Automated announcements sound files.
Dear Transport for London,
I am making a Freedom Of Information Act request to you please.
I would like to request that you attach the sound files for the following automated announcements:
• London Overground onboard trains automated announcements.
• London Overground station platforms automated announcements.
• Crossrail (or Elizabeth Line or TFL Rail or whatever you want to call it) onboard trains automated announcements.
• Crossrail (or Elizabeth Line or TFL Rail or whatever you want to call it) station platforms automated announcements.
• Cable Car onboard automated announcements.
• Croydon Tram onboard automated announcements.
• Riverbus Ferry onboard automated announcements.
• Woolwich Ferry onboard automated announcements.
• London Bus ibus onboard automated announcements.
• London Bus bus station automated announcements.
Now i understand that since the Corona Virus began you keep on refusing these requests based on it not being essential and because you are working from home and do not have access to CDs etc.
However i see on What Do They Know that a while ago you uploaded all of the Jubilee Line and Northern Line and Piccadilly Line automated announcements to the What Do They Know website as MP3 files within ZIP files here:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/t...
So it is clear that you should be able to upload all these other announcements the same way as MP3 files within ZIP files which should be able to be done from home without anyone having to go to the office and get CDs to use and send out.
So i would like to please request that you attach all of the requested sound files to the What Do They Know website just exactly like you did with the Jubilee Line and Northern Line and Piccadilly Line announcements for that other person. I believe that there should be no reason to refuse this as this should be able to be done from home. I look forward to your reply. Thank you very much.
Yours faithfully,
Mark Roberts
Dear Mark Roberts
Our ref: FOI-0026-2122/GH
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 1
April 2021 asking for announcements.
Should you wish to proceed with the request we will aim to issue a
response by 28 April 2021 in accordance with the Freedom of Information
Act 2000 and our information access policy. We publish a substantial
range of information on our website on subjects including operational
performance, contracts, expenditure, journey data, governance and our
financial performance. This includes data which is frequently asked for in
FOI requests or other public queries. Please check
[1]http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transpar... to see if this helps you.
Please think carefully about whether the request is essential at this
current time, as answering FOI requests will require the use of limited
resources and the attention of staff who could be supporting other
essential activity. Where requests are made, please note that our response
time may be impacted by the current situation and so you may wish to
reconsider the timing of this request. Please notify us as soon as
possible if you would like to withdraw your request at the current time.
We will publish anonymised versions of requests and responses on the
[2]www.tfl.gov.uk website. We will not publish your name and we will send
a copy of the response to you before it is published on our website.
In the meantime, if you would like to discuss this matter further, please
do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely
Graham Hurt
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
References
Visible links
1. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transpar...
2. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/
3. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/
Gadawodd Larry Bryant anodiad ()
Lewis
After the London election is out of the way in May, I suggest raising the issue with the London Assembly Member.
Gadawodd Lewis Western anodiad ()
I don't see the point in wasting my time with messages to the mayor on something they will probably see as insignificant. It's TfL's FOI teams own time that they're wasting.
Gadawodd Andrew Simpson anodiad ()
On the other hand I don't see the point in requesting things like this. In normal times at least, the announcements can be heard by travelling on the relevant bus, train etc. so are readily available and could be recorded at the time if that is what's wanted. Knowing the full list won't improve anything in the way that highlighting deaths in hospitals, biased decisions or wasteful spending on contracts can. Trivial requests like this are likely to result in the FOI legislation being tightened up, making it harder to get hold of information that really does matter.
Gadawodd Lewis Western anodiad ()
Well I invite you try to record an announcement yourself, to be disappointed you cannot get a good recording due to external factors like background noise. You won't EVER find a quiet train/service where you could record all announcements, including those that must be triggered by drivers. Guaranteed. As for FOI, that's TfL's own fault. If they just published the announcements they can on their website instead of pussyfooting around sending CD's, a quarter of their FOI requests would disappear overnight! But instead TfL waste their own money and resources by sending physical media of digitial files! And this was the case before Covid so there's no need to bring that in.
Dear Mark Roberts
Our ref: FOI-0026-2122/GH
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 1
April 2021 asking for announcements.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of
the Freedom of Information Act and TfL’s information access policy. I can
confirm we do hold the information you require.
Please find attached zip files containing River and Woolwich Ferry
announcements.
Please also note that while access to this material has been provided
under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, we have not granted any rights
to any of the intellectual property that exists in it or granted any
permission to make secondary uses of it.
TfL owns all intellectual property (including, without limitation,
copyright) in the material supplied and will defend such rights.
If you wish to make any secondary use of the material provided, you must
first obtain the consent of TfL (which may be withheld) and, if consent is
granted, a fee may be charged, in accordance with the terms of the Reuse
of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015.
In accordance with the FOI Act, TfL is not obliged to supply the audio
files for Emirates Air Line as the information is subject to a statutory
exemption to the right of access to information under section 43(2).
In this instance section 43(2) has been applied as disclosure of the
information requested would be likely to prejudice the commercial
interests of TfL and/or Global Services Ltd. The recordings in question
were provided by Global Services Ltd under a signed contract which
contained explicit conditions concerning disclosure and distribution.
The contract specifies that the recordings are solely to be used for the
purpose for which they were created and for broadcast on the Emirates Air
Line network only. If TfL were to disclose these recordings in response to
an FOI request, it would constitute an actionable breach of contract and
would be likely to result in a valid legal claim against TfL or the
license to use the recordings being withdrawn, which would impose
additional, unnecessary, costs. TfL wishes to protect its commercial
interests and ability to participate in future commercial activity. The
disclosure of this information would be to the detriment of present and
future business activities for both parties.
The use of this exemption is subject to an assessment of the public
interest in relation to the disclosure of the information concerned. TfL
recognises the need for openness and transparency within public
authorities and the degree of interest concerning London transport
announcements in light of the recent disclosure of other announcements.
However, in this instance this is outweighed by the damage that would be
done to TfL’s ability to use these recordings and any future contractual
negotiations that may take place regarding these announcements.
Due to the number and size of the other announcements requested, we are
unable to send these in zip files by email as requested. We are therefore
refusing your request for the iBus, Crossrail, London Overground and
Tramlink recordings under section 14(1) of the Act. As you will be aware,
it is essential for London, and in particular for all critical workers,
that we continue to provide a safe transport network that enables them to
make the journeys they need to and our staff are working hard to support
them and protect all Londoners. We consider that answering this request
would represent a disproportionate effort and would require the
redirection of limited specialist resources and the attention of staff
away from their core functions who could be supporting other essential
activity.
We do wish to clarify that whilst we consider that your request falls
under section 14(1) of the FOI Act, this does not reflect a conclusion
that it has been your intention to place an undue burden on our resources.
However, due to alternative working arrangements aligned with the
Government’s measures to tackle the coronavirus, the FOI Case Management
Team do not currently have access to the necessary hardware required to
create CDs of audio announcements in response to FOI requests and so we
are unable to process these requests remotely.
Additionally, whilst we have also explored alternative technological
solutions, it is an unavoidable consequence that processing requests of
this nature would require critical employees to be diverted from their
operational responsibilities and, in the current circumstances, we
consider that our priority must remain on providing and maintaining an
effective transport system to essential workers across the capital and
that our limited resources are utilised as effectively as possible to
ensure that happens. Therefore we are refusing this part of your request
under s14 of the FOI Act.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to
appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would
like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely
Graham Hurt
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
References
Visible links
1. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/
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Gadawodd Lewis Western anodiad ()
I have never understood why they do not upload the files here. They're wasting their own time and money by sending CDs out considering it seems most FOIs for announcements come via public channels like this one. Makes me wonder how disorganised the FOI team are and how much of our fares go in to answering FOIs that are made more complicated than they need to be from their end.