Good news from the groundswell Music Free Buses… and Trains Campaign which has been lobbying Transport for London to impose a blanket ban on the use of mobile phone MP3 players without headphones on buses. TfL recently incorporated a modest "Keep your music down" sign on the Central Notice on every bus (see here because we bet you’ve never noticed it before) but suddenly they’ve upped the ante and are going to scare the pants off the miscreants who persist in 'sharing' their taste in R&B with everyone else by the introduction of…. another pink sign!!
Argh! Yes. This time it specifically says "please don’t play music out loud" and will appear in the Central Notice and as a standalone sign, at the back of buses, on both decks. Hallelujah! Result.
Hmmm. Has it occurred to anyone else that, however assertive and eye catching these perky pink signs are, those who play their music aloud fundamentally have an issue with respect and consideration for others and may not be very bovvered by the signs, if they clock them in the first place? And if they do, are they likely to cause a personal revelation, it having never occurred to them that their Akon tracks might not be what fellow passengers want to listen to? And will the presence of the signs make us, the ones who just want a quiet life, any more likely to challenge someone defying the pink edict?
Oh, and, has anyone seen these guys yet?
Londonist fears we will be continuing with our ‘ignore and simmer with rage’ policy for a while yet.
