Fine for having your feet up!

pmm1981

Merseyrail do have notices/stickers on board trains that state the fine if caught with feet on seats (this also includes the metal seat surrounds not just the cushions).
I believe it is classed as anti social behaviour.

The_Crunchy_Nutter

anewman wrote: »

Never seen this list. I guess it's hidden away in the train station on some poster with tiny print you can barely read. If smoking is sign posted, then anything else which may incur a fine which is not obvious, such as putting feet on seats, should also be signposted IMO..

Railway byelaws form part of civil law - ignorance of such law doesn't make it void. Copies of the byelaws should be available to read (if not necessarily take away) at most if not all staffed stations - certainly every station I've worked at has a stash. They are also available online, on the DfT's website:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/legislation/regs/railwaysbyelaws.pdf

anewman wrote: »

This is what happens when you let private companies make and enforce law sadly. They're after the money, not keeping the seats clean. If they were after keeping the seats clean they'd be charging the cost of cleaning the seat, not fining for a transgression of law.

Worth noting that the byelaws were introduced long before privatisation. In fact, I'm not 100% certain, but they were probably introduced long before the railways were nationalised post-WWII! So they are certainly not made up by private companies - at least not the current operators.
The whole point of the fine is as a deterrent - I bet none of these people fined and/or taken to court will do it again.
Where I live there is a fine of £500 for letting dogs crap on the pavement - much more than it costs to clean the pavement I'm sure - but no-one moans about that...

esuhl

£50 certainly seems a very small fine for being such a chav...

timbo58

Most of the regulations actually stem from before the Boer war let alone WWII!
'The regulation of railways act 1889'.
and FWIW most companies IME would train their staff that if: the train is empty and the passenger has taken their shoes off or at least put a newspaper down on the seat then they do not fine/prosecute.
I would advise paying up or at least contacting them as I said earlier the £50 is cheap compared with going to court.

I was an inspector manager for a few years of my 15 yrs for a leading TOC if this helps qualify my statement!

vikingaero

I think the fine is disproportionate - disproportionately small and Mersey Rail are to be applauded for having a zero tolerance approach.

You've made no mention of whether your friend understands why they fine people or the consequences of their action - just that they neither want to go to Court nor pay the fine.

marlot

I was reading that in the early days of train travel, smoking wasn't allowed, and the train companies has to be forced (by act of parliament) to allow smoking! How times change!

Back to the OP. I hate sitting on filthy seats. What makes your friend think its OK to put their dirty shoes onto seats that others will be using. Their shoes could have dirt, dog muck, whatever.

Gordon_Hose

I'll go all out and say I despise people who think it's ok to put their feet up on train seats.

Rail_Staff

This is in the Railway Byelaws under section 6:

No person shall behave in a disorderly, indecent or offensive manner on the railway.

No person shall soil any part of the railway.



Merseyrail ought to be applauded for being the only TOC that actually makes a stand on this kind of thing, most TOCs only bother when the police get involved.

Barneysmom

passatrider wrote: »

I have no sympathy for people who get fined for this offence. It makes my blood boil when I see this happening on buses and at cinemas too.

Pay up and shut up!

I agree.

And to the student, welcome to the real world where you can't just do as you please and hang the consequences.

moonrakerz

Under Sharia Law, criminals can have a hand chopped off - what a great idea to operate a similar system for these scum bags who make the train seats filthy ! One foot or two ?