Sunday, June 1

Here's the final proof why tube drinking is right to be banned

I am perhaps out of synch with the wider world or am an old fart but still cannot understand why you have to get drunk to enjoy. I used to drink like a fish when young as well, and have sowed my wild oats, lol. But, hey, more fun to have without drinking, anyway, you get to pick up more girls when you are sober than drunk, so go figure.

But well, ok, that's your choice and your liver. But when it comes to public transport, why am I supposed to share that public transport with people who are drunk and disorderly?

I will agree to your right to drink when you are willing to pay for somebody to accompany you and stop you from doing something stupid. You do not have a problem with banning drink drivers, do you? But you have a problem with people drinking on public roads and creating a nuisance? So basically it is hypocrisy because the reason this was done was to rebel against a conservative mayor.

This is what happens when you allow drinking on the tube. See here for more mayhem and arrests. I quote:

Police also reported four assaults on train drivers and three assaults on other members of London Underground staff.

Empty carriage strewn with litter

Clowns, its a relief that nobody got injured or dead in that frankly silly party. But then, people who rely on drinks to feel good are, well, ok, you know what I think of them.

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

No, that's what happens when you ban alcohol on the tube. If it weren't for the ban, there wouldn't be this party.

Usually the problem is caused by people who are already drunk getting on the train, apart from yesterday, most people are only on the tube for no more than 30-40 minutes, banning alcohol is not going to stop them causing problems.

Only a very small percentage of people caused problems yesterday and they can be arrested under existing laws. I don't usually drink on the tube, but I do on longer rail journeys (3 or more hours), I've never caused trouble on the trains and it's a shame that the minority that cause trouble are causing policies that affect those that don't cause trouble,

Bhaskar Dasgupta said...

Thanks, Dave, but that's where the issue is. Only a very few proportion of drivers drive while drunk but they still do. Drinking in public, specially in crowded conditions and that too in transport is risky. One can quibble over whether a total ban was bad or not, but then, the concept of being freely drunk or drinking in a public space is clearly and well stopped. Laws have been passed to stop public drinking in city centres. No reaction. Laws are there to stop public drinking in shopping malls, no reaction...

and well, I do agree with you that we have too many laws, but unfortunately for a chap who has to travel on the very late night trains, to be faced with drunk and disorderly chaps (very frequent, I am afraid) is not fun.

The BTP talk about drink being one of the biggest challenges for them in terms of maintaining peace and security on the transport network. I quote from a 2005 report:

Violent crime has risen nearly 12% on the UK's railways - despite a fall in the number of other crimes, police say.

Many of the 9,748 attacks on passengers and staff involved alcohol, said British Transport Police.

Individual rights being influenced? you bet. But to get our great drinking problem under control???? to make it safer for those who do not drink or drink safely?? and so on and so forth...

but at least I wouldnt have to get on the met line and be faced with a pile of vomit every 2 weeks on average (I hope)