Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Constant announcements on buses- noise pollution and Big Brother
I know its all over London now but the last little bit of peace and quiet to be found on the 141 and 341 has gone due to those constant announcements. How many times do we need to be told we are going towards London Bridge or Wood Green? Does anyone else find it annoying? I know it helps some people but overall its another form of noise pollution. Was anyone consulted over this?
Tags for Forum Posts: TfL, buses, pollution, public transport, transport
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by matt on
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I was at a local meeting recently where a TfL representative proudly announced that they would soon be starting a bus announcements system. I remember thinking exactly the same as you; there goes the last scrap of peace whilst travelling by bus :(
Managers & technology don't sit well together, especially when there is now such an explosion of technical ways of managing systems and people. Bring back the bus conductor!!
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Permalink Reply by Ruth on
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Thanks Matt. GLad I am not the only one who used to like sitting upstairs reading the paper. That option was taken away on the 29 by the introduction of the bendy bus. (lets not even go there...) Is there nothing that we bus users can do to get this bus announcement system curtailed somehow? Anyone aware of any groups who oppose this totalitarian system? otherwise I shall have to start walking everywhere!
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I doubt it unfortunately. There is a thread on this site about crime on bus 29 which has led to a number of people expressing dissatisfaction with bendy buses in general. The crime situation appears to have affected a lot of local bus users and some have stopped using it entirely.
I have written to our MP David Lammy about this and I am awaiting his reply.
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Its good you wrote to our MP. I might do the same myself both about the bendy bus and the announcements. I think maybe in other regions of London people are exchanging similar messages so I might try to see what is going on and if some links can be made. What is the point of public transport when the public are being driven away?
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Permalink Reply by Mr S on
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I'm really pleased that someone else has started a thread on this. Anyone who knows me will tell you that pointless announcements on public transport are the bane of my life.
It all started with the ridiculously loud voice that now pollutes all Piccaddilly Line trains ("this is Manor House... this is a Piccaddilly line train to.. Wood Green") which make longer journeys, particularly to Ealing and beyond, a total pain. And now the 141 and 341 have succumbed to the disease.
The announcements are fine in theory, particularly for tourists in central London; but realistically, what percentage of passengers on a 141 bus at Green Lanes are likely to be tourists? Its pandering to the stupid, surely part of the fun in life is to get lost occasionally?
Okay, maybe it isn't. I've been meaning to write a letter of complaint to TfL for over a year now, but feel sure it would be pontless in th extreme. Should others wish to join me, however...
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Permalink Reply by StephenBln on
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1. The announcements are not pointless!
2. Not everyone knows the area where they are travelling. Even in the depths of North London.
3.Not to mention those people who can't see very well. It is for such people, the announcements are made.
4.You may have point in that the way the announcements are made needs to be reviewed.. (loudness, etc.,) but they are here to stay.. so get used to it.. and BTW,
5. I think there is a legal requirement for operators to much such announcements.
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Maybe if we had drivers with basic communication skills they could help those who don't know where they're going or are visually impaired. I'm not sure that bombarding all passengers with loud announcements is really the answer. Perhaps it would be sensible to not have announcements for every stop, just at tube stations or other busy transport links, even if my preference would be for none at all.
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Excellent compromise solution James. Human centric solutions are often overlooked but can be much simpler and more effective; even less intrusive!
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The drivers are (for insurance and safety reasons) not supposed to talk whilst driving.. therefore pushing a button will have to stay..
In many other cities, only the "next stop" is announced.. """Next stop Manor House Station, change here for Piccadilly Line and buses 253, 254, 259 & 279""" Perhaps 10 seconds at the most..
To keep repeating the terminal point at every stop seems excessive, plus there is the loudness issue. In the city I live in, the buses also give an extra "warning jingle" at the terminal, plus a """London Bridge, last stop, all change here, interchange with National Rail and buses..."""
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They can talk whilst not in motion .... you know once they arrive at the bus stop. Seat for the blind kept by bus driver. I know, these high tech solutions are a bit baffling.
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Sarcasm won't help a bad idea Matt.. Sure sign you're losing the argument.. NO, the bus stop is not the right place for an announcement.. Some passengers need time to "position themselves" to alight at the next stop.. therefore the ideal time for a "next stop" announcement is just after leaving a stop when short "calm" occurs once everyone has settled down ..
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Yes, perhaps we should write letters, do something, to let TfL that enough is enough with the excessive amount of announcements. There is hardly a 3o second gap of silence at Manor House!
I take the point that the announcements are not useless especially for the visually impaired therefore some should be kept. But, as has been suggested, they could be at the major links such as when the bus gets to Manor House, Finsbury Park and Stoke New Green, not every single little stop. There has to be some common sense here, meeting the needs of all travellers. also, yes, bus drivers can be approached when boarding to tell someone when their stop comes. Often they are helpful as are other passengers in getting people to the right stop. We should be encouraging this social interaction amongst passengers rather than being drowned out by the Big Brother announcements and given headaches. the drivers must get sick of it as well....
how do we start a petition?
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