Follow on from: TfL FOI-2987-1718 Many thanks for the paper on customer reaction to station announcements. However, it is not really what I am seeking. The research I had in mind would compare incident rates with and without announcements with multivariate analysis to show correlations in the data. Has such research ever been done?

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TfL Ref: FOI-4719-1718

Thank you for your email received on 28 February 2018 asking for information about research into station announcements. I apologise for the delay in replying to you.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our Information Access Policy.

The safety of our customers is our number one priority. Most safety-related incidents occur because people are unaware of, or forget, the risks of ignoring basic safety procedures, eg holding onto handrails, being careful with luggage, etc. Often our customers are on autopilot and their behaviour is automatic. This means that safety messages have to cut through to them to have an effect. Notices and advertising alone cannot do this, which is why our own research indicates that PA messages can cut through very well.

There is no feasible or suitable multivariate analysis which could examine the relative effect of each type of intervention, because behavioural psychology suggests that only a combination of interventions has the best possibility of working, and the total number of accidents makes an econometrics-based approach impossible. Equally, a methodology whereby we stopped announcements in various locations would have to take place over many months to see whether it had an effect – thereby running the risk that a serious injury or fatality might occur during such a trial.

Over and above these considerations, however, are two factors. One is the aforementioned duty of care we have to all our customers, which means that the minor inconvenience of announcements is small compared to the risk to safety. Another is that due to this duty of care, bodies such as the Department for Transport and other rail regulatory bodies have strict standards for the frequency of announcements, to which we have an obligation to adhere.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

Yours sincerely,

Melissa Nichols

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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