UK Legal Advice

[Kyuuketsuki]

OK,

Where do I go for free legal advice (I'm thinking some kind of online forum or a place I can go ask a question online and get an answer back)?

It's nothing serious, just something that bugs the hell out of me so I'll explain because someone might know the answer here anyway.

I travel by train to work each day and I have an annual ticket ... at the stations they have auto-ticket-checking gates but these necessitate me taking out my cardboard ticket and shoving it through the machine which takes time, risks loss of said ticket (try to pick up a ticket you've dropped with several hundred people trying to get past you the way commuters do). The machines sometimes go wrong but mostly it just bugs me that by the time I am a couple of months in my ticket is getting dog-eared and won't go through the machines properly. I'm a big (not fat but defo on the "porky" side) so if I'm carrying two bags (which I sometimes do ... my own sh** and a work portable) it can be a bit difficult to get through the relatively narrow channels (underground ones are better in that respect but they also have automatic wide gates and a ticket system you don't have to remove tickets for ... I just touch my wallet, with oyster card inside, to the machine and I'm through).

Naturally enough, on BR, I'm opportunistic ... if someone goes through the access gate (not the machine), I'll go though that showing my ticket without having to take it out of the wallet. No problem there but on the odd occasion I get stroppy-guard who will let the person through with whatever he/she can't get through the auto-gates and then stop passengers (in this case me) following through. This irritates me ... big surprise!

Now I know BR has the legal right (transport by-laws I believe) to demand to see your ticket but I don't believe they have the right to force a passenger through the auto-gates and I got slight confirmation when that happened to me several months back and I said to the guard that I understood he had the right to check my ticket but I didn't believe he had the right to force me through the auto-gate (especially if his gate was open) and he agreed (but he may have simply been backing down before Mr. Angry of Faversham). This morning something similar happened again ... hundreds of passengers piling up to get through at Victoria, guy with bags so gate is opened and other passengers then started to use that gate but the guard tried to shut the gate and force the passengers back to the auto-gates.

So I decided to find out what my legal rights were.

Opinions welcome (and yeah I know I'm being a bit of a dick over this, it's just one of those things) and if anyone knows of any forums that handle UK legal advice I'd like to know ... I've other questions anyway.

Kyu

[Sam]

Kyu,

Don't even get me started on the English rail transport system, without being over dramatic I can say it is the one unrelenting thorn in my side!

I travel to and from Uni each week, every single week the train is packed and I have to stand for my journey in a croud of other commuters, then I have the conductors who get so flumoxed they check your ticket several times which is just a pain in the ass when you barely have room to breathe ... and to top it off a couple of week back I had my ticket checked 3 times on the platform at Preston, and accidentaly dropped the return portion of my ticket (Which I was using) so some arrogant pious conductor insisted I buy a new one despite me showing him my outward and reciept tickets ... I think by the time that guy threatened to call the transport police I just gave up and bought one ... *Rant Over*

As far as I'm aware a company or organisation gets to set the routes for customers through it's facilitys, and the rules / regulations under which different paths can be used. Given their right to insist on ticket check and an automated turnstyle being an efficient method they probably have cause for insisting on the use of an automated gate ... just my opinion though, I can't be sure.

Regards

Sam

[Kyuuketsuki]

As far as I'm aware a company or organisation gets to set the routes for customers through it's facilitys, and the rules / regulations under which different paths can be used. Given their right to insist on ticket check and an automated turnstyle being an efficient method they probably have cause for insisting on the use of an automated gate ... just my opinion though, I can't be sure.

Bummer! Thanks Sam

Kyu

[LondonLoves]

As far as I'm aware a company or organisation gets to set the routes for customers through it's facilitys, and the rules / regulations under which different paths can be used. Given their right to insist on ticket check and an automated turnstyle being an efficient method they probably have cause for insisting on the use of an automated gate ... just my opinion though, I can't be sure.

Bummer! Thanks Sam

Kyu

Rail Law is a very specialised subject and your problems in obtaining advice will be two-fold: 1. Solicitors dealing with narrow specialisms charge the earth (no market forces y'see?); 2. Free legal services (CAB, Pro-bono units) will either not have the specialism or only deal with cases where there is a lack of justice because of the costs of the legal system.

The best thing you can do is write or call the operator of the gating system (which should be the franchisee) and enquire whether it is necessary. I would imagine that there is no legal reason to have to go through the barriers but, by the same token, there is no obligation on the franchisee to let you through a wider gate. The law probably says that they have the right to demand that you show a ticket for your journey and may implement any reasonable method to do it. In the interests of efficacy that is probably the ticket barriers which would not be unreasonable.

My respects go out to all UK rail commuters. I endured the hell of commuting from Canada Water to Goodge Street on a daily basis for 2 years on the delightful London Underground. These days I often whistle a happy tune while walking to work.

[Kyuuketsuki]

My respects go out to all UK rail commuters. I endured the hell of commuting from Canada Water to Goodge Street on a daily basis for 2 years on the delightful London Underground. These days I often whistle a happy tune while walking to work.

Thanks LL.

Kyu

[leo-rcc]

When I commuted in London I never had much problems with the underground. Granted it was only for 2 months but still.

[Kyuuketsuki]

When I commuted in London I never had much problems with the underground. Granted it was only for 2 months but still.

The underground wasn't my problem but gah ... it's so frakking crowded!!!!!!

Ultimately I think the only real answer is to continue looking for jobs in Kent so I can avoid London altogether ... roll on retirement

Kyu