On Thu, 04 Sep 2003 00:55:26 GMT, "Richard J."
wrote:
All I'm saying is that if you've managed to get to (any) university,
obtained a good maths degree and then a post-graduate computer science
qualification, you are very likely to have the sort of mind that will cope
easily with the problem of an unplanned diversion on a journey in an
unfamiliar network. But you shouldn't assume that everyone else is "big
enough to find their own way round the network", as Sam put it, because we
know that for all sorts of reasons people do get lost and/or need guidance.

Yeah, fair point, especially from the point of view of a visitor to
London. I think once you've used the system a few times to do a
standard journey, your ability to work out new routes and look at the
map to plan diversions probably gets better. If you're not used to
such systems and something goes wrong on your first trip, mmm, it
could be quite daunting.

There are probably two parts to this : using a map to find a route,
and then actually going along this route changing at stations, finding
platforms and so on. I know it's a fact of life, but I do find it hard
to believe when people can't do the first part of this (there's A,
there's B, move your finger along the map - it might not be the best
route but it works). Not being able to do the second part is
completely understandable - I've been on foreign metro/rail/bus/road
systems and a lack of local knowledge has been a problem.

Sam
--
Sam Holloway, Cambridge
www.samholloway.co.uk