What are your observations of face coverings wearing on public transport?

[yorkie]

Just a gentle reminder that this thread is purely to discuss observations of face coverings wearing on public transport specifically, thanks

I have removed an off topic remark, which sparked off topic replies; if anyone wishes to discuss any other topic please do so in any existing relevant thread (if there is one) or create a new one, if appropriate (if there isn't). Thanks!

 

[johnnychips]

I was on a train from Huddersfield to Sheffield today, wearing a mask for the first time. Not too bad, but your glasses do steam up and you really do have to take it off to sneeze!

Anyway, I was sat at a table, and a 15 year-old lad got on at Penistone, sat at the table across the aisle wearing a chic camouflage mask. He kept looking anxiously down the train, presumably for the guard, but after some gesticulating, his ‘cool’ 16 year-old mate joined him and sat in one of the ‘naughty seats’, not wearing a mask. Peer pressure is a wonderful thing and the former put his mask down, even though his mate hadn’t said anything like ‘don’t be a pussy’.

I suppose I should have been a Karen - photo’d it, Tweeted it and complained to the guard - but I found using the mask a bit strange and pointless: the air seems to come in and go out through the top, bottom and sides in any case (though I do have a big nose), and as I said I really did have to take it off at once when I needed to sneeze.

No general philosophy or conclusions from this, just an anecdote.

 

[yorkie]

Just a gentle reminder that this thread is purely to discuss observations of face coverings wearing on public transport specifically, thanks

Back to observations I would say that most people are complying based on my observations, at least on trains in Yorkshire. The proportion who are not wearing masks is roughly equivalent to the proportion of the population I'd expect to be exempt.

 

[BJames]

An interesting article from Nottinghamshire Live here: https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/police-respond-over-concerns-people-4275228

The article talks about more people who are moaning that their observations are that a lot of people are failing to wear their face coverings on the NET and NCT Buses in Nottingham (words such as "horrified" and "no longer using public transport until things improve").

Sergeant Nigel Bradley for Clifton says this:

"Police can intervene as a last resort but I am unwilling to divert scarce resources from the 999/101 service delivery just for my officers to ride the network looking for those passengers that are not wearing a face covering.

"We will advise anyone we see not complying and also at the request of the network operators but the government advice is not to use public transport unless absolutely necessary due the risk of not be able to self-distance.

"It’s a difficult time for all of us and we must rely on passengers being alive to the risk of travelling on public transport and in doing their bit to stop the spread of Covid-19."

NET (Trams) said this:

'we don't want to put our inspectors in danger. It is a matter for the police.'

People keep approaching the media to tell them people aren't wearing coverings, but I think the Sergeant is right - the police have other concerns than riding the tram network or the buses all day.

 

[DB]

The cop is right overall, but what about this bit:

government advice is not to use public transport unless absolutely necessary due the risk of not be able to self-distance

The government advice is here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronav...avel-guidance-for-passengers#public-transport
It says:

Consider all other forms of transport before using public transport.

Not the same, is it? There's a big difference between considering other options, and not using public transport unless absolutely necessary. It is disappointing to see the police paroting the transport operators' hostility (and claiming that it's government advice), when they should be stating what the government advice actually says.

 

[al78]

It'll be interesting to see compliance rates when/if we have a heatwave.

We had a brief heatwave last week, Wednesday and Thursday it reached over 30C over much of the south east.

 

[james60059]

the police have other concerns than riding the tram network or the buses all day.

Unless an officer needs a specific bus or tram for haulage

 

[al78]

One the one and only train journey I did on Sunday since lockdown started, most people were wearing masks, probably helped by the fact it was quite a fresh day for late June in SE England.

I didn't find a mask much burden. The only thing I would say is that the area around my mouth initially felt hot because when I boarded the train at Hassocks, I had just cycled from Pyecombe so was breathing more heavily than normal (because I had to climb a hill).

 

[Iskra]

I’ve been commuting between Meadowhall and Sheffield for 2 weeks. Masks are being worn by virtually everyone. The only issues are people not following the one way systems at Sheffield (nothing new) and people standing in the middle of walk ways meaning you can’t pass with a 2m gap, although I’m not personally bothered if someone passes me at a mere 1m but it is technically breaking the rules. Nobody has had a go at me for not wearing a mask on stations, which I can’t really do anyway as it’s dangerous to navigate a station with steamed up glasses.

Footfall is massively down and the Meadowhall station car park is only 1/3 full at anytime.

Northern’s train fleet is the cleanest I have ever seen it.

 

[DB]

Northern’s train fleet is the cleanest I have ever seen it.

That is a fairly low bar though, it has to be said, given that normally they are normally among the filthiest trains around (and have been under previous operators too).

 

[westv]

We had a brief heatwave last week, Wednesday and Thursday it reached over 30C over much of the south east.

How was compliance on the tube?

 

[LowLevel]

Thought I would provide some actual figures from my journeys on the network since 15/06 - I've not been out every day of course and some days I've done more than others. I'm not going to go into detail about where I've been etc.

In total I've noted 975 passengers, of which 95 were without a face covering and 1 only was due to a medical exemption. This is counting people not wearing their face covering as required IE having one with them but leaving it on the table or whatever.

Compliance just over 90%.

I've also noted as mentioned before a steady increase in the number of passengers when I work the same trains - obviously some will be more impacted by good weather than others and so on.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

which 95 were without a face covering and 1 only was due to a medical exemption

I don't mean to doubt you, but did you ask every one of the other 94 what their reason was for not wearing one?

 

[LowLevel]

I don't mean to doubt you, but did you ask every one of the other 94 what their reason was for not wearing one?

Literally every one - no. The vast majority (bar one stop wonders) I asked my usual "hi, are you aware of the rules?" and the answers varied from "no, I wasn't, sorry", to "I've forgotten it" to "I've lost it during the day at work". Only one said "I've got asthma so I don't want to wear one".

It is obviously not an exhaustive or particularly scientific methodology (not least because who is to say they're telling the truth, they could have anxiety and not want to mention it so claimed ignorance) but it would appear to back up most observations.

As an aside the one chap who did say he had asthma thanked me for talking to him politely when he was walking off the station because apparently the woman sat on the other side of the aisle a couple of rows forward had been giving him the evil eye and stopped after she saw I'd had a quick word with him.

 

[DB]

As an aside the one chap who did say he had asthma thanked me for talking to him politely when he was walking off the station because apparently the woman sat on the other side of the aisle a couple of rows forward had been giving him the evil eye and stopped after she saw I'd had a quick word with him.

This is part of the problem isn't it - the masks approach is encouraging vigilantes, and the media aren't helping, of couse.

 

[LowLevel]

This is part of the problem isn't it - the masks approach is encouraging vigilantes, and the media aren't helping, of couse.

I make regular announcements to put them in their box and they get much the same off me in person if they have a moan. It isn't my job to be telling people off (encourage and engage I think the brief says) and it certainly isn't theirs. My usual way of putting it is "please be kind. If there is someone near you not wearing a face covering you are reminded that there are exemptions and not all of them are obvious. If someone is medically exempt that is their business alone so please do not harangue your fellow passengers. Much obliged!".

 

[43066]

This is part of the problem isn't it - the masks approach is encouraging vigilantes, and the media aren't helping, of couse.

In my observation, the self-appointed-
vigilante types often aren’t wearing their own masks correctly, which is somewhat ironic!

 

[scotrail158713]

people standing in the middle of walk ways meaning you can’t pass with a 2m gap, although I’m not personally bothered if someone passes me at a mere 1m but it is technically breaking the rules

I don’t believe they are rules, however, whatever they are, I believe even they couldn’t care about someone coming within a metre of somebody else for 0.0001 seconds. I think initially it was “don’t spend >15 minutes within 2m of someone”, however that seems to have been forgotten.

 

[Iskra]

I don’t believe they are rules, however, whatever they are, I believe even they couldn’t care about someone coming within a metre of somebody else for 0.0001 seconds. I think initially it was “don’t spend >15 minutes within 2m of someone”, however that seems to have been forgotten.

I got shouted out by an EMR staff member telling me to 'keep my distance' from someone stood equi-distant between two people checking tickets under an archway with a big suitcase, despite there being 2 sets of feet on the floor at each side of the arch telling you where to stand (to each side of the arch). It obviously wasn't my fault that the person in front made it impossible to pass and halved the ticket-checking capacity by being a moron. The person who shouted at me then hypocritically approached to within 2m of me to glance at my ticket. All a bit pointless really.

No issues today though.

 

[Skymonster]

Nobody has had a go at me for not wearing a mask on stations, which I can’t really do anyway as it’s dangerous to navigate a station with steamed up glasses.

That's interesting, because EMR's website is now saying:

Where does this apply – just on trains or in stations too?
We want people to wear face coverings from when they enter a station all the way through their journey, including exiting the station at the other end.

Which is of course contrary to the legislation (no surprise given its EMR of course).

 

[Iskra]

That's interesting, because EMR's website is now saying:



Which is of course contrary to the legislation (no surprise given its EMR of course).

I and others were walking through the station with no mask and nobody said anything today, even when checking my ticket.

These made up rules are just encouraging jobsworth behaviour and the Corona vigilantes in being unpleasant towards other people for the gratification they get out of it.

 

[DB]

I and others were walking through the station with no mask and nobody said anything today, even when checking my ticket.

These made up rules are just encouraging jobsworth behaviour and the Corona vigilantes in being unpleasant towards other people for the gratification they get out of it.

It starts with the TOCs and works downwards - they are still mostly pushing this 'essential travel only' message, despite this being at odds with the government guidance.

 

[Iskra]

It starts with the TOCs and works downwards - they are still mostly pushing this 'essential travel only' message, despite this being at odds with the government guidance.

Hopefully they change their tune after 4/7 or 6/7.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Which is of course contrary to the legislation (no surprise given its EMR of course).

It is not contrary to the legislation, it is in excess of it. The former would mean it would be illegal/unlawful for them to take that position. It is neither; it is a company policy which is perfectly permitted for them to have.

 

[DB]

It is not contrary to the legislation, it is in excess of it. The former would mean it would be illegal/unlawful for them to take that position. It is neither; it is a company policy which is perfectly permitted for them to have.

Depends whether they make it clear that it's their rules, or claim that it's stipulated by the government

 

[route101]

Fair few at Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley not wearing masks. Do you remove mask if no one is in your carriage?

 

[Huntergreed]

Fair few at Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley not wearing masks. Do you remove mask if no one is in your carriage?

Legally: no

Common sense: yes that’s fine.

 

[yorkie]

Just a gentle reminder that this thread is purely to discuss observations of face coverings wearing on public transport specifically, thanks

 

[al78]

How was compliance on the tube?

I don't know, I only very rarely travel into London.

 

[43066]

Fair few at Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley not wearing masks. Do you remove mask if no one is in your carriage?

Depends on whether you’ve bothered to wear one in the first place !!!