Interesting video. Amazing the number of bystanders who came up to have a look, and then just stood there gawking, not helping. I remember one of the things we were told to do when a student was injured (I was a teacher) was to keep bystanders away from an incident, so they didn’t get in the way and didn’t panic the patient.

I was also intrigued by the young guy who appeared to be blocking both his ears. I though he might have been trying to block out the screams of the accident victim (maybe a sensory thing?), but then I realised he was talking on his phone (held up to one ear) whilst blocking the other ear so he could hear properly. I’m guessing he was giving a running commentary to someone?

Really encouraged by how everyone pitched in and help to push the train over to release the guy’s leg, though.

Funny thing, crowd behaviour...

David

> On 14 Aug 2022, at 7:54 pm, TP historyworks@...> wrote:

>

> These gap fillers are basically to minimise hazards for boarding and alighting passengers on curved platforms. When the Disability Discrimination Act came into force in 1992, the requirements were not as strict as those of the subsequent regulations of 2002. Off the top of my head, at least two new Australian tram and train commuter lines were built between 1992 and 2002 - the IWLR in Sydney and much of the Joondalup line in Perth. Both had a mixture of straight and curved platforms, which in hindsight was a mistake. They were considered as compliant at the time, but subsequent to 2002 are not. The solution to making the Sydney IWLR line compliant was the use of portable ramps, similar to, but more unwieldy than the fold-out ramps on buses, by means of which that mode gains compliance. The Joondalup line is a bit more up the proverbial creek and there was a notorious accident several years ago when somebody fell down the gap at Stirling Station. My guess is they would be installing gap fillers there, if they haven't already done so.

>

> A 1990s gap not compliant with the 2002 regs:

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGIG4FQBDjI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGIG4FQBDjI

>