Signage in the subway at Bristol Temple Meads

[whole diary]

[Red Squirrel]

I have gone to that planning application and found before picture showing the A to Z and after picture showing what looks like a pure advert panel in the same place.  My suggestion than just one of the panels should be a next Interactive train with input technology system (Nitwits) was tongue in cheek; perfectly possible with the technology that's available, but I suspect the jingle of pennies from the advertising revenue outweighed the provision of an equivalent to the very useful information that was there.

Well... hmm. Overall to me it looks like they've removed quite a lot of advertising, and are making wayfinding easier by removing clutter.

It may seem hard to believe, but I don't actually know what this 'A to Z' thing is - is it something to do with printed timetables, like they used to have in the olden days?

[grahame]

It may seem hard to believe, but I don't actually know what this 'A to Z' thing is - is it something to do with printed timetables, like they used to have in the olden days?

It's the sheet that lists the common destinations from the station it's displayed at, and trains to them with where to change, etc. here's an example from Melksham telling you how to get to Taunton (in case you want to take pictures!)



Especially useful for local stations so that passengers arriving on long distance journeys, perhaps a bit later or earlier than intended, can find their next service home.  If it were electronic and real time it would be fabulous.

[Bmblbzzz]

I have gone to that planning application and found before picture showing the A to Z and after picture showing what looks like a pure advert panel in the same place.  My suggestion than just one of the panels should be a next Interactive train with input technology system (Nitwits) was tongue in cheek; perfectly possible with the technology that's available, but I suspect the jingle of pennies from the advertising revenue outweighed the provision of an equivalent to the very useful information that was there.

Well... hmm. Overall to me it looks like they've removed quite a lot of advertising, and are making wayfinding easier by removing clutter.

What have they removed? Looking at the before and after (or rather, the now and future) photos attached to Grahame's reply #12, I see the same amount of advertising on the boards attached to the walls and additional LED advertising screens on the central pillars.

[Red Squirrel]

What have they removed? Looking at the before and after (or rather, the now and future) photos attached to Grahame's reply #12, I see the same amount of advertising on the boards attached to the walls and additional LED advertising screens on the central pillars.

If you look at the document 'Subway Proposals', in the planning application you will see; lots of bits and pieces. In some places it is subtle, with commercial advertising being replaced with NR^» (Network Rail - home page) information.

[grahame]

What have they removed? Looking at the before and after (or rather, the now and future) photos attached to Grahame's reply #12, I see the same amount of advertising on the boards attached to the walls and additional LED advertising screens on the central pillars.

Prior to changes

Reply no. 12 shows - on the centre columns - unilluminated (so not very clear) boards on the centre pillars - they were on 4 sides of at least 2 pillars, so a total of eight boards.   Most of those board covered departure lists, with notes telling you where to change, to common destinations from Temple Meads.   A long list indeed - so the information spread over (I think) six boards.

Personal use ... arriving at Bristol Temple Meads, typically off a long distance journey from the Midlands or north, and wanting to find my next train to Melksham - boards told me which train to catch / where to change. It might have been a London train via Chippenham, or a train to or via Westbury, and the only other way to get such information apart from online was to ask a member of staff some of whom, however, gave incorrect answers and would leave you stranded at Chippenham or Trowbridge for long periods.

Based on that personal experience - very useful for passengers transferring on to intermediate stations which were not served by every train - so passengers for places such as Severn Tunnel Junction, Weston Milton, St Andrews Road, Dilton Marsh, Avoncliff, Lawrence Hill, Stapleton Road could easily locate their next direct train or connection.

Current

Check on line or ask, I suppose ... which if you've just arrived on a late-running or an otherwise unplanned ahead trip, can take longer than you have ... the other day when I took that picture I happened to know, but I had 8 minutes between arriving at Temple Meads from Birmingham and leaving on the Chippenham train ...

Future

Sadly, looks like the adverts replace the useful facility.  I note comment that there may still be an A to Z outside the barrier, and the enquiry place between platforms 3 and 4 may (or may not) provide you with the right answers if you pop in there to ask.

I would love to see a simple web page / interactive display.  From the rail feeds already there on mobiles, really not a big task. simple local network map - click on your desired destination and up comes an A to Z style display for that one station.  And it could be so much better than the old display - telling you the platform allocated today, allowing for disruption, and taking just one panel up where the old posters took 6.

What have they removed? Looking at the before and after (or rather, the now and future) photos attached to Grahame's reply #12, I see the same amount of advertising on the boards attached to the walls and additional LED advertising screens on the central pillars.

If you look at the document 'Subway Proposals', in the planning application you will see; lots of bits and pieces. In some places it is subtle, with commercial advertising being replaced with NR^» (Network Rail - home page) information.

Indeed - but still an information gap added ...

[Bmblbzzz]

Thinking about it, aren't there A-Z boards on the platforms? I think there used to be though perhaps it was only the higher-numbered platforms.

Personally I wouldn't mind extra advertising on the central pillars if it was posters. What I dislike are the LED advertising screens (everywhere, not just in stations). I find them horribly distracting (well duh, that's their purpose!) and visually disturbing.

[martyjon]

There were a set of A - Z boards adorning an area on Platform 7 between the two sets of stairs.

[Phantom]

There were a set of A - Z boards adorning an area on Platform 7 between the two sets of stairs.

Now gone - come to think of it I can't say these posters are up anywhere at the station now?

I was intending to take some pictures this morning but arrived in a rush on platform 3
Going home via Parson Street later tonight

[MVR S&T]

In my experiene, most signs, adverstising, where to get your train, etc is lost on the majority of folks, including me, all you need is a staffed gateline, where each person, who isnt sure, can ask, but of course clear platform signs from then on are important.

[grahame]

In my experiene, most signs, adverstising, where to get your train, etc is lost on the majority of folks, including me, all you need is a staffed gateline, where each person, who isnt sure, can ask, but of course clear platform signs from then on are important.

Britsol Temple Meads ...  11,350,000 entrances and exits in the lastest figures, amd 1,477,000 interchanges. There is much to be said for staff at the gateline who can provide information about your departing train, whether you've arrived from outside the station or off another train.  And there is much truth in comments that (other) existing/previous "when and where is my train" data has been less thn ideal.

I could end up writing a .... very .... long follow up here looking at the who business of signposting and informing interchange and occasional passengerts through the place - and indeed genearliasing it to other stations.  I have found the staff at Temple Meads (at the manned ticket barriers and elsewhere) polite and wanting to be helpful - but too frequently too busy to help, not providing the correct information, or on one occasions changing the request into a ticket inspection with a spurious excuse. And if you arrive somewhere between 5 and 15, do you really want to go all the way to 3 to find out?

As a paeenger ... let me run through some scenarios ... for arrival at a station and for interchange, See how that fits with what currently happens ... specify what would be ideal,   I reaally hope some professional has done this, made a study, and that provision is being updated to provides us with a systen that works well for us as passengers, yet is econimic to provide. 

Some ideas

* Arriving from outside the station at a gated station.   
- If I'm buying my ticket (machine or desk), be told the next train times, pletforms, headline destination and changes.
- As I go through the gates, not just a green light, but flash up "Pleaform 15, 12:30".

* Arriving on another train (do you ever get off and wonder where to go next?)
- Uniform and standing out "onward journey" inteactive screene - scan you ticket for ongoing platform, headline destination, time, any more changes
- Ability to enter desitination (useful if, for example, at middle station on season or on rover or stoppig short)

Very much the same technology to advise at ticket machine, barriers and on platform - same technology really useful at open stations, and unstaffed stations too ... you seem to have its use everywhere from Birmingham New Street to Dilton Marsh! Sounds perfectly do-able too ... or have I missed something?

[martyjon]

.... or have I missed something?

COST 

[grahame]

.... or have I missed something?

COST 

Oh yes ... it would cost a fortune to develop the system, specialist hardware and create and maintain a data flows.

Unless ...  http://www.passenger.chat/destinations.html .... 

[grahame]

A further bit of work on the presentation of publicly available data ... dedicated to those people who arrive at an interchange stations and have to start hunting around for their onward local train ... perhaps not knowing which local trains call at some of the limited stop stations, what their final destinations might be, and what platform they're at today!

http://www.mrug.org.uk/bri.html

It's work in progress at the moment ... but staring to reveal a useful cut on the info.

[eXPassenger]

A very nice use of public data.  Well done.