to a question as to where the master threads have gone and the Edinburgh tram developments master thread.
[/I]

Certainly has happened with the Tyne and Wear Metro topic, I think only one or two new posts have been put into the section since the main thread was locked.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Certainly has happened with the Tyne and Wear Metro topic, I think only one or two new posts have been put into the section since the main thread was locked.

I did warn that this might happen in discussions after the new system was discussed.

 

[swt_passenger]

From my point of view the 'other PT' forum is simply overwhelmed by trivial stuff about buses. I'd rather make buses the sub forum and leave LU in the 'other PT', and everything else other than buses would automatically become more visible...

 

[Manchester77]

I do agree with that. It can be very hard trying to find none bus stuff in the other public transport area. Perhaps the London Underground sub-forum could move and become a sub-forum of UK Railway Discussion with Bus Matter becoming a sub-forum of Other Public Transport (OPT) with OPT becoming an area for posting of matters related to aviation, light rail, boats etc.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

There is an ongoing consultation with the top-posters from the 'Other Transport' section regarding several proposals that the forum staff have put together.

Over the weeks that have elapsed since this statement was made, has there been enough feedback from forum members to enable the forum administrators to make a hard and fast decision as yet ?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

It is now a further six weeks since I made my last posting and I wonder how the forum staff discussions are progressing.