Post by class411 on Nov 27, 2012 18:52:32 GMT
1) When will TPTB provide specifications for how drunk a person appears to be before they are no longer considered able to do something as basic as stand back from a train that starts to move?
2) What will happen when some campaigning group realises that they can bring any rail system to a halt by the simple expedient of standing so close to a train that the operator cannot tell if it's safe to move off?
3) When will we see the introduction of an offence: "standing close to a train that is waiting to depart" to counteract (2)?
On LU there are some relevant bylaws:
4 (1):
No person shall enter, attempt to enter or remain on the railway if he is unfit as a result of being drunk or under the influence of controlled drugs.
4 (5):
Where an authorised person reasonably believes that any person is unfit to enter or remain on the railway or is in possession of alcohol in contravention of any provision of Byelaw 4, the authorised person may:
(i) require him to leave the railway;
5:
No person shall enter or remain on the railway if, in the reasonable opinion of an authorised person, he is in an unfit or improper condition...
6 (8):
No person shall molest or wilfully interfere with the comfort or convenience of any person on the railway.
13 (2):
No person shall loiter on the railway if asked to leave by an authorised person.
13 (3):
No person whilst on the railway shall wilfully obstruct or impede any authorised person in the execution of his duty.
The first three of these should, if enforced, prevent someone being in Georgia's state on LU in the first place. The last three should allow for the removal of anyone attempting what you describe in your points 2 and3.
NR will have similar bylaws.
Edit: The DfT site is utterly broken since the move to the single gov.uk (whose bright idea was that?) but Google found the copy on South West Trains website, and clauses I quote above are identical and identically numbered in both SWT and TfL byelaws.
That does not really answer the questions.
The problem is that standing right by a train is so close to the normal behaviour of hundreds of people every single day that it would be difficult to make a case against someone, particularly if they moved when asked. But get a few people doing it in a loosely coordinated manner and you could have chaos.
