please empty your brain below
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If everyone starts holding stair handrails, that will be a significant reduction in capacity during the peaks - I'm thinking of places like the stairs linking Victoria National Rail to the Underground station.
Burt | 23.01.18 - 7:05 a.m. | #
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That yellow poster is a crime against TfL branding guidelines and almost certainly doesn’t have official approval.
A station manager gone rogue in a quest to get the lowest accident numbers on the network?
Dan | 23.01.18 - 7:14 a.m. | #
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I thought all this was as bonkers as DG clearly does but my wife thought it was all quite sensible in a world where most folk have their noses in TwitBook or whatever.
100andthirty | 23.01.18 - 7:22 a.m. | #
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There is a Yes Minister quality to it, an organisation producing 'product' to show that they are taking an issue seriously.
'please never fail to hold the handrail' is the type of phrasing that someone whose second language was English would use.
Perhaps this is what a future Corbyn government will be like, we'll be made to wear headsets that broadcast personalised safety messages.
Still Anon | 23.01.18 - 7:27 a.m. | #
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My "favourite" has to be your point 2; "Surfaces may be slippery due to the adverse weather conditions" during a light shower. Adverse? I'd more associate that with a hurricane or similar rather than seasonal British weather.
My guess is a lot of accidents occur when people get on the train, judging by the amount I see running into trains at the last minute and then getting involved in a fight with the doors, as if waiting 3 minutes for the next train is too much to bear. No announcements (apart from "Mind the gap") about that danger......yet.
Tim | 23.01.18 - 7:28 a.m. | #
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I don't see how a poster improves safety. I do see how adding non slip grips to the status makes them safer. Will a poster made a measurable improvement? Or just annoy the bejesus out of people?
Confused | 23.01.18 - 7:31 a.m. | #
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It's poetry, innit.
Tim | 23.01.18 - 7:32 a.m. | #
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I’m just going to repeat what I said when DG tweeted this:
Oh for fucks sake.
Kirk | 23.01.18 - 7:32 a.m. | #
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Isn't this TfL trying to absolve itself of legal liability if an accident happens?
We told you to hold on to the handrail, you didn't, you fell over, we're not liable for your injuries?
Regards
zin92 | 23.01.18 - 7:39 a.m. | #
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Please be aware of the dangers surrounding you! For safety, stay at home!
Leuconoe | 23.01.18 - 7:40 a.m. | #
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presumably there were people not holding onto their luggage though and injuring themselves... are they not the ones to blame???
artur | 23.01.18 - 7:44 a.m. | #
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@leuconoe
But most accidents happen at home!
"Please take extreme care. You are approaching your own front door"
timbo again | 23.01.18 - 7:54 a.m. | #
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"A risk-based management culture will always demand that more and more warnings are given"
I disagree.
A risk-based management culture will take proportionate, measured and appropriate action to mitigate the actual risk.
But we don't have a risk-based management culture...
Colly405 | 23.01.18 - 7:56 a.m. | #
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What Tim said. "This is the night mail, crossing the border...". Explains the odd sentence construction.
Quizzical Eyebrow | Homepage | 23.01.18 - 7:59 a.m. | #
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Ah, poetry, yes...
Please don't lose concentration
when moving around the station.
Please take care
when using the stairs.
Please never fail
to use the handrail.
But it's more McGonagall than Betjeman.
diamond geezer | Homepage | 23.01.18 - 8:01 a.m. | #
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It's really the courts that the managers are afraid of.
Because of ambulance-chasing 'no win - no fee' solicitors (as advertised on television), the aim of all the safety nonsense is to avoid being dragged in front of Mr. Justice Cocklecarrot. "And did you, or did you not, fail to advise Mrs Lump that she needed to put one foot in front of the other in order to step on to the escalator?"
RayL | 23.01.18 - 8:07 a.m. | #
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You need to get a job. And quick.
dg writes: I could be TfL's new Safety Poet.
Mark | 23.01.18 - 8:08 a.m. | #
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If you have a risk-based management culture, then the answer is not more notices/announcements - that is a sign of a directive from on high without any proper guidance on how to implement it.
Removing risks is about proper recording of accidents, anaylsis of why they happened and then redesign of the environment to remove the causes.
It has been proven that more announcements/signs have very little impact because people will quickly tune them out. Even worse, they can cause more problems because people concentrate on the announcement/sign rather than on what they are doing.
Jimbo | 23.01.18 - 8:10 a.m. | #
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Station management will have targets for (reducing) injuries at stations. They can't think of anything else to do but make announcements and posters.
dg writes: Agreed.
"A quarter of all customer accidents happen on 10 stations on the LU network. Employees at these stations are now developing detailed customer safety plans that address the specific issues causing customer injury. These localised safety action plans are expected to be complete and put in place in the winter of 2017/18."
Wolf | 23.01.18 - 8:19 a.m. | #
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Given the phrasing and the near rhymes, the Bow Road one presumably (or hopefully) is satire.
Henry | 23.01.18 - 8:24 a.m. | #
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Well, losing concentration usually happens when something or somebody distracts you, not on your own volition. "Don't annoy others when they are concentrating" would at least target the source of disturbance, while equally stupid.
On a serious note: people tend to fall when a bus or train emergency brakes. Usually these people will never learn and travel again still not holding on.
Greg S | 23.01.18 - 8:38 a.m. | #
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The yellow "hold the handrail" posters are not just at bank station. I've saw them at Bethnal Green and Leicester Square too.
They're awful too. They look like some sort of year 7 school art project
Lumma | 23.01.18 - 8:41 a.m. | #
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The posters are awful and now everywhere. Green Park is full of (differently designed) posters about taking the lift if you’re old and infirm or have luggage.
Fascinating to see documents outlining TfL’s brand guidelines, then see homemade chaos all over the network. A big clean-up is needed perhaps.
Matthew | 23.01.18 - 8:54 a.m. | #
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@Tim: A pet hate of mine is the ""Surfaces may be slippery due to the adverse weather conditions" announcement when the platforms are actually quite dry!
Tim W | 23.01.18 - 8:58 a.m. | #
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Poorly implemented it may be, but I've been in an industry that that required (demanded) a local safety action plan.. and my teams came up with posters too!
As zin92 states: this is most likely about being able to mitigate some of the liability for damage claims arising from accidents on the TfL estate.
Frank F | 23.01.18 - 9:06 a.m. | #
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I've always thought that, just for one week or month or so, they should just turn all the safety announcements off.
Then at the end of the month we can see if they actually make a difference on the safety statistics by observing if everyone who walks out of tube stations is in a plaster cast or is limping.
It might not make much sense as a plan but at least it might mean we get some respite from the bloody ceaseless useless announcements.
Medford | 23.01.18 - 9:08 a.m. | #
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The hold your luggage poster for the spiral stairs is presumably directed at those with wheeled suitcase who think they can just drag it down instead of carrying it by holding the handle.
On an escalator you can just wheel the case onto the step.
Jon | 23.01.18 - 9:08 a.m. | #
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What I think we need is for all burgers, hot dogs, chips kebabs etc to be banned on the underground, this would result in a much safer journey for the inconsiderate people who sit on platforms and trains stuffing copious amounts of vile smelling food into their mouths while pulling strange faces and who then leave the remains of a half eaten burger etc in the containers all over the floor of the station or train for people to slip on and fall over, it would be safer for them because I would be less likely to punch them in the face for dropping smelly litter.
fishislandskin | 23.01.18 - 9:09 a.m. | #
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Continuing the Night Mail poetry game, perhaps we will soon have 'Don't run for trains, when it rains'.
And the notice on the spiral staircase could read 'Only slags let go of their bags'.
Petras409 | 23.01.18 - 9:33 a.m. | #
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How about "We have zero tolerance for any signs of human behaviour on this station"? One large poster at the entrance should do it.
Milo | 23.01.18 - 9:44 a.m. | #
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I am genuinely amazed at 'Still Anon' linking this ridiculous issue to Jeremy Corbyn. I wonder whether there are people whose job it is to go round blaming EVERYTHING on him! I can't think of anyone less tied into the health and safety culture - do some people go round looking for things to lay at his door? My guess would be that this has got 'big business' written all over it!
Brian | 23.01.18 - 9:50 a.m. | #
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It's all about targets.
"Customer safety initiatives are focused on changing customer behaviour (through direct messages and ‘nudge’ messages) and on making infrastructure changes which will eliminate or reduce the risk. The 2017/18 LU customer safety improvement plan focuses on all customer accidental injuries and aims to reduce the total number by 17 per cent compared to 2016/17."
diamond geezer | Homepage | 23.01.18 - 10:04 a.m. | #
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Do the lifts on the underground have "doors opening" yet ? What's the point of that one ?
kev | 23.01.18 - 10:05 a.m. | #
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I'm glad I wasn't the only one who picked up on the poetry and poetic enunciation.
Antipodean | 23.01.18 - 10:12 a.m. | #
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If they're concerned about safety, why don't they ban the use of smart devices on the tube network? At least then people might start to look where they're going.
Yes, I've had people walk into me because they were too engrossed in their phones to be aware of their surroundings.
Jon Jones | 23.01.18 - 10:14 a.m. | #
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All these messages just make people switch off. I've been on the platform when TfL want to evacuate the station and nobody takes any notice.
I've tried convincing TfL that less is more, but my message just falls on deaf ears.
Tony | 23.01.18 - 10:22 a.m. | #
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I heard an announcement at I think Kings Cross the other day telling me to use the lift if I had luggage.
If they really wanted us all to do that they'd have to get rid of some of the escalators to squeeze in extra lifts.
Tfl is rapidly descending into a joke.
You only have to listen to all the grannies on the buses laughing at the dumb announcements.
ap | 23.01.18 - 10:23 a.m. | #
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What Jon Jones said. I have occasionally stood still and let phone-engrossed zombies walk into me, in the (probably vain) hope that they will learn something.
Will | 23.01.18 - 10:27 a.m. | #
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On the poetry theme:
While the train is in the station
Please maintain your concentration
Have regard for railway property
Adapted from Flanders and Swann
Charles | Homepage | 23.01.18 - 10:30 a.m. | #
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I remember when I was little there used to be notices above tube doors that read "Obstructing the doors causes delay and can be dangerous".
I particularly remember it because on the Northern line trains I mostly used at the time some rebel had scratched out the appropriate letters so it now read "Obstruct the doors cause delay and danger us"!
Maybe the subversive message sunk in, because whenever I see/hear messages telling us how to behave, I always feel the compulsion to do the opposite!
Cornish Cockney | 23.01.18 - 10:35 a.m. | #
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Since it's the Mayor's initiative, I wonder if TfL aren't taking a deliberately ham-fisted approach as payback for his fares freeze. "You wanted it, you get it".
Gordon | 23.01.18 - 10:37 a.m. | #
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Surely a simple "Customers are reminded that they are responsible for their own safety" across the network is all that's needed?!
Cornish Cockney | 23.01.18 - 10:41 a.m. | #
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OK. Here's a wild idea from being associated with a different organisation trying to reduce the risk to the public.
How about staff identifying people who are actually at risk (often easy to do) and giving them advice and assistance where necessary?
I can tell you it is far more effective and, if done in the right way, passengers will appreciate it.
Pedantic of Purley | 23.01.18 - 10:45 a.m. | #
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What is very difficult to measure is the effect, touched on above, of bad warnings driving out good. But I am sure that it must happen to some extent.
A certain fraction of the warnings (written or oral) would probably have a real useful effect by driving down injury rates. But this potential useful effect is sure to be diminished by the negative effect of too many daft warnings causing people to pay less attention to the real ones. Like the shepherd boy crying "wolf".
If the warning is non-daft, then I'd really like to see or hear it, and any deviation from "corporate standards" in its expression would actually be positive, because it would make such a warning stand out.
Malcolm | 23.01.18 - 10:48 a.m. | #
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New notice required for Friday and Saturday night. Please drink a large black coffee before entering this station and please do not pretend to push your friend in front of a train.
PiccDriver | 23.01.18 - 11:06 a.m. | #
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As a technical writer for some years, one of the basics was to always use positives and avoid negatives. "Do this" is much more effective than "Don't do that".
Joho | 23.01.18 - 11:13 a.m. | #
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"Doors opening" is hugely reassuring for those who are terrified of lifts, but occasionally, as on the tube, forced to use one.
My ex-wife was such a one.
When the lift stops, the 2 second wait before the doors open lasted an eternity for her. Having it filled with a distracting announcement was very helpful.
Joho | 23.01.18 - 11:17 a.m. | #
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> Approaches escalator
> Gets distracted by big yellow "YOU ARE APPROACHING AN ESCALATOR" sign
> Trips over
> Falls down escalator
Adrian | Homepage | 23.01.18 - 11:19 a.m. | #
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Brian - attitude of the left is government can make a difference, so individuals should be over ruled for the greater good (if it prevents just one injury etc. etc.), the attitude of the right is government should get out of the way, the individual can make a difference, so Boris has open boarding, whilst Saddiq makes us bored with endless warnings.
Still Anon | 23.01.18 - 11:24 a.m. | #
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Frank Pick will be spinning in his grave.
Rob Healy | Homepage | 23.01.18 - 11:25 a.m. | #
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i very rarely go out nowadays; seems far too dangerous. mind you i get scared being indoors on my own also. no wonder i feel unwell!
Grumpy Anon | 23.01.18 - 11:35 a.m. | #
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Boris wanted open boarding, but he did not get it, due to a combination of the grown-ups around him insisting on sensible precautions, and the attitude of (some of) the "right" that we must cut down public expenditure such as the pay of the rear-door supervisor.
Malcolm | 23.01.18 - 11:42 a.m. | #
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If Frank Pick spins in his grave (Rob 11:25), rest assure a TfL employee will soon be down there to install a handrail for him to safely hold on to.
David | 23.01.18 - 11:47 a.m. | #
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Poster was at Tottenham Court Road yesterday as well. So busy noticing the incorrect typeface and pretty picture I almost did not notice the start of the escalator.
One day they will ban trains and wheeled luggage at stations, because they cause all sorts of unpleasant accidents.
In the mean time switch off the WiFi should have a considerable positive effect lowering the accident rate.
scrumpy | 23.01.18 - 11:53 a.m. | #
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It’s non stop at some stations with patronising announcements that are ignored. I doubt they will have an impact of the safety figures.
There are some up about taking care after having a drink, however staff are not supported when they stop people that are unfit.
With TfL needing more money, how about starting to issue penalties for bylaw breaches that cause a safety problem, delays or take up staff time‽
Dave Rave | 23.01.18 - 12:01 p.m. | #
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11) Hello everybody. This is an important Health and Safety announcement. When travelling on the Underground, please remember to listen carefully for important Health and Safety announcements at all times.
12) When standing on the platform, please do not wear any red, amber or green clothing as the driver may mistake you for a signal.
13) Please hold on, the train is about to move.
Gerry | 23.01.18 - 12:30 p.m. | #
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“Stand on the right and walk on the left”. Well l can do one or other on an escalator. If l do both l’ll fall over.
Kim | 23.01.18 - 12:36 p.m. | #
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I've not seen these yellow signs, but if they are proliferating, are they officially sanctioned?
"A quarter of all customer accidents happen on 10 stations on the LU network". Which ones? And why?
dg writes: King's Cross St Pancras, Waterloo, London Bridge, Bank/Monument, Oxford Circus, Baker Street, Green Park, Holborn, Euston, Liverpool Street.
Andrew | 23.01.18 - 12:49 p.m. | #
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@Andrew - the ten with the most people visiting them at a guess.
I wonder if feedback to TfL falls on deaf ears because those ears are being told “please do not insert your finger into the pencil sharpener”. “Do not lick the plug sockets” etc
Kirk | 23.01.18 - 1:37 p.m. | #
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Imagine they are actually effective: What percentage decrease in accidents would make you apologise for your comments? We’ll have the figures in a year’s time.
dg writes: So many different mitigations are being tried, no statistician could ever be sure which ones made the difference.
Jimmy | 23.01.18 - 1:38 p.m. | #
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@Joho
As a trainer, I was taught that it's better to encourage good behaviour rather than criticise bad.
Jon Jones | 23.01.18 - 1:45 p.m. | #
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From TfL's safety plan:
There are a number of common themes in customer accidental injuries on the Underground
• Being encumbered, particularly with luggage, but also shopping bags, coffee, food, etc.
• Rushing
• Being under the influence of alcohol
• Distraction – being on the phone, hand held devices, etc. This has played an increasing factor in customer accidents since the introduction of wi-fi on the Underground in 2011
Alcohol has been an influencing factor in a significant proportion of all customer fatalities.
There does not appear to be a link between congestion and accidents.
diamond geezer | Homepage | 23.01.18 - 1:54 p.m. | #
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On the Piccadilly Line they were even more upset.
The message had become
"Obstruct the doors cause delay and anger us"!
GB | 23.01.18 - 1:58 p.m. | #
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Amateur.
For true health and safety madness, nothing beats Australia
Simon | Homepage | 23.01.18 - 2:20 p.m. | #
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That yellow poster by the escalator was ridiculous and pointless, and probably a dangerous distraction. All that loose clutter at the top of an escalator.. not wise.
Alex Mckenna | 23.01.18 - 3:38 p.m. | #
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I think 9 is possible with some slight word change.
Patrickov | 23.01.18 - 4:10 p.m. | #
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Just as a general rule, and to avoid any major issues, I now wear a personal airbag on me when ever I go out into the "dangerous world". My lawyers and physicians believe that I'm now free to be distracted while moving about as I wish. But to be safe, I do carry a personal waiver document which I sign and deposit anywhere I may endanger myself or others. It seems time consuming but since I leave for work a full two hours early, the time seems to fly by. Safety First!
Steven | Homepage | 23.01.18 - 4:27 p.m. | #
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The yellow posters, though ugly, are actually effective. Because they don't conform to brand guidelines they are attention grabbing - not least for design pedants. Presumably the posters are linked to the local action plans and are site specific.
They are still very ugly.
drD | Homepage | 23.01.18 - 4:50 p.m. | #
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At West Croydon Overground Station there is a life size depiction at the bottom of the stairs of the shape of a (dead?) body in yellow depicting what could happen if you do not hold the handrail or you run down the stairs. It is in my opinion more likely to cause an accident. All this seems totally ludicrous.
Dave B | 23.01.18 - 5:39 p.m. | #
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For a few years now the escalators at the St. Pancras thameslink station have provided endless amusement with their urgent warnings that you're getting close to the end
The posters at the same escalators have also been getting increasingly ridiculous, including festive variations
Rubie | Homepage | 23.01.18 - 6:14 p.m. | #
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TfL are giving 'Nudge messages'??
I hope they don't give them at the top of the Bank spiral staircase.
It's all PC balls of course. Get the bus. Oh....
Chris | 23.01.18 - 6:58 p.m. | #
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Well, anyway you do get a lot of comments on this subject.
Leuconoe | 23.01.18 - 7:07 p.m. | #
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It reminds me of those big yellow signs that simply state: Caution - this sign has sharp edges.
rashbre | Homepage | 23.01.18 - 7:23 p.m. | #
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Always amazes me that pundits like to make snide comments about leftist groups introducing “controlling” measures when the health and safety culture in Britain has developed under 40 years of mostly Conservative rule.
Anonymous | 23.01.18 - 7:40 p.m. | #
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They need to replace the advertising on the escalators with the 1970s(?) public information film with the little girl and the rag doll that gave me a phobia of escalators for twenty years. Does anyone else remember it?
Sarah | Homepage | 23.01.18 - 8:46 p.m. | #
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Oh DG, you have heard nothing, *nothing* until you've heard the equivalent announcement at Tottenham Hale.
Spoke in the most patronising, children's TV voice...
"Stand on the right, and hold on tight"
"Please do not run, because falling's no fun!"
[Some other nonsense]
"...and if you have bags you need to shift...
...don't forget, we, have, a, lift"
ARGH!
MarcB | 23.01.18 - 8:50 p.m. | #
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Thanks for the list of the ten stations, DG. I wonder if they account for a quarter of LU passenger movements, perhaps more? Are passengers more likely to suffer an accident there than in the average station, or less likely?
Is a yellow sign likely to have much impact on a slightly drunk person rushing along with luggage while listening to tunes on their headphones?
dg writes: Will Andrew ever write a comment that isn't all questions? :)
Andrew | 23.01.18 - 9:46 p.m. | #
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@kev | 23.01.18 - 10:05 a.m.
(Why do lifts announce that doors are opening?)
Maybe for blind people using the lift?
Half a physicist | 23.01.18 - 10:09 p.m. | #
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There does not appear to be a link between congestion and accidents.
diamond geezer | Homepage | 23.01.18 - 1:54 p.m. |
An accident on the congested escalator at Stratford International when people were knocking each other down and we had to stop the escalator might be an exception?
dg writes: One incident doesn't make a correlation.
Half a physicist | 23.01.18 - 10:12 p.m. | #
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For a blind person, and there are not many who have absolutely no sight, the feeling of the metal box stopping at the floor level is often a precursor to the doors opening, plus all their fellow travellers shuffling out gives a great hint. They may be blind, but almost certainly not stupid.
scrumpy | 23.01.18 - 11:56 p.m. | #
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On negative v positive messages: the apartments where I'm staying at the moment have a sign in the lift with various safety rules. One is "Be sure to carry your pet", which is so positive that I feel I need to find a pet to carry.
martin | 24.01.18 - 12:46 a.m. | #
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@scrumpy | 23.01.18 - 11:56 p.m.
There *are* people blinder than the blind now - those too concentrated on their mobiles (which, incidentally, includes myself at this very moment. Ah, another "please hold the handrail" from the bus)
Patrickov | 24.01.18 - 1:18 a.m. | #
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Burt's comment is spot on - this advice is useless, because if everyone followed it, then stations' capacity would be massively constrained.
Really, it's impossible for everyone to follow the advice.
This goes for hold the handrail on stairs, and don't take heavy luggage on escalators.
This seems to prove that the messages are purely for covering the organisation's back, not for the genuine benefit of the customer.
David | 24.01.18 - 4:14 a.m. | #
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No, the advice and "doors opening" may be effective and useful at quiet times.
Mike D | 24.01.18 - 4:42 a.m. | #
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The child’s (girls?) voice appears to be a Victoria line thing, I heard it at a Victoria and Brixton yesterday, it made me laugh more than anything else as the poetic warnings were only just audible in the noisy station came across the P.A. and everyone carried on as they normally do, ignoring the additional noise pollution, and going about their business.
Geofftech | 24.01.18 - 8:11 a.m. | #
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@Medford: Experiments like this (eg turning off security announcements) have already been tried, with surprising results. Have a read of "Against Security" by Harvey Molotch - a great book. Just a pity that the powers that be haven't read it.
Tim W | 24.01.18 - 8:56 a.m. | #
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you reported how many were injured on buses last year, do you have stats for on the tube?
dg writes: Just under 4000 (with 40% on escalators, 20% on stairs and 20% at the Platform/Train Interface.
tim m | 24.01.18 - 12:45 p.m. | #
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That 'maintain concentration' announcement really distracts me to the point I didn't hold the handrail, I forgot to watch out for card clash then fell due to the slippery surfaces (there had been adverse weather conditions-sun) and ended up past the yellow line, between the closing doors and the gap at the same time.
In all seriousness, TFL is demonstrating such patronising behaviour that should stop immediately. Looking at the sign that your approaching an escalator is just going to distract you from stepping onto the escalator
Ethan | 24.01.18 - 5:34 p.m. | #
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These announcements are really beginning to pi** me off. At Embankment station today, heard something along the lines of:
"Ladies and gentlemen we operate a frequent train service from this station [no really?], so please don't run or rush about anywhere on the underground."
I also heard the message from the child on the tannoy. They are really trying too hard
On changing the door sticker warnings, I remember:
Danger, keep everything clear of the doors, changed to
Dan keep eve clear of the doors
And
obstructing the doors can be dangerous
To
Obstruct the doors be dangerous
Also does anyone remember the fake TfL stickers that used to say things like 'please avoid all eye contact'. More like it!
SJM | 24.01.18 - 8:54 p.m. | #
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The latest Commissioner's Report, in next week's TfL Board Papers, has some commentary about these safety measures including the bus announcement and the "child" announcements on the Victoria Line.
The current nonsense is nothing to with a properly assessed risk management process. It is about "doing something" that politicians will notice to meet a politically driven agenda. LU has utilised sophisticated risk management tools across a range of activities for years and it never came up with this current set of "amateur" posters and announcements.
LU has a terrible habit that every so often initiatives are pushed down from "on high" to local level where a lot of well intentioned but badly executed stuff pours forth. The corporate centre then wakes up and intervenes to get rid of the nonsense, non compliant text / designs etc. This feels like the latest in a long line of these "interventions" but the centre has yet to strike back about the non compliances.
PC | 24.01.18 - 9:30 p.m. | #
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I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by TfL's latest examples of Corporate Madness, but if they stopped to think for just a moment they'd realise that there is absolutely no need for any 'Don't Run' announcements.
If anything is needed, posters and video messages will suffice - when was the last time that a blind person was seen 'running or rushing about' on the Underground?
Gerry | 25.01.18 - 10:41 a.m. | #
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"This one appears just before the escalator down to the Northern line from Monument"
But if you look carefully, the poster actually depicts an *UP* escalator.
That's surely some kind of safety hazard? If the poster had not been there, people would be fully aware that they were approaching a DOWN escalator, because their mind would not have been distracted by an unnecessary poster that took their mind off the escalator they were approaching.
But now, they've been misinformed that they're approaching an UP escalator and will only discover that it's a DOWN escalator when they lose balance as their feet give way beneath them.
That poster is a safety hazard, which will surely increase accidents, not reduce them?
Harry | 25.01.18 - 10:43 a.m. | #
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The complete free-for-all in LU poster design, regardless of content, is something that I find really depressing. It doesn't help that the branding guidelines at TfL have been going rather wayward over the past year or so anyway, such as removing the coloured stripes at the top when it's a particular line being referred to, and just having a thin blue line and warning triangle - making every piece of information a warning.
Also I don't think necessarily everything put up on a wall should have "MAYOR OF LONDON" and "EVERY JOURNEY MATTERS" at the bottom all the time.
That said, I don't like these 'Death by Powerpoint' jobs, not only the yellow ones but at some stations orange ones with white blobby text that makes it look like an EasyJet poster. So they're not even consistent in their "stand-out-by-not-being-corporate-design" ethos, if that's what it is.
I notice yet again, having worked within TfL/LU/Tube Lines/Metronet on a number of occasions, how thrown-together initiatives are always described as having been "developed", to try and make sound magical something that was in reality thrown together in 2 minutes after an hour's brainstorming meeting.
Incidentally, has everyone involved forgotten already the fairly recent, very prominent, but also professionally designed, "...won't hurt you" series of warning posters? e.g. "Waiting for the next train won't hurt you" showing a silhouetted figure tripping between the train and the platform, and "Watching your step won't hurt you" showing same obviously very unlucky silhouetted figure falling down some steps. All these posters were bright yellow, so I don't see how the current rash scores on that point.
Surely much more thought-provoking than "you are now approaching stairs".
Mark Boulton | Homepage | 25.01.18 - 12:06 p.m. | #
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Perhaps reverse psychology is in order - certainly to deal with what I find are the main hazards.
"It is mandatory to stop dead in your tracks at the start of the staircase to retract the handle and pick up your wheelie-bag"
"Always look at your phone. It's most important"
"When travelling in a group, always stop at the bottom of the escalator to take a photo"
"For your own sanity, would all customers please ignore this announcement"
NickW | 26.01.18 - 12:07 a.m. | #
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It’s ridiculous. But you make it so funny.
Sally Hirst | 26.01.18 - 5:15 a.m. | #
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I am rendered immune to all these signs and posters, as I am inflicted with an increasingly rare disease - common sense.
Dave Kirwin | 26.01.18 - 12:25 p.m. | #
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TfL also tried it on the escalators with their short-lived mascot Sir Roundlington!
https://1londonblog.uk/2017/11/sir-roundlington/
Rog | Homepage | 26.01.18 - 1:34 p.m. | #
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Oh no! Somebody's falling down!
To save him here comes Billy Brown
Who stops him sliding down the stairs --
Billy's alert and Billy cares.
A modest look he gives the man,
And says to him "Now here's my plan:
When walking round about a station,
PLEASE DON'T LOSE YOUR CONCENTRATION.
Klepsie | Homepage | 31.01.18 - 12:41 a.m. | #
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