Hot And Bothered

Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief

Interesting (but perhaps idiotic) letter in yesterday’s London Evening Standard newspaper when ‘Hot and Bothered’ wrote in to ask why the London Underground was turning off escalators at non-peak times to save electricity yet at the same time installing ‘plasma screens’ (their own words)…

Why are there notices up across the Tube claiming that Transport for London cares for the environment and will switch off escalators at non-peak periods to save energy yet at the same time teams are busy at work installing pplasma advertising screens? How much energy is being wasted here in the electricity needed to ppower the screens? Don’t patronise us Tfl

Two things we would point out (we might write in):-

Firstly. Go to any German city and during quiet periods none of he escalators work unless someone approaches them – then they (magically) power up and start to work – errr what simple technology allows that to happen and resultant energy savings? Having lived in Munich for 4 years we were used to tourists and non-residents walk up or down the stairs next to the escalators not knowing that they were actually in ‘power-conservation’ mode.

Secondly. CBS Outdoor have addressed this power issue before when they were wrongly criticised during their XTP rollout. Folks like EYE are doing some longer term research on the environmental impact (read ‘benefits’) of digital advertising – it has to be better than white van man (petrol, gas, vehicles on road, congestion) with glue and paste NOT to mention all the other benefits of day parting, amber alerts, community messaging etc. etc.

Okay three things (they are not Plasma) 😉

The industry will need to continually address these concerns mind.


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