J.B.:
Might be an even better idea if they had some free water fountains on each
platform.
Jack Taylor:
It wouldn't be allowed by H&S.
David Walters:
Why not? One of the things I like about The US is in most public
places [there] will be a water fountain.
True, but I can't think of any subway systems that have them on the
platforms. Some cities prohibit eating and drinking on subway trains.
There are two classes of problem. The first is that a drinking fountains
aren't usually placed in environments frequented by those who would
vandalize them, assault others with a spray of water, and so on. Okay,
maybe "frequented" is too strong, but you know what I mean.
Second is the possibility of the fountain causing an accident. If there
is water then it will be spilled sometime, and someone will slip, fall
the wrong way, and (choose the one you care more about) suffer a serious
injury and/or file a lawsuit. Yeah, this is possible anyway where the
platforms are exposed to rainwater, but water fountains would certainly
increase the probability.
In addition, one could imagine the case where a defective fountain
produced a continuous stream of water that flowed down to track level
and, despite the third and fourth rails being raised on insulators,
managed to contact something live. It seems unlikely to me that this
presents a serious risk, but I could be wrong, and to safety Nazis,
"unlikely a serious risk" is insufficient anyway.
Besides all that, someone would have to pay for it. And that includes
drainpipes as well as a water supply.
--
Mark Brader | The last 10% of the performance sought contributes
Toronto | one-third of the cost and two-thirds of the problems.
| -- Norm Augustine
My text in this article is in the public domain.