No Gate Lines

[Wolfie]

But when day travelcards are abolished there will be significantly more people needing to touch.

True

 

[Cloud Strife]

The City Airport station readers are two units together, inconspicuously located on the left in the darkest corner against a pillar as you walk through the passage from the airport terminal. If there are a couple of recent overseas arrivals standing around them wondering what to do you would never notice them.

Why doesn't the DLR have the same system as the Berlin U-bahn, with validators placed prominently across entrances and a very clear visual system to tell you not to enter without a valid ticket?

 

[jon81uk]

Why doesn't the DLR have the same system as the Berlin U-bahn, with validators placed prominently across entrances and a very clear visual system to tell you not to enter without a valid ticket?

There is a red line where the do not enter without a ticket area is.

Most of the validators however were situated where the electricity and other wiring was able to run too easily. I expect when they were installed for Oyster 20 years ago they didn’t expect 99% of passengers to be using them.

 

[Taunton]

Most of the validators however were situated where the electricity and other wiring was able to run too easily. I expect when they were installed for Oyster 20 years ago they didn’t expect 99% of passengers to be using them.

This has been stated before. However at the most recent stations, which should have included it all in the architect's detailed design, the illogical positioning seems to have got worse, culminating in the nonsense arrangement at the new Custom House DLR.

 

[ricoblade]

There is a red line where the do not enter without a ticket area is.

Most of the validators however were situated where the electricity and other wiring was able to run too easily. I expect when they were installed for Oyster 20 years ago they didn’t expect 99% of passengers to be using them.

Like I said up-thread, I recently boarded a DLR for the first time in donkey's years at Island Gardens and got to the platform before I realised I hadn't touched in. There is nothing at the entrance making touching in obvious nor where the validators are.

 

[Taunton]

Like I said up-thread, I recently boarded a DLR for the first time in donkey's years at Island Gardens and got to the platform before I realised I hadn't touched in. There is nothing at the entrance making touching in obvious nor where the validators are.

Posts 11 and 12 above describe all the various different places the readers have been put. The one at West Ferry eastbound was so far away that it's had to be taken away when recent building works on the adjacent site started.

I put it down to the various different concessionaires who have been awarded contracts to run the DLR over time. Firstly that the TfL spec to the concessionaires for the readers seems to be a one-liner that just says 'Readers will be provided'. Secondly that, regardless of past quality of service, TfL gives the concession to the bottom bidder anyway. And that being the bottom bidder, they provide the cheapest possible installation of readers, wherever cost-convenient to them, and can say 'job done'.

I have asked, but never got an explanation, for why on the Underground the actual reader plates are positioned facing the traveller, both going in and out, whereas on the DLR they are just one, positioned sideways.

 

[jon81uk]

Like I said up-thread, I recently boarded a DLR for the first time in donkey's years at Island Gardens and got to the platform before I realised I hadn't touched in. There is nothing at the entrance making touching in obvious nor where the validators are.

and Island Gardens is one of the stations with them most obvious, right next to the entrance on both left and right, its pretty standard compared to many DLR stations, you can't enter without walking past them, compared to Heron Quays and Canary Wharf where the validators are centrally located away from the entrance to the stairs.

I do think the DLR is still running as if everyone is buying paper tickets and needs a complete rethink to redesign stations for the new style of travel where 99% of people are using contactless/Oyster. Adding more validators across entrance to effectily make a gateline without gates would be a good start.

 

[Wolfie]

and Island Gardens is one of the stations with them most obvious, right next to the entrance on both left and right, its pretty standard compared to many DLR stations, you can't enter without walking past them, compared to Heron Quays and Canary Wharf where the validators are centrally located away from the entrance to the stairs.

I do think the DLR is still running as if everyone is buying paper tickets and needs a complete rethink to redesign stations for the new style of travel where 99% of people are using contactless/Oyster. Adding more validators across entrance to effectily make a gateline without gates would be a good start.

Agreed re your last para. There was a serious DLR revenue exercise at West Ham on Friday night. 10+ RPIs.

 

[jon81uk]

Agreed re your last para. There was a serious DLR revenue exercise at West Ham on Friday night. 10+ RPIs.

When I lived on the Isle of Dogs it was quite normal to see that quite often. Not sure if adding full gatelines to some stations and staffing them would work out better than the random checks in terms of overall revenue.
But this thread is more about accidentally missing the validators rather than the revenue protection issues, which I think the DLR probably is happy with otherwise they would have looked to add more full gate lines where possible, like Island Gardens or Cutty Sark.

 

[fandroid]

The numbers on the DLR using paper tickets is tiny. A huge majority are using contactless or Oyster, including having travelcards loaded to Oyster (although with the rise in homeworking that number will be a lot smaller than before).

Although paper ticket holders are a tiny proportion of users of the DLR, it's a tiny proportion of a very large number. That means there will be a significant increase in passengers failing to tap in once 1 day Travelcards go. The daft thing for me is that I now use a 1-day travelcard on a TOC smartcard. After January I'm going to have to relearn the art of tapping in and out (with my Oyster) even when there is no gate to open.


As for London City Airport, I've never failed to spot the validators even though I'm not there very often.Those visits were in the days when I was relying solely on Oyster and had no TOC Smartcard

 

[Busman]

Another thing, we went on the DLR from Tower Gateway but went in the back entrance (not under the dome) and again walked straight in. It was only when we were on the train that we realised so we got off at Shadwell and returned to Tower Gateway to touch in. Funny thing is that there was no gate line at Canary Wharf so could've easily had a free trip. Although a few years ago there were inspectors on the DLR, if they'd have caught us between TG and Shadwell would they have been sympathetic?!!

So you made the effort to go all the way back just to touch in? Fair play to you, I wouldn't have bothered, just would have touched in at Shadwell and been on my way.

You've made the point yourself, why risk a journey to correct a mistake when you've got money-hungry, unsympathetic ticket inspectors that would not have listened, wouldn't have cared and given you a penalty ticket.

 

[Taunton]

So you made the effort to go all the way back just to touch in? Fair play to you, I wouldn't have bothered, just would have touched in at Shadwell and been on my way.

You've made the point yourself, why risk a journey to correct a mistake when you've got money-hungry, unsympathetic ticket inspectors that would not have listened, wouldn't have cared and given you a penalty ticket.

Unfortunately Shadwell seems to be a key point where the inspector groups await.

One gets the impression that the DLR train staff despise the inspectors for how they manage to wind up their customers, in the majority of cases the genuine farepayers. Just a few weeks ago, at the foot of Greenwich DLR steps, they were there, shouting at those exiting. "ALL tickets and passes, ALL tickets - IF you've got them" sneered the group leader.