JR West bans selfie sticks

[bikkuri bahn]

News from last month.  Good move.

Selfie sticks will no longer be in the picture on West Japan Railway Co. (JR West) station platforms, to be prohibited over fears they may injure other passengers or cause accidents.

The ban will take effect Sept. 19 after the rail company made the announcement two days earlier, saying the rule applies to all stations under JR West, both on local and Shinkansen lines.

Selfie sticks are a fad among foreign tourists, and an increasing number of railway fans have also taken to using them to take shots standing next to their favorite trains, according to JR West's public relations section.

 

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201509180058

[westfalen]

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/selfie_stick

 

I don't need photos of myself but they are handy for taking pictures over the top of fences or walls.  Banning them from station platforms is understandable.

[katoftw]

There was a lot of places when I visited Japan that already banned tripods and poles for safety reasons.  So selfie sticks seems in lines with keep up with safety issues.

[Kitayama]

There was a lot of places when I visited Japan that already banned tripods and poles for safety reasons.  So selfie sticks seems in lines with keep up with safety issues.

Example of Tripod ban (last picture):

http://bae.se/bilder/story/jp2014_15_en.htm

[Welshbloke]

I can see tripods and poles posing another danger (beyond people falling over them). Not the best of ideas to hold a long metal tube near high voltage catenary, especially if it's a bit damp...