Great Western Coffee Shop

Did anyone catch the piece on yesterday's Today programme (17/2) about a no kissing zone at Warrington Station.

Apparently it's to speed passenger flow!

Chris? Gibb from XC explained it was speed commuters being dropped off by car.

I had to look at the calendar to see what the date was. As it's 6 weeks too soon I can only conclude it's true.

We arranged a publicity "Kiss and Ride" in the days when we had commuter trains ...

See: http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/melkshamrailway/30_Kiss_and_Ride_report.html

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/kissnride.jpg)

It's getting more ridculous by the day.

Chiltern trains have struck again.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20090218/tuk-kissing-allowed-passengers-told-6323e80.html (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20090218/tuk-kissing-allowed-passengers-told-6323e80.html)

Or if the link doesn't work!

This is the text.

Kissing allowed, passengers told

 
A sign informing rail passengers kissing is welcome has been put up at a train station days after a ban was imposed at another stop. Skip related content
Related photos / videos A sign at High Wycombe railway station declares: 'Kissing is welcome here!'

The notice placed at the entrance to High Wycombe station in Buckinghamshire shows a cartoon couple in a pink heart sharing an embrace and tells customers: "Kissing is welcome here!"

It was put up after revelations earlier this week that petting had been outlawed at a passenger drop-off point at Warrington Bank Quay Station in Cheshire because it holds up commuters.

No-kissing signs appeared in the taxi rank forcing couples to use "designated areas" only.

But in High Wycombe, passion is being encouraged by train operator Chiltern Railways which stated on the poster: "Unlike other train companies, we would never dream of banning kissing at our stations."

The operator, which serves the station, is even now running a competition to find their most romantic passengers.

Kirsteen Robertson, of Chiltern Railways, said: "Railway stations are romantic places. They are where fond farewells and emotional reunions take place, where relationships start with a glance and even, in the case of our Marylebone station last November, where one passenger will propose to another over the public address system.

"So our passengers are more than welcome to share a kiss in our stations."

Chiltern Railways, which runs services between Birmingham Moor Street ??? and London Marylebone, is now encouraging passengers to send in pictures of them kissing at one of their stations.

The couple in the winning photograph will win free travel to and from London and a romantic champagne afternoon tea at London's Landmark Hotel.

Good old Chiltern, never afraid to take the mikey out of other TOCS.

 
 

this is gearing upto 'kissing pentaly zones' ...at stations without a girlfriend you may kiss the guard onboard ..


that isnt as funny as i thought it would be

When I read about the Warrington thing I wasn't sure whether to laugh or take an overdose. Three cheers for Chiltern. Drink a toast to them and make mine a double..... XXXXX

When I lived in Northern Virginia (USA) the metro stations had (and still have) drop off points for people (from cars) that are called "Kiss and Ride"....  :)

trouble is up warrington they would get the wrong idea lol

Ha ha.. hhmm hadn't thought about that..  :D

I wonder what the response would be to 2 pedestrians kissing??

I doubt much people will take any notice. they'll probably just laugh it off thinking it's someones idea of a joke ::)

Personally I don't see a sign unless i'm looking for something e.g. Road Name etc. But in all seriousness if I were to kiss someone, a "No Kissing" sign would be the last thing I would think of looking for...!

Good for Chiltern. I know the warrington ban is a joke, but it really seems stupid, and passengers have taken it the wrong way.

And I completely agree with what chiltern say about what stations are about.

The newly opened (Aug 2008) Langarth Park and Ride on the outskirts of Truro has a Kiss and Ride ....

(http://premium1.uploadit.org/ChrisCornwall3/Duo/KAR.JPG)

... as I pointed out on another forum last year.

Perhaps the 'kissing' ban is a bit OTT, but there are times (usually Sunday afternoon) where we get the "boohoo" trains, where people say farewell to their loved ones for another day/week/eternity, and who generally will stand as close to a HST as they physically can, insist on holding hands out of the train windows (even as it starts to move), running down the platform trying to chase the train, on their phones to each other waving and conversing before the train has even cleared the platform, and then i'm left with a bunch of blubbering wrecks on the platform... ban all those people please!  :D

(For the record I am happily married and would miss my wife if she had to go away for a day/week/whenever, but seriously...!)

Have they banned humps in the road yet?

Only at Camelford.  ;)  :D  ;D

Sorry if this has been mentioned as I have just joined the forum, but there was that draedful case in Paddington a few years back when a kissing lover lost her legs after being dragged under the 125 as it left!!! sorry terrible first post, and apologies if it has been flagged elsewhere :'(

Thanks for a rather thought-provoking first post, caliwag - and welcome to the Coffee Shop forum!

I'm not sure that particular story has been referred to here previously - but it does rather bear out the concerns of SDA, for example, over the apparent departure of all common sense from some of those bidding a fond farewell on a railway platform?

Sorry everyone, he's here all week  ;D

My original post was a little on the ' ::)' side, but caliwag has certainly shown the real danger.  There are some TM's who refuse to accept a 'tip' until everyone is clear of the train - I have had to run the near full length of a HST to get people back before, and once you have told them to get back, they just return to the edge again.

Even our humble units encounter these problems.  We were trained not to dispatch until all bystanders are clear, but as SDA says, they do have a habit of creeping back again.

Only the other day, I conveyed a couple of 'kissers' from Kemble to Swindon.  They had boarded the train to see off a friend and despite whistles and hustle alarm, had not alighted again.  I did sell them day returns though. ;D

It seems that what's banned in Warrington is encouraged in Preston:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-30898895?

:-X :-X :-X ;D