WE’RE finally starting to acknowledge that music and TikTok videos blaring from people’s phones on public transport annoys the vast majority of us.
But a new effort to confront selfish offenders is laughably weak and won’t fix the problem.
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Despite the ridiculous cost of public transport I love taking the train, it beats the traffic and means I can be whisked off in peace – or not.
Too often, and ever increasingly, my journeys are being plagued by loud sounds from people’s phones.
Disrespectful callers have long been a scourge – now we have to contend with dumb videos on TikTok blasting out (complete with the never-ending Jet2 ad sound), lads watching football or just music that no one asked for.
Only last week a “headphone dodger” played loud videos for the entire 30 minute trip home, so I resorted to putting noise cancelling headphones on to drown it out.
This isn’t on.
So, Transport for London (TfL) has decided to launch a new campaign on the Elizabeth line reminding travellers not to play music out loud or to have conversations on speaker mode.
It’ll be rolled out on London’s buses next, as well as the Docklands Light Railway, and Overground and Underground networks.
Seb Dance, Deputy Mayor of London for Transport, said: “The vast majority of Londoners use headphones when travelling on public transport in the capital, but the small majority who play music or videos out loud can be a real nuisance to other passengers and directly disturb their journeys.
“TfL’s new campaign will remind and encourage Londoners to always be considerate of other passengers.”
While I appreciate any attempt to stop those that blight our trains and buses with unnecessary noise, we really need to go far tougher than posters at this point.
Do we really think those ignorant or oblivious enough will take notice?
Railway byelaws already ban loud sounds that cause annoyance to other passengers but they’re clearly ineffective – and they don’t extend to buses either.
The Conservatives are right to push for an amendment to the upcoming Railways Bill to ensure train operators have a legal duty to enforce this, alongside harsh on-the-spot fines.
“Rail passengers need to see swift justice for those who make people’s lives a misery, and bus passengers need the same laws,” Shadow Transport Secretary Richard Holden said.
Even the Lib Dems have called for fines of up to £1,000 for “headphone dodgers” who play music out loud on buses and trains.
And it’s an idea widely supported by Brits who suffer in silence noise.
A poll of 6,816 people by YouGov earlier this year found that 29 per cent strongly support a fine for nuisance phone noise, while 33 per cent said they somewhat support it.
The problem has inadvertently been made worse by better 4G and 5G connectivity near train lines across the UK – not to mention on London Underground.
And it’s not just young people guilty of it.
Sadly, it seems some have lost our good old British common sense and etiquette when it comes to train travel so the only way I see working is fines.
Or we could try another idea I suggested previously.
Do away with quiet train carriages, create loud carriages instead where all the folk who are fine with a racket can sit among their noise and leave the rest of us in peace.
A Department for Transport spokesman said: “There are already rules in place to prevent antisocial behaviour on public transport, including fines of up to £1,000.”
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