The everyday annoyances our readers want banned after Burnham’s ‘headphone dodger’ crackdown

The everyday annoyances our readers want banned after Burnham’s ‘headphone dodger’ crackdown Following the prime minister’s announcement of a renewed push to fine people playing music on public transport, disgruntled Brits took to the comments section to question the effectiveness of the move and suggest some other things they’d like to see the back end of - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in Andy Burnham’s announcement of an antisocial behaviour crackdown on public transport was always going to divide opinion. As per his speech yesterday, local authorities are being encouraged to use new powers to levy fines for nuisance behaviour on buses, including littering, vaping and listening to music without headphones. Guidance published this week by the Department for Transport sets out how the new legislation can be used. Prime minister Burnham said: “We’ve all been on the train when someone starts blasting music or videos from their phone. It gets on your nerves and can quickly spoil the journey.” Hardly able to contain her excitement, Helen Coffey penned an article thanking Burnham for coming to the rescue of her and her fellow commuters, and suggested a few more things that the prime minister could outlaw – if he was open to requests. Binge drinking on trains was one of her targets, as was people putting their feet up on empty seats. Some of our readers took a pessimistic approach to the news, pushing back on the suggestion that legislation would really have any impact on such behaviour. “I’m not convinced that this problem-which is certainly intensely annoying-will be addressed by our mostly privatised transport companies,” Musil commented. “On trains there will often be too few staff to confront the individuals who may be potentially dangerous. It smacks of gimmickry.” “Smart and a vote winner? I don't think so. Existing laws to deal with this are not enforced, so why should this empty proposal make any difference? Burnham - all talk and no action. Who will enforce the law? No mention of that,” wrote Thegardener. Indeed, readers of the article seemed to agree that the move would have little impact on the antisocial behaviour, with 47 per cent of poll respondents saying that outlawing “headphone dodging” would not solve the issue. Despite this, it does seem that voters not only support a £100 fine, but many would also back a £1,000 fine for people playing music out loud on buses and trains, according to a YouGov poll. Helen’s article had many such readers who were quick to jump in with their personal bugbears they’d like to see Burnham turn his hand to. Bin there, done that davemanchester seconded Helen’s mention of littering, which is, the commenter may be happy to note, included in the new public transport powers. “Litter! UK is so filthy with litter. It’s everywhere, esp built up areas. Why isn’t there a bottle/can deposit scheme like in US states or many European countries. Few are prosecuted, nobody seems to care. Everywhere litter of varying kinds...road and motorway verges, left on bus and train seats, at bus stops. Balanced on street furniture, in the gutters, cigarette ends and chewing gum everywhere. I just came back from Philadelphia, also Netherlands and Norway..a few downtown areas have litter, but mostly extremely clean. It’s embarrassing here and depressing.” Wood you stop? StephenDedalus was brief with his request, one that has been getting a lot of attention in the UK’s capital recently. “Poisoning people with wood burners. These things need to go.” Vicious cycle Mike had another even briefer suggestion that has, thankfully, been written up at length by Paul Clements. “Pavement cycling and scootering.” No space for a suitcase CScarlett had a few suggestions of other train-based behaviour that should be better policed. “Putting luggage in the wheelchair space is my bugbear. Rail companies not properly training conductors on using ramps or remembering where you need to get off is another, or don’t have a conductor that you can remind, meaning you have a period of extreme anxiety before boarding or alighting a train because you can’t be sure you can get on or off. The rail companies who don’t ensure the accessible toilet is working is another.” Food on film And SpendThrifty is no fan of Instagram influencers in restaurants... “How about a £10,000 fine for ANY Instagram idiot filming dinners where others are caught in the video or a £1,000 fine for an so-called (un)influencer videoing in public?” Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity. Want to share your views? Simply click ‘log in’ or ‘register’ in the top right corner to sign in or sign up. Once registered, you can comment on the day’s top stories for a chance to have your opinions showcased. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments