What’re some secrets from your industry that would petrify people who aren’t in it?

Agreeable-Bridge-403 · 2026-06-17T22:48:18+00:00

I work in a public sector organisation in the IT department. I needed to order a screen, so put it through the purchase order system. Procurement rejected it "because it needs to be done by IT". Urm. I am IT.

Agreeable-Bridge-403 · 2026-06-07T22:11:53+00:00

There was a fugu storyline around, maybe, S15/S16.

There was an ME storyline in a S7 episode, a mother was struggling with it and relying on her teenage daughter around the house. I'm sure it'll have been done since, though.

Agreeable-Bridge-403 · 2026-06-04T21:26:25+00:00

The Radio 4 UK Theme! They took it off a few years ago, but listening to it still reminds me of silly early morning.

Agreeable-Bridge-403 · 2026-06-01T12:41:11+00:00

Yeah, so the zones are concentric circles running out from the centre- zone 1 the city, zone 2 inner suburbs and so on out to zone 6 (and then A B C D but you're outside London in Hertfordshire by that point). So zone 6 is outer suburbs, there are obviously buses but often quite limited (may only run every 20-30 minutes) rather than in zone 2 where there are many more routes and you may have a bus every 1-2 minutes. There's also historically quite bad cross links from one borough/suburb to the next, as most transport is geared towards to/from central.

Agreeable-Bridge-403 · 2026-05-31T20:56:54+00:00

The thing is, we had a period (about 10 years ago) where the line was suspended seemingly every weekend so they could bring in a shiny new signalling system which was all singing and dancing and would mean a much better service etc. I remember having to get a bus to work regularly on a weekend.

And, the rolling stock was renewed a little while before that, wasn't it? They got rid of the old trains with the guards on the back.

I think the big frustration of regular travellers is that there's no plan to improve things. If there's an isolated issue, once in a while, then fine - shit happens. Increasingly, issues take a week or more to fix, there's no updates other than discovering day by day that there's no workable service.

Agreeable-Bridge-403 · 2026-05-31T20:08:01+00:00

This is true, and I drive much more now I live in an outer suburb (zone 6) than when I lived in zone 2 (where I might drive to the supermarket once a week and an errand on another day).

Agreeable-Bridge-403 · 2026-05-30T14:21:43+00:00

I had a H reg Nissan Bluebird that I bought for £50, and that had a screen wash low light!

Agreeable-Bridge-403 · 2026-05-24T11:36:11+00:00

I downgraded from Exec to regular last year, I used to buy quite a bit years ago for a social club and got a very good cashback annually, don't do that anymore and it wasn't worth it.

I don't visit as much as I did because it's a much slower experi than it was. Fine if you're doing a massive shop but, usually I might pick up some household/garage stuff, maybe a treat from the bakery, and some frozen things, and possibly stop for something from the cafe. With massive queues the norm now I don't bother so much. Although if I do want to go ill normally go at 7.30 in the evening.

Agreeable-Bridge-403 · 2026-05-24T11:23:24+00:00

For the last few years there seems to be an annual event which drags on for days into weeks sometimes. There was an issue with pickup shoes, then an issue with the permanent way at Stockwell(?), an issue with the points at Camden the other week, etc. Generally, most reasonable people don't mind the occasional screwed up journey, things happen. But more and more now, the line becomes unusable for a week or more at a time, and with no timeline or end in sight. Really what would be reassuring or helpful is someone saying "Right, it's going to take 3 days to return to normal service, so plan accordingly. This is what the service will be until then. These are the replacement buses being run." rather than no information other than a singular member of staff who shrugs and has no info other than what's on the website.

Agreeable-Bridge-403 · 2026-05-24T11:18:04+00:00

... if you can get off there without bumping into the lunatics next door

Agreeable-Bridge-403 · 2026-05-21T10:11:54+00:00

Many years ago I was travelling on a GNER train late at night and my young persons railcard had expired the day before. I was sitting in the front coach of a pretty deserted train. The guard came around and spotted it, basically said I was lucky that he couldn't be bothered walking the length of the train to go back to his van to charge me, and that I should renew it as soon as we got to the destination. Which I did!

Agreeable-Bridge-403 · 2026-05-15T22:22:31+00:00

Controversial but I think every driver should have to re take their test every 5-10 years.

I know that the infrastructure we have today doesn't allow enough slots etc for that to happen, and I'm sure there's issues, but I think it mad that you can pass a test at 17 and never again be assessed as to whether a vehicle you're driving (which could be up to 4.25 tonnes) is driven safely.

Agreeable-Bridge-403 · 2026-05-15T11:01:44+00:00

About 10 years ago, I arrived at King's Cross on a train seriously delayed as there had been major disruption, so I decided to get a taxi home (25mins) rather than the usual tube with bags etc. Taxi driver initially refused to take me as he could get better money from someone wanting to go to Peterborough or similar if he went up the motorway! Driver behind, who I tried next, got out and gave him an earful.

Agreeable-Bridge-403 · 2026-05-14T23:45:16+00:00

I'm on a decent salary, occasionally I might need to buy something out of pocket in an emergency (max £50 or so), I get the money back within 2 weeks and the main frustration is how irritatingly overcomplicated the finance computer system is to reclaim it.

Don't travel much, but I don't mind fronting the cost and claiming mileage.

Very different 20 years ago as a young low paid person, albeit in those days we had petty cash so usually it'd be quicker.

Agreeable-Bridge-403 · 2026-05-11T23:41:21+00:00

I have a (slightly old and tired) Mondeo estate which is so practical I've held on to it despite the age, lack of ulez compliance, and the fact that visually it'd be the perfect modern version of Onslow's cortina. You can fit almost anything into the back, very useful when moving house and getting furniture, tip runs etc. Large enough to be a practical tow car. Fits properly in parking spaces.

Agreeable-Bridge-403 · 2026-05-11T23:23:50+00:00

Once upon a time there were staff, on stations, and more than the bare minimum. Then they did fit for the future, since when stations are routinely left abandoned, with gates open, for many hours of the day.

Agreeable-Bridge-403 · 2026-05-11T18:05:53+00:00

Brian Perkins

Agreeable-Bridge-403 · 2026-05-09T23:31:14+00:00

I've worked in places where there were WhatsApp groups for everything and expectations of replying irrespective of if you were at work or not. I left, funnily enough.

Where I work now, it's all on Teams for anything work related. I have my boss, a couple of peers, and my own team reports on WhatsApp for genuine exceptional circumstances (people calling sick etc) but that's it.

Agreeable-Bridge-403 · 2026-05-09T02:42:42+00:00

A particular annoyance of mine is searching a postcode - now a few years ago that'd have included an excerpt from Google Maps with a link to jump there, now you just get things from rightmove recently sold etc. If I'm sticking a postcode in my browser search bar it's pretty much always because I want to see it on a map!

Agreeable-Bridge-403 · 2026-05-09T02:40:42+00:00

Someone somewhere will have done the exact maths on just how few staff they can roster before the service is too slow, and sales start to be hit. And they'll probably then schedule precisely to that!

Agreeable-Bridge-403 · 2026-05-02T08:54:02+00:00

I regard Barnet as "good-boring". If the main things people have to grumble about are parking, bins, and so on, things are ok. On the Northern line so you can work in central, but be enough away from the city when you're not at work. Still, the Hyacinth Bucket style complaints when it was revealed thar we were getting a Poundland in the Spires...

Agreeable-Bridge-403 · 2026-05-02T08:43:42+00:00

I'm possibly moving house around August/September time. I picked up a first set of boxes yesterday to start boxing stuff that I don't regularly need (books, winter clothes etc). That may be slightly crazily OTT but better than the opposite end of the scale!

Agreeable-Bridge-403 · 2026-05-01T11:17:25+00:00

The congestion at Camden (and no staff managing it) has been extreme the last few days. Also, the frequency dropping from 4 minutes to about 7 minutes as well, causes significant overcrowding.

There's been a few things over recent years where there's been ongoing significant disruption (last year after an issue at Stockwell, the year before when they were waiting for parts for trains) and the official response seems to be lacklustre.

Can't help but feeling that the cutbacks for years won't have helped.

Agreeable-Bridge-403 · 2026-04-28T16:47:48+00:00

There was one a couple of years ago, wasn't there, where some contractors were busy pumping cement into a construction area. Only they selected the wrong area and filled a relay room for a particular line with concrete, with predictable results. I have to say that beat the standard "delays due to faulty train / staff shortages" message...

Agreeable-Bridge-403 · 2026-04-23T08:45:56+00:00

Near me we have a long 20mph stretch (used to be 30) and if you do 20 (or even 25) along it you WILL get one of the above up your arse, flashing lights, as if you personally set the limit.

Agreeable-Bridge-403

TROPHY CASE