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Put your ticket in ticket barrier, some guy hops in front..

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bAzTNM

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and goes through the barriers and the gate shuts. How infuriating is this?

Hasn't actually happened to me, but I've witnessed it a lot with other people at Glasgow Central. Bit of a scummy thing to do, if you ask me.

How can you prove some guy has jumped in front of you if you've used your ticket in the barriers and thus have no ticket? For example, if you've only got a SINGLE ticket and not a RETURN.

Sorry if I've worded that all wrong.
 
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Mojo

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How can someone hop in front of you when you insert your ticket? I can understand with Oyster cards, but surely you'd need to be stood really far back?
 

bAzTNM

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You could put it in, some cheeky git runs around you and goes out. Same if you're disabled.
 

SS4

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I fail to see how this is technically possible unless you were slow getting through or had to leave room (eg in your disability case).

It is definitely something that should be reported immediately though because you will be assumed as tailgating if you try and get through legitimately.
 

westv

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There must be some really skinny people in Glasgow
 

asylumxl

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I think what he means is that someone in front of you doesn't have a ticket and, knowing that people put their tickets through in quick succession, goes through in your place.
 

thelem

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Are you talking about the normal gates or wide gates? Are the gates in Glasgow different in some way?

On the normal gates that I've used, you stand right in front of the gap when you put your ticket in, so there isn't space for someone to jump in front without physically pushing you out of the way. Unless as, asylumxl, says they were already in front of you when you put your ticket into the barrier.
 

westv

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I think what he means is that someone in front of you doesn't have a ticket and, knowing that people put their tickets through in quick succession, goes through in your place.
Wouldn't you have to be pretty close to the person in front for that to happen?
 

abbo1234

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Maybe that what was what the guy in front of me was trying to do last Saturday at Blackpool North. Didnt think nothing of it until i read this.As i approached the ticket slot the guy in front of me walked up to the barrier doors.He then stood there for about 2 or 3 seconds then turned round and walked back onto the station.i had to move to let him past.I am now glad i didnt put my ticket in and will not be doing so until the person in front of me has gone through the gate
 
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afyutr

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Has happened to me a couple of times with Oyster. When it's busy everyone can be so close together, and you assume each Oyster will work. When it doesn't and you're not concentrating, you inadvertently let the person in front through and end up stuck.

Pay more attention!
 

bigdelboy

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It's happened to me two or three times ... me being hald asleep going through barriers .... once i felt it was done deliberately.

My (weekly) season tickets are often a bit iffy anyway ... and often get rejected at the destination. Barrier staff get to know this are are accepting. However at one station on an unmanned platform by the time I've shown the tocket to a camera and the gate is opened to me ever so often an urchin has sneaked through before me !!!1
 

Southernrover

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In London you are more likely to get someone walk very close behind you to get through on your ticket. It's called double gating and its a real problem at tube stations.
The way to stop them is to hesitate slightly as you go through they walk straight into the back of you and it's then obvious what they are up to. I just yell out to the staff on the gateline and drop them in "it".
 

bAzTNM

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You really need to command your space now. Always some joker willing to jump past you.
 

meridian2

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Has happened to me a couple of times with Oyster. When it's busy everyone can be so close together, and you assume each Oyster will work. When it doesn't and you're not concentrating, you inadvertently let the person in front through and end up stuck.

Pay more attention!

How can you when it's as busy as you claim?

People aren't clairvoyants you know.
 

Tetchytyke

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I know I've done it with my Oyster, the first you know of it is when the gate starts to close on you. I'm savvy but there's sometimes nothing you can do. The fare dodgers know this.

It's a problem with all ticket gates, but the Oyster ones are the easiest to do it on. With paper tickets you can see if they've put the ticket in the slot- it will be spat out one way or the other- but with Oyster it's almost impossible to see.
 

ess

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It happens to paying ticket holders too. If a barrier isn't programmed correctly and someone puts a paper ticket through. By the time the paper ticket has gone through, come back out with a Seek Assistance message, the person behind has put their Oyster on the reader. Then the Oyster person is stuck and the paper ticket holder walks out. Both hold valid tickets but Oyster person can't leave.
 

Peter Sarf

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I have double gated myself. Mainly with the occasional faulty travelcard. But also with platform tickets as not only do the machines not issue them so I have to queue at the ticket window but they never work the barriers. At West Croydon there is often one person on the gateline who happens to be on a comfort break or something so unmanned.

Its quite hard to do to get the timing right but most people in front of you with a working ticket don't notice. Being Croydon they probably think its only a fare dodger - not a pickpocket/mugger :roll:.

Obviously, in my case, I always have a valid ticket - its just not working. Evenings with no ticket window open and the barriers open the railways are deprived of my 10p.
 
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westv

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It happens to paying ticket holders too. If a barrier isn't programmed correctly and someone puts a paper ticket through. By the time the paper ticket has gone through, come back out with a Seek Assistance message, the person behind has put their Oyster on the reader. Then the Oyster person is stuck and the paper ticket holder walks out. Both hold valid tickets but Oyster person can't leave.
so what happens if you're an Oysteronian and someone else pinches your "slot"? Presumably you aren't stuck behind the barrier forever?
 

afyutr

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so what happens if you're an Oysteronian and someone else pinches your "slot"? Presumably you aren't stuck behind the barrier forever?

The assistant on the gate line usually lets me through if this happens. I suppose if I haven't touched ill end up being charged a full day cap so it's not too much of a risk?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
On second thought they can check with those little machines can't they?
 

route:oxford

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Oddly enough, I saw an innocent version of this in an Oxford car park today.

Driver inserts paid ticket at barrier.

Cyclist (mountain bike) undertakes him, goes through barrier as it rises. Driver waits until cyclists clears, barrier goes back down again...
 

neilmc

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Used to do this with a certain hospital car park which had a single barrier.

1) When entering hospital, approach barrier from public road, get blank ticket, barrier raises, go and park.

2) When leaving hospital, go to pay station and pay for stay. Blank ticket validated. Insert paid ticket on way out, barrier raises, go home.

OR ...

2a) When leaving hospital, drive up to barrier. Passenger nips out, gets a blank ticket from the entry side, barrier raises, go through and pick up passenger - free parking!
 

PermitToTravel

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Oddly enough, I saw an innocent version of this in an Oxford car park today.

Driver inserts paid ticket at barrier.

Cyclist (mountain bike) undertakes him, goes through barrier as it rises. Driver waits until cyclists clears, barrier goes back down again...
Railway gatelines must be manned, or at least observed by camera. I wonder if there are any similar requirements for barriers blocking roads (though would guess not, since AHBs are unmanned).

At any rate, the barrier system is poorly designed if the car park contains cycle parking, but the barriers don't take this into account. (obviously unless there is an obvious or signposted bypass of the barriers that it is legal to use on a bicycle, or unless cycle parking requires a ticket and this person was just fare evading)
Used to do this with a certain hospital car park which had a single barrier.

1) When entering hospital, approach barrier from public road, get blank ticket, barrier raises, go and park.

2) When leaving hospital, go to pay station and pay for stay. Blank ticket validated. Insert paid ticket on way out, barrier raises, go home.

OR ...

2a) When leaving hospital, drive up to barrier. Passenger nips out, gets a blank ticket from the entry side, barrier raises, go through and pick up passenger - free parking!
I believe most car parks configured in this manner have a sensor on the entry side that will not issue a ticket if there is not a car present.
 

LUL

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Railway gatelines must be manned, or at least observed by camera. I wonder if there are any similar requirements for barriers blocking roads (though would guess not, since AHBs are unmanned).

At any rate, the barrier system is poorly designed if the car park contains cycle parking, but the barriers don't take this into account. (obviously unless there is an obvious or signposted bypass of the barriers that it is legal to use on a bicycle, or unless cycle parking requires a ticket and this person was just fare evading)

I believe most car parks configured in this manner have a sensor on the entry side that will not issue a ticket if there is not a car present.

For the cycle parking i'm sure they could get away with a 'cyclists dismount' sign or similar and force them to use the pavement.
 

PermitToTravel

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That would probably suffice yes (although better would be signing the pavement as a shared use footpath, and placing a no cycling sign in the carriageway)
 
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