Wed 6 September 2006 - Inconsiderate, or thoughtless? Vague, or obtuse?
I’m no fan of Connex’s obtuse “Don’t Hold Others Back” campaign. Some of the TV ads make no sense when seen in isolation: you have to go to the web site to find out what it’s about. Of those that have ready web access, how many people would bother? Some advertising people will probably win an award for it.
At least the billboards at least make it reasonably clear what the message is.
Then of course there’s the message itself. Connex’s own statistics show passengers cause a minority of delays to trains. (I can’t find the stat right now, but from memory it was something like 20%.) I’m not about to claim there aren’t people out there who deliberately hold doors and things cause delays, but most people don’t, and I somehow doubt those that do will be convinced to stop by these ads.
Then of course there are other methods of being inconsiderate, this guy in a sopping coat on the train this morning:
He probably rendered the seat unusable for the next hour or so. Wouldn’t be that hard to either take the coat off before sitting, or stand for the three stops. Given the amount of water on him I find it hard to believe he didn’t realise.
September 6th, 2006 at 8:08pm
Look at all the spare seats!
September 6th, 2006 at 9:46pm
It was after peak hour - about 9:30am.
September 6th, 2006 at 10:45pm
Must’ve been the Upfield Line with all those spare seats.
September 7th, 2006 at 8:15am
Did you bore death eyes into his back ?
That’s the sort of passive-aggressive approach I would have taken
September 7th, 2006 at 9:21am
You all need to move to the Alamein line, it’s very rare not to get a seat
A lot of my colleagues are on the Dandenong/Frankston lines and constantly complain about the packed in trains, I wonder what all the fuss is about 
September 7th, 2006 at 1:03pm
Looks like the Grim Reaper’s car is in for a service and he’s had to catch the train.
Also, I could make jokes about Melbourne rain, but us Sydney siders cant take the piss as its bucketing here too…
September 7th, 2006 at 1:17pm
It was the Sandringham line.
Nathan, you may laugh, but you’re not going to be getting the weekend after-midnight trains the rest of us will be getting…
H-N-B, you don’t think taking his picture and posting it on the web was enough?
September 7th, 2006 at 1:46pm
I’ve seen the “Don’t Hold Others Back†posters at stations but had no idea it was from Connex and related to train travel. I guess you need to watch commercial TV to get the tie-in. ‘fraid the posters are wasted on me.
September 7th, 2006 at 8:50pm
I don’t like it, they are blaming the passengers yet again. Also I hate being asked for a ticket twice on the same tram ride. If there was a conductor I would only be asked once and junkies, pedophiles and the mentally deranged would get the arse from the tram.
September 8th, 2006 at 10:32pm
Ditto and ditto and ditto again, Tim.
I hate those ads. This is what my $155 a month was paying for. Effectively being blamed by Connex as the fault of their shitty service. Effing ridiculous.
September 12th, 2006 at 8:33pm
I’ve just moved from 4 years on the Cranbourne/Packenham line to the Lilydale/Belgrave line.
Oh my!! Seats most of the time plus express trains galore during peak hour to the city and home to Mitcham. I’m the same distance out from the city as in Dandy North but one of the trains home is soooo express that Mitcham is only the 4th stop!
cheers,
Shell ‘loving it in the East’ Commuter