Fare gates at city train stations

[ozbob]

http://www.translink.com.au/servicechange.php?id=536

Fare gates at city train stations - effective 6 April 2010

From Tuesday 6 April, fare gates at South Brisbane, Roma Street and Fortitude Valley train stations will only be accessible with go cards. A wide access fare gate will remain open for paper ticket holders and people with disabilities.

[ozbob]

I assume the wide access fare gate is one of the large go gates?

Looks like there will be queuing all round ...

[ozbob]

At the main Roma St go gate array one of the large gates has been set for anti-peak flow.  If the changes mean that one large gate is now used for paper etc. this only leaves the one large gate ( still set for anti-peak flow or have the anti-peak punters been abandoned ..) and the four gates for peak touches.  Clearly inadequate.  The area previously used for paper needs to be fitted urgently with a couple of gates, one large, one small for touching against the peak.

Has anyone seen the 'no queuing' ads for the go card anywhere of late?   LOL

Oh dear, I can see the headlines in the mX now "Go Card Gate Gridlock ... "

Looking forward to tomorrow ...  

[somebody]

Far too heavy handed.

[Mozz]

Far too heavy handed.

[somebody]

There's still a large element who use paper tickets.  They still need to be catered for to a greater degree than just the wide go gate.

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

6 April 2010

Greetings,

Changes for the go card gates at South Brisbane, Fortitude Valley and Roma St Stations have been indicated from today by TransLink (see --> http://www.translink.com.au/servicechange.php?id=536 ).  Further corralling of commuters at this time in face of inadequate go card gate numbers and arrangements is not conducive for good customer relations.  Further more, we suggest that it is a possible breach of Occupational Health and Safety.  One only has to sit observing peak flows at major stations to understand that sooner or later there will be injuries as go card users attempt to battle on against peak flows.  A failure to set proper directional flows at all stations with adequate go gate arrays is yet another aspect of a very poor implementation of the go card.

At the main Roma St go gate array one of the large gates has been set for anti-peak flow of late.  If the changes mean that one large gate is now used for paper etc. this only leaves the one large gate ( still set for anti-peak flow or have the anti-peak punters been abandoned?) and the four gates for peak touches.  Clearly inadequate.  The area previously used for paper needs to be fitted urgently with a couple of gates, one large, one small for touching against the peak.  Additional gates also need to placed at Central station to facilitate anti-peak flows, there is room right front of the main ticket box.

A suggested  improved layout of go gates can be viewed here --> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=3565.msg24301#msg24301

Promised extra rail services but not delivered, forced to cope with a poor train frequency with ridiculous timetable gaps, and now treated like cattle, it is little wonder that public transport commuters on rail are rapidly loosing what little faith they have left with the authorities.

Best wishes
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org


Reference:

1.  http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=3565.msg23642#msg23642

============================


Media Release 13 March 2010

SEQ:  GOing against the flow - work needed now

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport commuters has called for some additional go card gates to be placed at major rail stations to safely allow go card users to touch on and off against peak flows.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"Observations at peak times at Central and Roma Street stations have confirmed the difficulty for many go card users in attempting to touch on and off at peak times against the waves of commuters (1).  As go card usage surges this problem is becoming one of concern to public transport commuters and is not only risky in terms of potential personal injury it is very frustrating to users."

"There is a definite need for some go card gates to be set up that are uni-directional, that is, permit only an anti peak flow for users.  There is room at both Central and Roma Street stations for some additional gates to be set up for this purpose. TransLink does need to ensure that as we move to a 100%  go card ticketing environment there is sufficient go card equipment in place on the network to allow safe and timely use."

References:

1.  http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=486.msg22916#msg22916

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[Nightwriter]

Large queues this morning at 7.15 - so god only knows what its going to be like at 8!!  Large amounts of TOs standing at the bottom of the steps to each platform - for no one knows why.

Can someone please enlighten me as to the reasoning behind this??

[ozbob]

I passed through the Roma St main gates at around 6.35am.  Previous paper areas closed, only 4 gates effectively for those touching off.  One small gate was set for anti-peak flow.  Already a bit of a mess, signage was confusing.  Clearly a very poor move in view of the inadequate gate numbers.  There is concern that some folks will get injured (I spoke to a few people).  Watched as people with luggage tried to go against the flow.  This setup is a disgrace, very symbolic of the botched go card roll out.

Parklands gates



Main gates



Photographs R Dow 6th April 2010

[ozbob]

Can someone please enlighten me as to the reasoning behind this??

No doubt the old chest nut of 'fare evasion' will be rolled out .... the fact is the TOs would more be more gainfully employed out on the network where fare evasion is rife.

Farce ...

I actually think that fare box leakage due to go card equipment failure is probably now greater than the loss due to fare evasion ..

[dwb]

There's a little test I like to apply to all my work, "would a bystander look at this and think, wtf?"... clearly TL have not applied this test in this case (in a sense a continuation of their same behaviour for a while now). Stop with the hard measures and lead with the carrots - its easy!

[ozbob]

Media Release 7 April 2010

SEQ:  Go gates inadequate and unsafe

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport commuters has previously called for some additional go card gates to be placed at major rail stations to safely allow go card users to touch on and off against peak flows.  After yesterdays debacle at Roma St station it is clear that the concerns of rail commuters are again ignored.  The situation is unsafe and needs urgent action.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"Observations at peak times at Central and Roma Street stations have confirmed the difficulty for many go card users in attempting to touch on and off at peak times against the waves of commuters (1).  As go card usage surges this problem is one of concern to public transport commuters and is not only risky in terms of potential personal injury it is very frustrating to users as they now constantly queue to touch off and on at peak times.  The closure of the wide paper exit at Roma St station has now forced peak hour commuters into the go card equivalent of cattle chutes.  Observations yesterday again confirmed the deplorable situation with the inadequate number of go gates and the potential for injury.  It seems that rail customers are expendable (2)."

"There is a definite need for some additional go card gates to be set up that are uni-directional, that is, permit only an anti peak flow for users.  There is room at both Central and Roma Street stations for some additional gates to be set up for this purpose. TransLink does need to ensure that as we move to a 100%  go card ticketing environment there is sufficient go card equipment in place on the network to allow safe and timely use."

"A measure of the thought and planning that has been put into the go card implementation is the number of gates at the Parklands exit at Roma St station compared to the number at the main exit.  The same number as the main exit, and the number of people who transit through the main exit relative to the Parklands exit must be in the order of 50 times!  Clearly at least half of the gates at the Parklands exit need to be moved down to the main exit end.  Pending that change the wide paper exits need to be reopened to minimise the chance of injury and reduce the delays.  The no queuing advertisements for the go card are a joke, is this false advertising?"

References:

1.   http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=486.msg22916#msg22916

2.   http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=3669.0

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[ozbob]

Went through Roma St around 6.50am this morning.  Staff are now opening up the shutters for pax with luggage only.   Sort of defeats the purpose a bit, keep them open until the gates can be sorted.

I conducted my own planning for the gates.  Two large gates, 6 small at the angle.  Where the shutters are one large and two small would be the go (move them down from the parklands exit).  This would then give the capacity for permanent against the peak gates, essential for a T R A N S I T centre.  I spoke to a few punters around the place, no one very happy with the changes at all.  Apparently a bit of 'grief' yesterday as well ...

Punters 10, TransLink 0  

[somebody]

An alternative to angling the gates would be something like this:


   |-|-|-| |
   \          |
    \         |
     \        |
      \       |
       \      |
        \     |
|-|-|-|    |

If you'll excuse the ascii art, I think you can see what I mean.

[ozbob]

 

Yes, another excellent way of packing in more gates ..   

[longboi]

I think this is something we really should be pushing. An angled partition would be very effective.

[verbatim9]

There simply is not enough fare gates at Roma or Central to cope with the peak flow. Plus the gates take ages to open is like you touch and the gates  fly open in slow motion.

[Barbar]

There simply is not enough fare gates at Roma or Central to cope with the peak flow. Plus the gates take ages to open is like you touch and the gates  fly open in slow motion.

I wonder if the fare gate manufacturer provided TransLink any technical specs on what is the gates designed maximum operational "person per minute throughput" rate e.g  guaranteed 12 openings per minute, sustainable over 2 hours....there must be some maths in there somewhere that can deliver the desirable number of fare gates to match expected peak flow...or was it just a case of installing as many as can fit the available space. ?

[ozbob]

There doesn't seem to have been much real planning when you look at the gates at the parklands exit relative to the main exit.  I suggested that the numbers through the main gates relative to the parklands array was 50 times earlier today, in actual fact it is probably 100 times or more.   The other special consideration for Roma St is that it is a Transit centre.  That fact also escaped the planners.  The belated catch up with readers out on the stations  and the long overdue placement of some AVVMs in the busway stations is another sign ...  

[awotam]

"Has anyone seen the 'no queuing' ads for the go card anywhere of late?   LOL"
As recently as last Thursday, they were being played ad nauseam on screens above the Roma St main exit... 

[dwb]

LOL

"Has anyone seen the 'no queuing' ads for the go card anywhere of late?   LOL"
As recently as last Thursday, they were being played ad nauseam on screens above the Roma St main exit...

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

8th April 2010

Greetings,

Nothing happening about the sad situation at Roma St railway station.  Seems that rail commuters have been abandoned, survival of the fittest.

The advertisements that have been playing on the monitors at Roma St railway station extolling the virtues of  'no queuing' with the go card are downright falsehoods.

Have a read of this thread --> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=3669.0

There are solutions,  but  as usual nothing happens.  Just more more mediocrity which has come to characterise much of the go card roll out and implementation.

Have a nice day.

Cheers
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[ozbob]

Presently at Central.  Called into Roma St and had a look around 7.35am, only moderate loads and the 3 + 1 gates off barely coping.  Last evening when I came on at Roma St, one gate was dead.  They way it is at Roma St, not only is there not enough capacity but no redundancy.

Central - still nothing in  place to really safely facilitate anti-peak flows.  Noted some intermittent closing problems with some of gates.

[somebody]

A bit harsh, ozbob.  I wonder how they'll respond to that?

I share your frustration though, and I'm sure a fair portion of Brisbane does too.

[ozbob]

From the City News 8th April 2010 page 3

New go card gates pose safety risks

[ozbob]

Harsh?  Far from it, particularly as these issues have long been pointed out and well prior to the recent changes. 

I am hopeful that something may be done to resolve the situation asap.

:bi

[somebody]

I didn't say unfair.

[Mozz]

Translink: Minor change to passenger flow
Reality: Closure of around 20 - 30% of the available commuter passageway (at least at Roma Street) and forcing people through gates and readers which are hopelessly inadequate for their intended purpose.

Hmmm I would hate to see a major change

[#Metro]

http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=3260.0

Sorry to be cynical, but I can just see it: A media release would go out first announcing the installation of the gate, with much fanfare. Then a single gate would be installed (thinking that is more than adequate), and after a 2 year delay on standby, it would be switched on.

Then the gate will be too small for people with special needs or the wrong size. It might not beep properly. The gate might fail to open on the first day. It will charge people twice (once at the gate) and on the bus. A $ blowout in IT consultants and experts would occur as they try to get the system to ignore accidental touch ons in the bus just for that station. And media releases would rain down upon us all.

This Cubic GoCard has been rolled out in lots of places. Surely this is not the first time this has ever happened 

[awotam]

From the City News 8th April 2010 page 3

New go card gates pose safety risks

"However a Translink spokesman said passenger safety was a priority and denied the changes posed a risk to passengers.
'There has been a minor change to passenger flow...Roma St fare gates to manage increased GoCard usage and to further protect against fare evasion' he said. 'It is expected this will STREAMLINE ENTRY AND EXIT DURING PEAK TIME'"
Do these people have rocks for brains?!?!?!?!?!  Honestly, it would be laughable if it weren't so serious  Maybe some of them should get out of their ivory towers occasionally and have a look at the consequences of these "minor changes"! 

[awotam]

LOL

"Has anyone seen the 'no queuing' ads for the go card anywhere of late?   LOL"
As recently as last Thursday, they were being played ad nauseam on screens above the Roma St main exit...

They were being played again this week. However as I was on a later shift at work, it was 10.30 am by the time I was going through, so there was no congestion. However I would not have been amused if I'd been caught in the peak time crush had they been playing then.... 

[ozbob]

This is a photograph of the main gates at Roma St today, showing the signs used to highlight the directional settings of the gates.

The go advertisements extolling the 'virtues' of the go card were playing on the monitors too ..



Photograph R Dow 11th April 2010

[O_128]

What really needs to happen is the stupid flimsy gates replaced with ones similar to sydney and have the arrow or cross higher up above the gate

[dwb]

The convention in our society is stick to the left. So I wonder why these gates on the left are no entry? It is not a hard convention to follow!

[dwb]

http://www.translink.com.au/servicechange.php?id=593

Service update
Home > Buses/Trains/Ferries > Service updates > Service update
Roma Street fare gate changes - effective 6 May 2010

From Thursday 6 May go card gates at the Parklands end of the Roma Street station will be closed for works.

A go card reader has been installed on platform 10 for customers to touch on and touch off. You can exit the station via platform 10.

Paper ticket holders can still enter and exit the station as normal from the Parklands end of the station.

Affected timetables
No specific timetables are affected by this service change.

[Otto]

The convention in our society is stick to the left. So I wonder why these gates on the left are no entry? It is not a hard convention to follow!

Maybe because the system was designed in Europe where they keep to the right .

[dwb]

Maybe because the system was designed in Europe where they keep to the right .

You're joking right Otto? lol

Cubic IS American, where they do drive on the right, but Oyster, which was one of Cubic's biggest implementations is in London, where they drive on the left!

Besides, surely they can pick which gates go which way, either manually or through a time based automatic programming???

[longboi]

Besides, surely they can pick which gates go which way, either manually or through a time based automatic programming???

Thats what the LED cross and arrows are for

[dwb]

Thats what the LED cross and arrows are for

Really?? I didn't know that. *jokes*

Actually when I said "pick" I meant the operator selecting the mode/direction of each gates' operation, not how commuters know which way to walk through.

[tronixstuff]

The gates are terribly slow at opening - the slowest I have ever seen anywhere. I may be responsible for burning the servos/motors out in a couple from pushing them. The system should be fast enough for people to have to not have to slow down when travelling through. As I often say, it happens... elsewhere.