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Post by countryman on Oct 26, 2018 7:25:15 GMT
Just seen this article. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-44953440As can be predicted, some are calling for better air-con (I know we have discussed the physics of aircon in tunnels) or more carriages, which won't happen due to the system being at full capacity. |
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Post by cudsn15 on Oct 26, 2018 8:46:28 GMT
I hate these kind of stories - so poorly researched and just anecdotal comments. Fainting is nothing new and considering the abnormally high temperatures we experienced this summer it is to be expected that there would be more incidents. There is no follow up to see if these people had underlying conditions, were hydrated (or had bottled water as advised), had eaten before hand, had been drinking alcohol either just before or even the night before, were regular passengers or one offs etc etc. The underground has always been packed during rush hour - for well over 100 years on most lines, there is no spare capacity on platforms and carriages - and until new lines are built and opened there is nothing else. As ever you are dealing with a very small minority of people who just lack common sense which they then turn into a "story" whilst the vast majority just get on with it.
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Post by superteacher on Oct 26, 2018 8:49:54 GMT
I hate these kind of stories - so poorly researched and just anecdotal comments. Fainting is nothing new and considering the abnormally high temperatures we experienced this summer it is to be expected that there would be more incidents. There is no follow up to see if these people had underlying conditions, were hydrated (or had bottled water as advised), had eaten before hand, had been drinking alcohol either just before or even the night before, were regular passengers or one offs etc etc. The underground has always been packed during rush hour - for well over 100 years on most lines, there is no spare capacity on platforms and carriages - and until new lines are built and opened there is nothing else. As ever you are dealing with a very small minority of people who just lack common sense which they then turn into a "story" whilst the vast majority just get on with it. Couldn't agree more. I am all for increasing comfort levels on public transport, but when you consider that the system carries nearly 4 million people per day. the number of people taken ill as a percentage is ridiculously small. |
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Post by norbitonflyer on Oct 26, 2018 9:40:29 GMT
The stats are meaningless as well, without taking into account the numbers travelling at that station / at that time. Similar criticism could be levelled at this article in yesterdays (sub)Standard. |
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Post by cudsn15 on Oct 26, 2018 11:42:33 GMT
"The Night Tube is the safest time to travel to avoid thieves"
ARGH! Again - atrocious "journalism" - it means nothing without putting the stats and figures in to context - perhaps as a percentage but certainly by including the number of passenger journeys.
It's hideous!
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Post by nickf on Oct 26, 2018 12:31:42 GMT
I had to look at the thread title twice. Baked beans, anyone?
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Post by trt on Oct 26, 2018 13:12:13 GMT
Heh @ nickf. Heat, though, is not the only cause. Platform 6 at Euston claims a couple of victims every single day. Almost always female and almost always having skipped breakfast, and almost always just as they were waiting or passing by those great big grills in the sky that used to form the stairway from the old passages and which are now used as ventilation shafts. I can't help but wonder if CO2 laden stale air is somehow accumulating at the low points of these tunnel only to roll out en masse and drop onto waiting passengers, lowering the O2 concentration and raising the CO2 concentration for brief periods. I have to admit, I've felt the fizziness of bad air at those spots some times. If one was particularly susceptible to those environmental conditions, it could cause one to keel over. Heck, there were two at the same time the other morning.
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Post by jamesb on Oct 26, 2018 15:29:13 GMT
I had the thought that in many cases 'fainting' is a result of our unrealistic lifestyles. Not eating regularly. Not having breakfast. Rushing to the station.
Sign of the times!
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Post by stapler on Oct 26, 2018 15:35:42 GMT
This happened to me in about 1989 in a 62TS. I was pushed up against the guard's bar in the last car and fainted into his space between Stratford and Leyton EB. The guard summoned an ambulance, but I came to by Leyton and countermanded it.
Ever since then I've carried a small phial of smelling salts, like a Victorian maiden.
[there the resemblance ends]
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class411
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Post by class411 on Oct 26, 2018 19:09:57 GMT
It actually said 'Fainting or feeling faint"
So it could have been 2 people fainting and 798 'feeling faint' (and how many people make a report to LU that they 'felt faint' on a train)?
Also, the period is ambiguous. If it is from that start of 2106, that's nearly three years. If it is from the end, nearly two. So between 300 and 450 people per year fainted or 'felt faint'.
It's distressing to see daily mail standard reporting on the BBC.
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Post by countryman on Oct 27, 2018 7:29:30 GMT
It actually said 'Fainting or feeling faint" So it could have been 2 people fainting and 798 'feeling faint' (and how many people make a report to LU that they 'felt faint' on a train)? Also, the period is ambiguous. If it is from that start of 2106, that's nearly three years. If it is from the end, nearly two. So between 300 and 450 people per year fainted or 'felt faint'. It's distressing to see daily mail standard reporting on the BBC. 2106?   |
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Post by sawb on Oct 27, 2018 7:46:19 GMT
I agree with a lot of what has been said above. It's telling that a lot of the instances happen in the morning peak, which tells us a lot about people not looking after themselves properly. Why should LU be responsible in any way for ensuring people are feeding and hydrating themselves correctly? Smacks of the "no win, no fee" epidemic of a few years back, "if there can be blame, there could be a claim". I thought those bad old days were behind us for the most part, but would seem not.
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castlebar
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Post by castlebar on Oct 28, 2018 18:49:56 GMT
Funny that you never really heard about this when you could open windows inside the carriages
And the extra heat on the platforms caused by extra energy generated to supply air conditioning on trains......because the windows cannot be opened?
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Chris M
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Post by Chris M on Oct 28, 2018 21:03:41 GMT
I don't think your inverse correlation between opening windows and fainting is likely a cause and effect relationship. Even discounting any effect of increased knowledge, there are societal factors that are more likely relevant. For example trt notes: Heh @ nickf. Heat, though, is not the only cause. Platform 6 at Euston claims a couple of victims every single day. Almost always female and almost always having skipped breakfast I'd say that since the days you are thinking of there are a lot more women travelling in the morning peak[1] and a lot more people skipping breakfast[2] - low blood sugar is both a known causal factor in fainting and a common symptom of not eating. [1] According to The Washington Post women are more prone to fainting than men, for reasons that are "not completely understood." [2] According to The Express there was a 150% rise in the number of people skipping breakfast between 2012 and 2017. |
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