On Feb 23, 4:17 pm, Michael Hoffman wrote:
David Cantrell wrote:
At Covent Garden station this morning the charming young lady^Wrecorded
announcement was telling people to get off there for the museum. I take
it that it has re-opened then?

Not according to their web site.

And I notice that the announcement was about "London's transport museum"
and not the "London Transport museum". Bah.

Well, it is not a museum that is strictly about London Transport, which
no longer exists.
--
Michael Hoffman

It is a museum about transport in London so "London Transport Museum"
remained apt even after LT ceased to exist. It was a pointless change
of name.

umpston wrote:
On Feb 23, 4:17 pm, Michael Hoffman wrote:
David Cantrell wrote:
I notice that the announcement was about "London's transport museum"
and not the "London Transport museum". Bah.
It is a museum about transport in London so "London Transport Museum"
remained apt even after LT ceased to exist.

Yeah, but the OP said "London Transport museum" [sic].

It was a pointless change of name.

I agree but it's equally pointless to complain about it.
--
Michael Hoffman

On Feb 23, 5:13 pm, Michael Hoffman wrote:
umpston wrote:
On Feb 23, 4:17 pm, Michael Hoffman wrote:
David Cantrell wrote:
I notice that the announcement was about "London's transport museum"
and not the "London Transport museum". Bah.
It is a museum about transport in London so "London Transport Museum"
remained apt even after LT ceased to exist.

Yeah, but the OP said "London Transport museum" [sic].

It was a pointless change of name.

I agree but it's equally pointless to complain about it.
--
Michael Hoffman

I was merely commenting on your specious argument which seemed to be
in defence of the newer name.

umpston wrote:
On Feb 23, 5:13 pm, Michael Hoffman wrote:
umpston wrote:
On Feb 23, 4:17 pm, Michael Hoffman wrote:
David Cantrell wrote:
I notice that the announcement was about "London's transport museum"
and not the "London Transport museum". Bah.
It is a museum about transport in London so "London Transport Museum"
remained apt even after LT ceased to exist.
Yeah, but the OP said "London Transport museum" [sic].

It was a pointless change of name.

I agree but it's equally pointless to complain about it.
--
Michael Hoffman

I was merely commenting on your specious argument which seemed to be
in defence of the newer name.

Since it wasn't in defence of the new name, it is specious to make such
a comment.
--
Michael Hoffman

On 23 Feb, 15:58, David Cantrell wrote:
At Covent Garden station this morning the charming young lady^Wrecorded
announcement was telling people to get off there for the museum. I take
it that it has re-opened then?

No, the automated announcement advising people to alight for the
museum has been in use continually since it closed, proving that not
only do these new announcements constitute over-provision (announcing
every station name in advance, despite everybody coping perfectly well
without LU doing so before), but that one also ends up less informed
by listening to them than by not!

Keith Raeburn wrote:
On 23 Feb, 15:58, David Cantrell wrote:
At Covent Garden station this morning the charming young
lady^Wrecorded announcement was telling people to get off there
for the museum. I take it that it has re-opened then?

No, the automated announcement advising people to alight for the
museum has been in use continually since it closed,

Since you have apparently listened to it continually and are evidently
irritated by it, I assume you must have complained to LU/TfL about it.
What response did you receive?

proving that not only do these new announcements constitute
over-provision
(announcing every station name in advance, despite everybody coping
perfectly well without LU doing so before),

Given that London is a major international tourist destination, and
having noticed many tourists staring in bewilderment at the line
diagrams in the trains, I think it's likely that many passengers do
appreciate being told the next station name in advance. There are many
examples of over-provision in announcements, but this isn't one of them.

but that one also ends up less informed by listening to them than by
not!

In this instance I agree, but not generally.
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

Given that London is a major international tourist destination, and
having noticed many tourists staring in bewilderment at the line
diagrams in the trains, I think it's likely that many passengers do
appreciate being told the next station name in advance. There are many
examples of over-provision in announcements, but this isn't one of them.

But if you're going somewhere, do you just get on a train and hope
someone will announce where you've got to get off? Whenever I've been
somewhere I've researched in a guide book or online to find the
nearest station. It's rather like announcing where you can change for
other lines, surely you'd plan your journey beforehand and work out
yourself where you've got to change.

On Feb 26, 10:08 am, "Joe Patrick"
wrote:
Given that London is a major international tourist destination, and
having noticed many tourists staring in bewilderment at the line
diagrams in the trains, I think it's likely that many passengers do
appreciate being told the next station name in advance. There are many
examples of over-provision in announcements, but this isn't one of them.

But if you're going somewhere, do you just get on a train and hope
someone will announce where you've got to get off? Whenever I've been
somewhere I've researched in a guide book or online to find the
nearest station. It's rather like announcing where you can change for
other lines, surely you'd plan your journey beforehand and work out
yourself where you've got to change.



Or, looking at it another way, if you didn't know where any of the
lines went without an announcement, it wouldn't be any use to be told
that you could change to one of them, because you wouldn't know if it
took you where you wanted to go.

I can't see any point in any of the announcements, apart from the ones
reminding you that the next station is closed and other variations
from the published service.

Another thought is that if the people who are presumed to most need
the announcements are foreign tourists, a muffled announcement of a
station name that they possibly don't know how to pronounce is useless
anyway. When I'm in a foreign city, even one where I can use school
French, I find announcements completely useless and have to rely on
diagrams. Even if I can make out the station name, I don't know what
they are saying about it.

MIG wrote:
On Feb 26, 10:08 am, "Joe Patrick"
wrote:
Given that London is a major international tourist destination,
and having noticed many tourists staring in bewilderment at the
line diagrams in the trains, I think it's likely that many
passengers do appreciate being told the next station name in
advance. There are many examples of over-provision in
announcements, but this isn't one of them.

But if you're going somewhere, do you just get on a train and hope
someone will announce where you've got to get off? Whenever I've
been somewhere I've researched in a guide book or online to find
the nearest station. It's rather like announcing where you can
change for other lines, surely you'd plan your journey beforehand
and work out yourself where you've got to change.

Or, looking at it another way, if you didn't know where any of the
lines went without an announcement, it wouldn't be any use to be
told that you could change to one of them, because you wouldn't
know if it took you where you wanted to go.

I can't see any point in any of the announcements, apart from the
ones reminding you that the next station is closed and other
variations from the published service.

I found it helpful to be told that Notting Hill Gate was the next stop
today, having been engrossed in Metro for several stations. Seriously,
all you are saying is that you know your way around without any help.
Thousands aren't so fortunate.

Another thought is that if the people who are presumed to most need
the announcements are foreign tourists, a muffled announcement of a
station name that they possibly don't know how to pronounce is
useless anyway. When I'm in a foreign city, even one where I can
use school French, I find announcements completely useless and have
to rely on diagrams. Even if I can make out the station name, I
don't know what they are saying about it.

But your average foreign tourist here speaks and understands English
rather better than most Englishmen abroad understand the local language.
I agree that muffled announcements aren't much help, even if you do
understand the language. But the latest LU examples (District and
Piccadilly) are actually very clear.
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

Joe Patrick wrote:
Given that London is a major international tourist destination, and
having noticed many tourists staring in bewilderment at the line
diagrams in the trains, I think it's likely that many passengers do
appreciate being told the next station name in advance. There are
many examples of over-provision in announcements, but this isn't
one of them.

But if you're going somewhere, do you just get on a train and hope
someone will announce where you've got to get off? Whenever I've
been somewhere I've researched in a guide book or online to find the
nearest station. It's rather like announcing where you can change
for other lines, surely you'd plan your journey beforehand and work
out yourself where you've got to change.

Joe: you're a railwayman yourself, I believe, so of course you would
carry out that research without a second thought, and so would I. But
there are many, many people who visit London and find it all rather
confusing, and are genuinely anxious about whether they are on the right
train, where they have to change etc.
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)