Mobile phones and safety on the railway and other transport

[Peter Sarf]

I found myself drifting off the topic of the 701s while wanting to reply to these.

As someone who is a yellow line shouter, (albeit not as far up as CLJ) I sympathise with you. I shouldn't have to shout nor do I want to, but I'd rather be seen to be keeping people safe should something happen and it was found on that occasion I wasn't shouting.

On the subject of less 701s working the actual beef of the route, it is a shame. They have a knack of hoovering up a lot of people in a very short time, something the 450s tend not to be able to do

reply :-

You have my sympathies my friend. As some one who worked at CLJ in the 70's, I can understand where you come from. But back then the major distraction for most commuters was their newspaper, and irrespective of that, most knew to stand back for any arriving train, knowing damn well many doors on an arriving train would be flying open (think class 405 SUB days) on their approach to the station.

Common sense, as we use to call it, but I have even been called out on this forum for using that phrase. That tell's me much about todays expectations, unless the individual concerned was just having a dig at me?

Do away with access to mobile phone connectivity when in, on, or about railway premises, and I would wager 'one' would witness a far greater respect of the rules that one would expect when in such environments.

No different to the same that is only now being recognised in relation to school class room environments, and other areas of concern.

Message for Mr A. Burnham etc. Get a grip, and come down hard on the sources of many problems in this country. You can change laws within days, if it suits you. Get a grip my friend, many out here are still waiting to see real results.

I agree mobile phones are a hazard. Mobile phones and people crossing the road is a bad mix I often see. Even tried to explain to a girl how close she came to ending up under a tram recently (she had no idea).

But yes, in the case of railway platforms, you knew there was bound to be a door hitting you if you got too close. It was not if but when. Perhaps now that the danger of swinging open doors has gone people edge unwittingly towards the, less likely, next risk - getting hit by the train or slipping under it !.

As a pedestrian I can often judge when a driver is on their mobile phone, usually while I am waiting to cross the road. Road positioning not quite right, driving at a different pace to those in front and behind. When they get close enough I can see. Only yesterday my attention was drawn to a van crashing its gears - as it got closer I could see the left hand had a mobile in it.