Reading Station improvements

[whole diary]

[bobm]

Without taking this thread too far off topic, I'd agree with you Electric Train.  I cycle two miles a day and hardly a day goes by when I am not overtaken by a fellow cyclist intent on jumping the lights.  (I agree I cheat too - I have an electric bike!)

[didcotdean]

There is a pedestrian walkway under the railway in Didcot that has had 'Cyclists Dismount' signs at each end for years. Regrettably I doubt one in five actually does, even though it is barely wide enough for pedestrians to pass each other going in opposite directions.

[Red Squirrel]

Good cyclists are after able to get off and walk, they are a danger to pedestrians especially in a subway like this.
We had a work college hospitalised this week while crossing on "green man" and a speeding cyclist jumped a red light came round a conner and bowled her over; I accept not all cyclists are irresponsible its just I've not come across many that are considerate to pedestrians

Seems a bit absurd to me - I'm pretty tall but I'm sure I don't need 2.7m headroom.

Looks to me like there's room there for a bicycle lane

Cyclists disobeying red lights and flattening pedestrians on crossings is a completely separate issue and has no relevance to this, though I agree that there can be problems in badly-designed 'shared' spaces.

[JayMac]

And there are plenty of badly designed shared spaces and cycle lanes out there. There's a website dedicated to finding and documenting them, with the latest (July 2013) from Swindon:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/pete.meg/wcc/facility-of-the-month/

[IndustryInsider]

Had a wander round the transfer deck yesterday for the first time in a while and noticed that the information screens have changed to show the next fastest train by destination rather than a list of the next few departures and their calling points.  A much better set-up for a station as busy as Reading and with four columns of A-Z listed stations, the most popular 56 can be displayed.  Paddington has a display devoted to itself.  I reckon the vast majority of passengers can now easily see their next train and platform, though there are still some popular stations omitted such as Goring & Streatley, Burnham and Banbury (another column would be useful!).  Here is a (slightly blurred) picture:




Signage is still a little poor, though I'm led to believe that it is recognised that the platform numbers are far too small up on the deck, so we can expect that to change soon.  Rather unprofessional barriers still help with passenger flow to/from the escalators, so hopefully they will be replaced with something a little more permanent looking.

Oh, and a very pleasant breeze was coming through the open holes in the roof cooling it down a little up there on what was a very hot day, so at least the holes do come in useful - as long as it's not raining, and it remains to be seen how cold it gets in winter!

[bobm]

I noticed those screens yesterday too, but they would be more helpful if they showed the platform as well as the departure time....

[BerkshireBugsy]

I noticed those screens yesterday too, but they would be more helpful if they showed the platform as well as the departure time....

Yes they could almost do with being in "Landscape mode" rather than "portait mode"

All in all can't find the signage that bad (at Reading) as I tend to use it in peference to digging my mobile out of my pocket

[IndustryInsider]

I noticed those screens yesterday too, but they would be more helpful if they showed the platform as well as the departure time....

They do, don't they?  Rotate between showing the time, the expected time, and the platform.  Wider displays would be nice though, so all of that could be displayed at once!

[JayMac]

A nice big Solari would do the trick! 

[BerkshireBugsy]

A nice big Solari would do the trick! 

Blimey I havent seen (or heard,even!) one of those in years!

[Red Squirrel]

A nice big Solari would do the trick! 

Is that:

1. A type of ice lolly;
2. The latest Mobile Death Greenhouse from Vauxhall;
3. A type of slang popularised in 'Round the Horne'?

Edit: OK, I googled it. I have a distant memory of being in a London terminus late one night (or rather early one morning), hoping to get home, and watching as the whole board ticked over to black - one of the most dispiriting things I've ever experienced.

[bobm]

Who remembers the liquid crystal ones they used to have at Paddington in the 1980s? They were so proud of them when they were installed but they quickly suffered from failures.  I was reminded of them the other day when they were shown in an episode of Inspector Morse which included shots of Paddington.

I noticed those screens yesterday too, but they would be more helpful if they showed the platform as well as the departure time....

They do, don't they?  Rotate between showing the time, the expected time, and the platform.  Wider displays would be nice though, so all of that could be displayed at once!

Ah perhaps they do - I didn't notice when I looked at them and they weren't visible in the photo I made the mistake of assuming they didn't.

[Boppy]

The North Exit though is still missing an Arrivals display screen.  It has three screens all dedicated to departures currently.

This exit is now more busy thanks to the new north exit bus interchange opening.  Additionally, you have the car pick-up zone of people waiting to pick up folk.

A few Sunday's back I was waiting for my wife to arrive at Reading on the train from Gatwick in the North Exit.  As there was no arrivals info I asked a member of staff who said they assumed it was on time.  I was then left waiting an extra 10 minutes because it had in fact been delayed.

This seems to me an oversight as I've witnessed other people waiting to meet people arriving at Reading at that exit.

Boppy.

[IndustryInsider]

I agree an arrivals board at the north exit would be useful.  I noticed that buses and taxis had started using the new interchange there - another part of the Reading jigsaw completed!  What bus services are currently using it?

[bobm]

This shows the route numbers

http://www.reading-buses.co.uk/files/maps/8%20July%202013/final%20maps/reading%20town%20centre%20bus%20stops%20July%2013.pdf