After excessively loud announcements made residents' lives a misery
Complaints about excessively loud public address announcements on local Tube stations are no longer falling on deaf ears according to the London Assembly who found 72 of the Tube’s 150 surface-level stations caused complaints, including Turnham Green, Ravenscourt Park and Putney Bridge.
Whilst their report acknowledges measures taken by London Underground to reduce the frequency of announcements and get to grips with problems caused by new, high-tech PA systems installed in many stations as part of a huge refurbishment programme on the Tube network, TfL was still handed a £115,000 fine this week after their appeal against a council noise abatement order failed.
Akin to the Turnham Green tannoying nuisance of two years ago, residents near Earl’s Court complained that their station’s public address system made their lives a misery.
Campaigners welcomed the court ruling happy that it had set a precedent for the other Tube stations that have caused complaints.
The London Assembly report made recommendations to London Underground about sharpening up the monitoring of PA noise outside stations, fostering better relationships with local residents and improving complaint resolution.
In response to the court ruling as spokesperson for TfL said, “We have implemented various changes to limit disruption to residents from the PA system.”
April 18, 2008