Sam?s travels and delays over the other side of the channel led me to contemplate whether we are getting too fussy about delays (no criticism
about Sam). Things seem to go wrong with all forms of transport. I was delayed on the road the other day, adding an hour to a two and a half hour trip. Planes are often late, especially towards the end of the day. Have we just got too consumerist, expecting to get exactly what the website
promises?
On 31/08/2026 18:08, Tweed wrote:
Sam?s travels and delays over the other side of the channel led me to
contemplate whether we are getting too fussy about delays (no criticism
about Sam). Things seem to go wrong with all forms of transport. I was
delayed on the road the other day, adding an hour to a two and a half
hour
trip. Planes are often late, especially towards the end of the day.
Have we
just got too consumerist, expecting to get exactly what the website
promises?
I suppose the big difference is that if you are in your car then you can
try a different route, stop somewhere for a meal and drink or carry
these in the car.ÿ Even motorway traffic can be turned around and
diverted fairly quickly.ÿ Aircraft will normally have food and drink on board and of course cannot stay up in the air so must be brought down.
Sam?s travels and delays over the other side of the channel led me to contemplate whether we are getting too fussy about delays (no criticism
about Sam). Things seem to go wrong with all forms of transport. I was delayed on the road the other day, adding an hour to a two and a half hour trip. Planes are often late, especially towards the end of the day. Have we just got too consumerist, expecting to get exactly what the website
promises?
Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> wrote:
Sam?s travels and delays over the other side of the channel led me to
contemplate whether we are getting too fussy about delays (no criticism
about Sam). Things seem to go wrong with all forms of transport. I was
delayed on the road the other day, adding an hour to a two and a half hour >> trip. Planes are often late, especially towards the end of the day. Have we >> just got too consumerist, expecting to get exactly what the website
promises?
In the aviation case, it's because airlines schedule tight turnarounds to sweat their expensive aircraft. If they added in generous margins then
there would be recovery time to handle delays, but they don't want to do
that because it costs money.
ie it's ultimately their financial decision. We may get a lower price
ticket out of it, but dynamic pricing says we may not - often they're the ones pocketing the benefit. It's only rules like EU261 that keeps them honest as far as making delays hit their bottom line.
There is the idea that different cultures have different ideas of time and punctuality - African time v Swiss time. Perhaps we should be more chilled about journeys taking longer - things happen. But it's a fine line from
that and the operator taking that as an excuse for cost-cutting and abusing their customers.
The problem with a delays is that there is too long a time before
putting into action the "this is going to last some time" plan - which
for cars should involve turning cars on a motorway *far* sooner than normally happens, and for trains involves evacuating the train so people
can make their own way (eg phone for a taxi or a lift from a friend).
Too often, the emergency services think only of the emergency itself
(which *of course* should be the first priority) but the plan doesn't consider the trapped traffic or trapped passengers.
I had a trip to Egypt a couple of years ago. This involved six Egyptair >flights, all of which were noticeably late. This was regarded as entirely >normal, and not something that needed an apology. In one case (a return >flight from Abu Simbel to Aswan), they held the fight for us, in
recognition that they?d got us in very late. Our local guide was confident >that this would happen. It meant that we walked straight from the coach to >the plane, with minimal airport security, unlike most Egyptian airport >departures.
There is the idea that different cultures have different ideas of time and >punctuality - African time v Swiss time.
The last time I was stuck on the motorway, I was pleasantly surprised
at how quickly they arranged a diversion and turned cars around to get
to the diversion.
In message <1175s81$1ikcj$1@dont-email.me>, at 07:44:16 on Tue, 1 Sep
2026, JMB99 <mb@nospam.net> remarked:
The last time I was stuck on the motorway, I was pleasantly surprised
at how quickly they arranged a diversion and turned cars around to get
to the diversion.
The supermarket_delivery_van/train bash at a user-worked crossing
the other day, it reportedly took two hours to start detraining the passengers.
On 01/09/2026 08:08, Roland Perry wrote:
In message <1175s81$1ikcj$1@dont-email.me>, at 07:44:16 on Tue, 1 Sep >>2026, JMB99 <mb@nospam.net> remarked:
The last time I was stuck on the motorway, I was pleasantly
surprised at how quickly they arranged a diversion and turned cars >>>around to get to the diversion.
The supermarket_delivery_van/train bash at a user-worked crossing
the other day, it reportedly took two hours to start detraining the >>passengers.
That seems much faster than usual, based on other reports (which may be
a biased sample as the more annoying cases get more coverage).
On 01/09/2026 08:08, Roland Perry wrote:
In message <1175s81$1ikcj$1@dont-email.me>, at 07:44:16 on Tue, 1 Sep
2026, JMB99 <mb@nospam.net> remarked:
The last time I was stuck on the motorway, I was pleasantly surprised
at how quickly they arranged a diversion and turned cars around to get
to the diversion.
The supermarket_delivery_van/train bash at a user-worked crossing
the other day, it reportedly took two hours to start detraining the
passengers.
That seems much faster than usual, based on other reports (which may be
a biased sample as the more annoying cases get more coverage).
Sam?s travels and delays over the other side of the channel led me to contemplate whether we are getting too fussy about delays (no criticism
about Sam). Things seem to go wrong with all forms of transport. I was delayed on the road the other day, adding an hour to a two and a half hour trip. Planes are often late, especially towards the end of the day. Have we just got too consumerist, expecting to get exactly what the website
promises?
On Tue, 1 Sep 2026 10:55:29 +0100
Certes <Certes@example.org> gabbled:
On 01/09/2026 08:08, Roland Perry wrote:
In message <1175s81$1ikcj$1@dont-email.me>, at 07:44:16 on Tue, 1 Sep
2026, JMB99 <mb@nospam.net> remarked:
The last time I was stuck on the motorway, I was pleasantly surprised >>>> at how quickly they arranged a diversion and turned cars around to get >>>> to the diversion.
The supermarket_delivery_van/train bash at a user-worked crossing
the other day, it reportedly took two hours to start detraining the
passengers.
That seems much faster than usual, based on other reports (which may be
a biased sample as the more annoying cases get more coverage).
I refused to put up with that bollocks when a train I was on got stuck
many years ago. Luckily part was still on a platform so I detrained myself >after 30 mins using an emergency door open. Its about time the people who >work on the railways realised its not a trainset and people are not cattle.
On 31/08/2026 20:54, NY wrote:
Too often, the emergency services think only of the emergency itself
(which *of course* should be the first priority) but the plan doesn't
consider the trapped traffic or trapped passengers.
Most of problems started when road accidents became 'crime scenes'
There was a TV programme years ago about a fatal accident on the A87
across Skye - there is NO alternative route so the road being closed all
day caused major problems.
The accident investigation unit was based in Inverness and already
committed to another accident so someone asked why they did not hire
someone to do the investigation.ÿ There are apparently people /
companies who have all the qualifications / certifications to record / investigate fatal Road Traffic Accidents.
In message <1175s81$1ikcj$1@dont-email.me>, at 07:44:16 on Tue, 1 Sep
2026, JMB99 <mb@nospam.net> remarked:
The last time I was stuck on the motorway, I was pleasantly surprised
at how quickly they arranged a diversion and turned cars around to get
to the diversion.
The supermarket_delivery_van/train bash at a user-worked crossing
the other day, it reportedly took two hours to start detraining the passengers.
On 01/09/2026 08:08, Roland Perry wrote:
In message <1175s81$1ikcj$1@dont-email.me>, at 07:44:16 on Tue, 1 Sep
2026, JMB99 <mb@nospam.net> remarked:
The last time I was stuck on the motorway, I was pleasantly surprised at >>> how quickly they arranged a diversion and turned cars around to get to
the diversion.
The supermarket_delivery_van/train bash at a user-worked crossing
the other day, it reportedly took two hours to start detraining the
passengers.
But is there any point in detraining passengers until alternative transport is available ? The accident occurred at a minor country road, a long walk from any bus route or from the nearest station.
On 01/09/2026 08:08, Roland Perry wrote:
In message <1175s81$1ikcj$1@dont-email.me>, at 07:44:16 on Tue, 1 Sep >>2026, JMB99 <mb@nospam.net> remarked:
The last time I was stuck on the motorway, I was pleasantly
surprised at how quickly they arranged a diversion and turned cars >>>around to get to the diversion.
The supermarket_delivery_van/train bash at a user-worked crossing
the other day, it reportedly took two hours to start detraining the >>passengers.
But is there any point in detraining passengers until alternative
transport is available ? The accident occurred at a minor country road,
a long walk from any bus route or from the nearest station.
Inevitably, their DB ICE from Cologne wound its way into NL more than 2 hours late, such that they'd missed the last connection.
On the bright side, after I'd encouraged her to talk to the train guard
(or whatever DB call them) as soon as it was obvious there was going to
be trouble, and not wait until they arrived, they were very helpful;
they phoned ahead to the station in NL and when they got there they were already ready to put them on an alternative train that got them half-way
to their destination, and then in a taxi at NS's expense the rest of the way, so can't really ask more than that.
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