Seasoned London Underground commuters have complained green platform markings indicating where carriage doors will open have ruined their “competitive advantage” at being first on trains.
The trial on the Victoria line at Kings Cross station is designed to reduce congestion by encouraging people to avoid green areas on the platform while waiting for passengers to depart the train.
The green areas, which indicate where the train doors will open, are intended to indicate a clear path through crowds during busy periods for passengers exiting the train.
Not everyone is happy with the trial scheme.
Digital sports consultant Daniel Ayers posted on Twitter: “20yrs of personal tube platform expertise and competitive commuting advantage rendered useless by some green paint,” with another person responding: “The only possible solution is to buy green paint and paint the entire platform green.”
20yrs of personal tube platform expertise and competitive commuting advantage rendered useless by some green paint. pic.twitter.com/d56ok8Kssg
— Daniel Ayers (@yodaniel) September 12, 2017
Martin O’Connor also tweeted his personal technique:
My method usually involved studying the areas that had been excessively muddied from shoe soles. That knowledge now under threat.
— Martin O'Connor (@mjxoconnor) September 13, 2017
Transport for London are conducting a number of trials to reduce congestion on the underground network.
A TfL spokesperson said: “It’s a visual cue to get people to walk all the way along the platform and to show you where the doors open. It’s about reducing congestion.
“Quite often in peak times, passengers, they congregate at the entrance to the platform. On the Jubilee line for example, you don’t have that because people wait in front of the safety barriers.”
TfL will collate the full findings of the trial in the coming weeks.
