On 20 Oct 2006 09:23:02 -0700, "Mizter T" wrote:

Ian Jelf wrote:

BC News at:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6069140.stm

Just a little more info - a gent from Leyton has started an online
petition calling on TfL to ban the use of mobile phones to play music
out loud (note this is not against ringtones but specifically against
mobiles that are in effect mp3 players with speakers). The petition is
at:

http://www.hovis21.com/buses.html

I agree with him completely - I don't mind relatively loud
headphone-wearers or spirited conversation, but this new trend is
something that really riles. Of course one can - and indeed I have -
ask politely for it to be turned off, but such requests are often met
with an uncooperative response. If there was a well advertised rule
against this then that would help a great deal. I've just scanned the
TfL conditions of carriage and I can't find any existing rule that
deals with this.

Any future rule should of course deal with other non-mobile devices
that could have the same functionality.

The bus companies and trade unions (for bus drivers) have said any rule
would be unenforceable. I tend to agree.

Quite why TfL said what they said about trying to encourage people to be
reasonable I do not know. There are no notices or anything to suggest
such a policy - and I've made a deliberate effort to look on buses to
see if anything has been recently put up. It hasn't so the comment is
worthless other than as a pleasant sound bite.

The other problem is that since this petition made the news more and
more people seem to be playing their damned phones with awful noises
emerging from them. I'm a big music fan but there's a time and a place
and 5pm when I'm tired and want to go home by bus is not it. The oxygen
of publicity and all that !
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!