On 25 Jan, 16:02, MarkVarley - MVP
wrote:
I've had a particularly busy week traveling around London and have
noticed I'm being asked for my ticket by various badge-flashing folks
hovering behind the barriers rather more than usual.

maybe it's my using the gates rather than barriers some days due to
carrying a rucksack with light stands tied to the side, or maybe I'm
rushing through barriers in a shifty-looking-way, or is it the last
few months of the financial year and revenue protection have to get
their quota-up. am I noticing an increase because there is one or am I
making myself a target somehow?

It's the ultimate irony that my rushing and being late seems to
attract this attention and delay me!


I'm guessing that when you say you are using the gates as opposed to
the barriers you mean the manual side gate (opened on request by
staff) rather than the automatic barriers, but you're not entirely
clear on this and there is a danger of getting things very confused
with regards to different interpretations of the terminology in use!

I shall elaborate - on London Underground AIUI the official term for
an automated ticket barrier is an "automatic ticket gate" (or
something very similar), often referred to as just an "automatic gate"
or even just a "gate" (which will forms part of a "gateline").
Meanwhile the side gate through which one can pass with bulky luggage,
pram, wheelchair or child etc is called a "manual gate" to distinguish
it from the automatic gates.

On the big railway (i.e. National Rail) the term "ticket barrier" does
not necessarily refer to an automated system whatsoever - it can
simply mean the barrier through which one must pass and present one's
ticket to a member of railway staff. This kind of ticket check is much
less common these days than it used to be, which is a result of the so-
called 'open station concept' - nonetheless it still exists, for
example at Euston before boarding a Virgin intercity train, or
alternatively at local stations when a Revenue Protection team turns
up once in awhile.

Because of this historical usage of the term "ticket barrier", the
automated ticket barriers often seem to be referred to as "automatic
barriers" on National Rail, as opposed to "automatic gates" on LU.
Confused yet?

If you are using a manual gate (i.e. side gate) then one can obviously
be expected to show your ticket or alternatively touch your Oyster /
Freedom Pass / VTCS card on the Oyster pad.

If you have been stopped having gone through a ticket gate then I
would think it most likely that it's just a routine check - sometimes
RPIs (Revenue Protection Inspectors) may only be targeting people
using Oyster cards to check they are not misusing them, for example.
That said, it may be the case that they were only pulling some people
over for a double-check and your light stand arrangement on your
backpack was rather out of the ordinary I wouldn't worry about it if
all that's happened is an extra ticket-check - I've experienced
similar.