h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

As I was travelling into work today I noticed that there was more than one person who having got on the train after me did not show their tickets when the guard came past asking 'any unseen tickets?' Now although I realise it should be the Guard's job to check all the tickets I do regret not having said anything about the people who for all I know could have been fare dodging.

The question is what can be done about people who do not appear to have enough social responsibility to own up to not having bought a ticket (one which is likely to be of the £30 value)?

Just the other day a lad standing at the station threw his empty drinks bottle over a fence into the 'green bit' behind, I confronted him about it and told him that it was our taxes that were going up year on year to pay for socially irresponsible people like himself and that next time he couldn't be bothered to walk the 10m to the bin he should think of how he was going to explain himself to us. He looked sheepish and did nothing and I later realised that it was because his mother was sitting on the train station bench.

How can we expect the next generation to grow up politely when the current one just stands by and accepts this sort of behaviour.

So I'd like to start something, I'd like people to stand up when they see something being done that is impolite or socially irresponsible, (I'm not asking anyone to counter groups of young lads though if there's a larger group of older lads who feel like taking on the task of politely reminding them that they are not alone in the world then I wouldn't mind! - not vigilante style just safety in numbers)

I've decided that I'm not going to stand idly by and watch my country go to waste, I'm going to tell tales on fare dodgers, I can't afford not to, I'm going to confront litter droppers, I want a clean neighbourhood, but I think most importantly I'm going to smile at people in the street, just to let them know that I've noticed them and that I thought they were worth a smile.

I'm not sure I agree with the governments new 'Respect Laws' but I do agree with the sentiment. You can't enforce respect from the top down but you can instigate it from the bottom up.

Traveller in Time continuous in doubt
"Where I have got to the state that I wonder if I am not the one causing troubles, pointing people at 'futile' mistakes.

On the other side, my children do not trow away anything on the street, they first look for a bin and when not in sight they turn to me. 'Can you carry this ?'
There is a point in that behaviour, where there used to be several bins there is now only one, fully loaded and overflowing.

As for the fare tickets, do not know how to buy those everywhere, our local train station only has some vending machines for them. And those do fail half the time, not beeing able to read the credit cards or something like that.

I agree we should try, and persist in doing so, to keep up good social behaviour, just why does they make it more and more difficult to do so ?"

If your train stations don't have working ticket machines they should still have "permit to travel" machines or you can buy tickets on the train from the Guard.

Traveller in Time on his bicycle
"Neither, however you can get month pass, during office hours, at the next train station They say they are 'promoting the public transport'. Well there are enough bicycle lanes to get nearly anywhere. "

I wish they had decent bike lanes round our way, rather than ten-metre-long affairs that disappear up every side road.

Um, I suppose I should undigress. Fare dodging bad. Respecting others good.

Why break the habit of a lifetime?

The cycle lanes in Cmabridge are good but just a little to obscure sometimes, they sort of point in one direction and say 'to sity centre' then once you're in the middle of the estate you find the signs run out and you're left to figure your own way out! The paths don't run out, just the signs!

Aye, I've seen that around. Middlesbrough council seems to be keen on making you dodge around bus shelters and lampposts too.

Yes, who would have thought that a bus and a bike would make good bed partners, obviously Cambridge City Council as there are many combined bus and bike lanes

We're fortunate there - no bus lanes. Well, okay there's about two combine bus, bike and taxi lanes, but not in any useful rush-hour-beating places.