… while we’re on the subject of the uselessness of the SouthWest Trains ‘Quiet Coach’ policy (and if you weren’t, I was). Even if they were able to enforce it (which they’re not – apparently the guards have no legal right to tell someone to not use their phone and the stickers are just there to encourage passengers to behave considerately, as though that’s ever going to happen), the mobile free zone is only ever going to prohibit people talking into their mobiles, not talking about them. The other day I got stuck in a set of seats with three people who all clearly worked together and who spent the entire journey discussing the relative merits of the different tarrifs and whether they should be replacing their phones after 18 months or 12. This was the most boring conversation I’ve ever been stuck listening to since I got trapped at a table in the college bar with some northern Chemists at university who were playing ‘name that A road’.
You’d think that if a conversation was that uninteresting it would be easy to tune it out, but you’d be wrong. It’s very dullness became riveting. It was a car-crash of boredom, spectacular in its sheer tedium, and it was only after I’d spent about fifteen minutes waiting in vain for one of them to say something even remotely interesting, that I realised I had been staring at them in appalled fascination for most of the journey. This of course breaks all the rules and I had to bury myself in my paper, hoping they hadn’t noticed…
Still, it’s over now, the weekend has begun, and if anyone wants any advice on the relative merits of the various Orange tarrifs, you just have to ask. Not that I’ll answer, of course.
Disgruntled Commuter 
It’s the A66 of course.
“Well it winds from Scotch corner, to Penrith, more than 3000 trucks on the way……….”
You see, that one sounds almost interesting, but these guys were into really obscure A roads. One chemist would name two towns and the others, from memory, had to say which A road linked them. They could keep it up for hours. I think it was their way of getting back at all the arts students telling long anecdotes about their year off…
Ah, youth.
I’ve nothing to say about phone tariffs or A roads.
What I will say though is have an enjoyable long weekend.
Thanks – possibly extra long if the strike goes ahead as planned (and I remember)
So, I’m wih orange – all their tariffs are to dear, as for A roads, I like the A303, as it goes to my Mums house!!
Ugh – the A303. I know it very well – every single traffic jam and tailback through the single carriageway section over Salisbury Plain. Ah yes…
woa, even the northern Chemists didn’t go as far as having a favourite A road …
Is the 303 the one that goes past Stonehenge?
’tis indeed, Disgruntled – and that’s the really rubbish section.
I suppose the novelty of seeing Stonehenge wears off after the first 20 minutes of grinding along in first gear …
Were you expecting your post to spark a spirited discussion about A-roads?
Ah, yes. I know what you mean about the traffic jams on the A303 – however I’m normally off it by then, at the Andover turn. Then it’s ;ong widing roads to Mums abode.
As a matter of fact, my least fav A road is teh A38
babymother – a spirited discussion on anything will do me. What’s your favourite A road?
TubeDude – ah, least favourite A roads is another matter. Mine would have to be the north circular …
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