One-way staircases and people who ignore them

Hear hear!

This is a major annoyance to me too. The worst example I know is when trying to get to the Northern Line at Moorgate in the morning rush hour: one is regularly impeded by exiting passengers who can't, don't (or won't) read the signs. It actually gets quite dangerous as at times they block the bottom of the down escalator. There is definitely a need for "one way" systems to be enforced by station staff.

There are also many examples of stations which don't have a one-way system but which would clearly benefit from one - London Bridge is a prime example.

Sheepish look... I'm guilty of on occasion going 'alternative' ways round Oxford Circus, but usually at quieter times of the day. If I felt like I was going to be swimming against the tide I'd not risk the 'wrong way' move and use my other alternative route (which involves a lot of steps, but still is quicker than the official route when it's quiet).

Hmmmm... there was a train in the bay road, but I think it came in after I got to platform level. A through train was due to leave first though.

Suncloud et al - if you know the station well enough, you can probably do it fine at quiet times whilst the sheep go the long way.

Of course the middle of a rush hour is a different matter.

I agree how people get to the bottom of the escalators, then stand still and goggle at the signs, and likewise get to the top and fumble for their ticket. I would suggest some signage on the escalators saying "HAVE YOUR TICKET READY FOR INSPECTION" or "LEFT AT THE BOTTOM FOR THE CENTRAL LINE, RIGHT FOR THE PICCADILLY" would be useful, but people would still ignore them.

OTOH there are stations like Blackfriars W/B, where the only way to clear the place during the morning rush hour is by ignoring the one-way policy altogether (2 staircases, one each way; lots of people exiting, nobody entering). Luckily, that's what everybody does...

here's how they used to do it at Angel... from David's photos, it's great to see photos that are from a while ago, like Solidbond's site.

SEE HERE

If they are meant to be used by customers changing platforms, which I admit would make some sense, then I consider the illuminated "No exit" sign perhaps a bit confusing. Admittedly there is no exit from the station as a whole that way but there is no clear implication that they are for changing platforms. Besides, the bay road train came in after I got to platform level.

EDIT: The iluminated sign actually says "No entry" - I take that to mean "do not enter this staircase except in an emergency".

Of course, when the "exit hall" is closed, there is no restriction.

If ever they seriously remodel at platform level, the bay road needs platforms both sides. It would mean moving a lot of things around, though.

Yep buggies are bad news on spirals although Holloway Road is one of the Piccs shorter staircases, nearby Caledonian Road and Russell Square are another matter, York Road and Down Street are also heavy going when carrying anything at all and that's why many linemen and other engineering staff have strong upper bodies carrying a big bag of spanners in such places at night! Having said that escalators are just as taxing when switched off and such climbs are one of the things that I have missed since I retired, I bet I would struggle with the 300+ steps at Hampstead nowadays even without a heavy toolbag.
I once remember leaving the old signal pool van and entering Camden Town station with a supervisor carrying my toolbag and a Tilley lamp to light the way, walking straight down the escalators, onto the track and walking the tunnel to Hampstead and then climbing the spiral, leaving the station and getting back into the van which was waiting for us. That was circa 1978 before all the H&S that tightly binds everything these days! It was snowing as I recall but I was quite warm, the Underground was a very different world in those days.

I've seen people waving the wrong things at Oyster pads before... to quote a bank commercial, I usually say "It doesn't work like that." and then, if anything, show them what to do.

I normally allow a little extra time for my journeys so the odd microfortnight lost here and there on things like that makes no difference to me. Of course, if the trains are delayed, I can be behind time nonetheless.

Before the Onepulse business started, I was on the gateline at Arnos and some kapt waving their Oyster card over the pad with no success. After a handful of tries I moved over, took one look, and had to say... "That's your bankcard."

I've also seen people waving Oyster card holders that turned out not to have Oyster cards in... a few accidents, a few looking suspiciously like they weren't.

As I mentioned earlier, stairs and passageways really need a general "unless signs say otherwise, keep ..." rule. There should be signs to show when you need to keep to the "other" side, or when you are in a one-way area - and a reminder of which side to keep to generally when exiting such an area.

Of course, the escalator rule is STAND on the RIGHT, WALK on the LEFT - and should only be different for people who genuinely need to stand on the left, or if a curved escalator is installed - as far as I know, nowhere in Europe has these yet.

King's Cross has always been a problem because of the two two-way entrances from the street, the exit from the circulating area via the Khyber Pass and the two-way traffic from the bullring all converging into a single passageway and all having to cross each other to enter and exit the Hot & Cold. I would've thought this would've been redesigned as part of the preparation and enabling works for CTRL. I don't know as I haven't been there for three years now.