4 ms·

What are some of the potential applications?

jdsnape 6y ago
I can imagine if you're a routing app (e.g. providing transit directions) you might want to re-route users to an alternative station if the lift is broken/a station doesn't have a lift.
- jonwinstanley 6y ago
  Would be good for people with pushchairs or wheelchairs
- opyh 6y ago
  Exactly! :) Besides inaccessible vehicles, broken elevators are among the most significant pain points for people who regularly use a wheelchair, rollator, or stroller in public transit. Such an elevator can add an hour to your commute. If you have a mobile impairment, it can save your day to know in advance if ‘your’ elevators work. Berlin’s transit network (VBB) already does this: When you request a wheelchair accessible route, its app lets you navigate around broken elevators – thanks to facility status APIs of its connected partners. To my knowledge, it’s the first transit operator to do this. For passengers, there is an overview webpage: https://brokenlifts.org https://brokenlifts.org IMO Google Maps and Apple Maps should have this feature, too.
tehbeard 6y ago
To know when the lift-replacement paternoster is "supposed" to arrive at platform 3?
- traceroute66 6y ago
  To announce a last-minute change of lift location to platform 6.
traceroute66 6y ago
To know when there are leaves on the escalators.
- llimos 6y ago
  Underrated comment. For those not from the UK, "leaves on the line" is their #1 excuse for late-running trains.
  - noneeeed 6y ago
    For those that are wondering why leaves would cause trains to be late, Network Rail have a good lay-persons summary of the problem https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/looking-after-the-railway/delays-explained/leaves/ https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/looking-af... The short answer is that leaves crushed under train wheels make for a very slippery layer that makes it hard to brake and can affect some of the train location tech (axel counters). This post has some nice info about some research into why some leaves seem to be more of a problem than others, and also the measures used to try and clean the track.
    - iggldiggl 6y ago
      > can affect some of the train location tech (axel counters). Er, I think you mean track circuits, don't you? Those work by virtue of the train's wheels and axles creating an electrical connection between the two running rails, and would therefore indeed be likely to be affected by a potentially isolating layer of leaves on the line. Axle counters on the other hand just detect the wheels by other means (usually contactless by magnetic or inductive sensing), so wouldn't be affected by the presence of leaves. Again the UK is more susceptible to problems in this regard because it's been almost exclusively using track circuits for train detection until comparatively recently – it's only in the last two decades that axle counters have started seeing more widespread usage.
      - noneeeed 6y ago
        Yep, I got myself mixed up. It's been 15 years since I worked in thebrail industry, so I'm a bit rusty.
matthewmacleod 6y ago
The top one I imagine would be for assisting users with specific access requirements. Some passengers won’t be able to travel if a lift or escalator at a particular station is out of operation, and a transport app could notify them or reroute them where possible.
fredley 6y ago
For journey planners, knowing whether routes are step-free.

I can imagine if you're a routing app (e.g. providing transit directions) you might want to re-route users to an alternative station if the lift is broken/a station doesn't have a lift.

jonwinstanley 6y ago
Would be good for people with pushchairs or wheelchairs
opyh 6y ago
Exactly! :) Besides inaccessible vehicles, broken elevators are among the most significant pain points for people who regularly use a wheelchair, rollator, or stroller in public transit. Such an elevator can add an hour to your commute. If you have a mobile impairment, it can save your day to know in advance if ‘your’ elevators work. Berlin’s transit network (VBB) already does this: When you request a wheelchair accessible route, its app lets you navigate around broken elevators – thanks to facility status APIs of its connected partners. To my knowledge, it’s the first transit operator to do this. For passengers, there is an overview webpage: https://brokenlifts.org https://brokenlifts.org IMO Google Maps and Apple Maps should have this feature, too.

tehbeard 6y ago

To know when the lift-replacement paternoster is "supposed" to arrive at platform 3?

traceroute66 6y ago
To announce a last-minute change of lift location to platform 6.

traceroute66 6y ago

To know when there are leaves on the escalators.

llimos 6y ago
Underrated comment. For those not from the UK, "leaves on the line" is their #1 excuse for late-running trains.
- noneeeed 6y ago
  For those that are wondering why leaves would cause trains to be late, Network Rail have a good lay-persons summary of the problem https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/looking-after-the-railway/delays-explained/leaves/ https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/looking-af... The short answer is that leaves crushed under train wheels make for a very slippery layer that makes it hard to brake and can affect some of the train location tech (axel counters). This post has some nice info about some research into why some leaves seem to be more of a problem than others, and also the measures used to try and clean the track.
  - iggldiggl 6y ago
    > can affect some of the train location tech (axel counters). Er, I think you mean track circuits, don't you? Those work by virtue of the train's wheels and axles creating an electrical connection between the two running rails, and would therefore indeed be likely to be affected by a potentially isolating layer of leaves on the line. Axle counters on the other hand just detect the wheels by other means (usually contactless by magnetic or inductive sensing), so wouldn't be affected by the presence of leaves. Again the UK is more susceptible to problems in this regard because it's been almost exclusively using track circuits for train detection until comparatively recently – it's only in the last two decades that axle counters have started seeing more widespread usage.
    - noneeeed 6y ago
      Yep, I got myself mixed up. It's been 15 years since I worked in thebrail industry, so I'm a bit rusty.

matthewmacleod 6y ago

The top one I imagine would be for assisting users with specific access requirements. Some passengers won’t be able to travel if a lift or escalator at a particular station is out of operation, and a transport app could notify them or reroute them where possible.

fredley 6y ago

For journey planners, knowing whether routes are step-free.