The Adjustable Productions Business Blog

A zimmer frame in a cage.

Recently, I was quite suprised and somewhat concerned to see the above sight on platform 4 at Nottingham Railway Station. I am not sure why anybody would need to keep a zimmer frame in a large metal cage. Noting the urgency of the ‘keep clear at all times’ painted in large letters underneath, I began to wonder if it was some kind of zoo where they displayed wild and dangerous geriatrics. Did the cage prevent these people from causing mischief such as spitting their false teeth out as passers by? Maybe I had come at the time when they had been taken out for cleaning and for new straw to be put down? I almost found myself looking for a sign saying “do not feed the pensioners”. Perhaps it was a kind of creche where travelers could leave elderly dependents while they went off on their journey?

It would be fair to say that this sight raised my slight tendency towards cynicism. Maybe there is something I have missed in this equation, but I have never seen anything like this at any station before. Does anybody know why Nottingham Railway Station needs to keep a zimmer frame in a large cage with a great painted warning in front of it? It does not seem to send out a particularly friendly message to the railway’s elder patrons.

I have a great respect for most older people, and while in the first instance I found it to be quite funny, the second reaction is that it is a bit of a concerning blunder, and it could cause some quite understandable offence. Even if there is no ill intention in this ‘arrangement’ of platform equipment, you would have thought some planner or member of staff would have thought it looked a bit odd.

I shall find out which franchise runs the station, enquire about the cage and then report back…

P.S. It has been pointed out to me that in order for the title of this post to be grammatically correct, it should read: ‘Of what are you scared Nottingham Railway Station?’ However, that sounds a bit too Yoda-like for me.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 21st, 2009 at 10:09 am and is filed under Signs and Whines. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.