Is there a phone box which you would fight to save? Do you use it lots - maybe it saved your life?
If so, tell us where it is - if we get enough we'll put them all on a map, and see what BT has to say about them!
Written by Sky News, January 30, 2008
I may be in the minority, and I may well be lambasted for my views, but I have no fondness for either the traditional phone box, or London bus for that matter..... Why?. Because these 'iconic' items are of absolutely no use to me, or lots of others.... I'm speaking about those of us who need to use wheelchairs. Neither the bus or the phonebox are wheelchair accessible. They DO look nice, but they are about as useful to me as a chocolate teapot!. I'm VERY glad to see the back of them, and move on to the public buses and public phones that all members of the public can use!
Posted by: Elsie, London Feb 8, 2008 9:33:21 PM
The problem is that other telecoms companies are allowed to cherry pick where they site their payphones and only put them in profitable locations.BT has to provide payphones in all locations by law so they are loosing more money on them than earning, BT is just saying that they want a more fair agreement as there is lots of established service providers now.
Posted by: Grant, Benfleet, Essex Feb 7, 2008 12:35:40 PM
Unfortunately in the areas that need to use a phone box (such as low income with no home phone line or mobile) these are also the same areas that can tend to have severe drug problems and can find the phone boxes being used to make "deals" I would be happy to see the phone boxes disappear in favour of the more open ones that are less likely to be abused.
Posted by: Phil, Liverpool Feb 1, 2008 3:51:56 PM
Telephone boxes have changed from being a profitable activity to being a public service and, in some respects, part of the cultural lanscapes.
At this point it is perhaps incorrect to expect a private phone company to maintain them for non financial motives.
Perhaps a better approach would be guidelines and/or legislation that encourage local councils, parish councils, and tourist authorities to deploy thier own phone boxes using modern or traditional booths depending on location.
At the same time perhaps it could be established that the copyright to the red phone box belongs to the british public, and local authorities have the right to deploy the traditional red phone box design on thier own turf at will, including faithul reproductions.
Posted by: Roger Irwin, Northallerton Jan 31, 2008 9:38:53 AM
my boyfriend loves the red phone box so much i bought one for his 50th birthday.
it looks lovely surrounded by flowers in the summer. a little bit of England right outside our patio window
Posted by: sandie. newcastle upon tyne Jan 31, 2008 8:05:45 AM
Like the red London bus the red phone box is part of the British "brand". We all visit the UK and love it and part of that "love affair" are the things that make Britain British - things like London busses and red telephone boxes. They must be kept - even if it means stripping the insides and sealing them. They are part of the much loved British landscape.
Posted by: Stephen, Port Elizabeth, South Africa Jan 31, 2008 7:45:39 AM
Hands off the Tardis guys! Seriously, telephone boxes are a British institution...
Posted by: SeanR Jan 31, 2008 3:01:43 AM
nooo way never get rid of the phoneboxes!
Since moving to Canada, they're definitely one of the things i miss! It's such a comfort to see then, and they're always useful if your mobile runs out of time and you're stranded!
Helped me multiple times while i was out with my mates and my phone died! : )
Posted by: Holly, Canada Jan 30, 2008 10:48:07 PM
Put them on the housing market the Rackman type Landlords that the Goverment has allowed to spring up again who prey on the immigrants who flood into Britain could put a couple of families in them,bit smaller than the toilets they took over in Stamford Hill but at least they will have a phone.
Posted by: DENNIS HERTS Jan 30, 2008 7:05:09 PM
I rarely see a red phone box and the few I do see have either been vandalised or don't have phones in them (and usually used as urinals).
So many people have mobile phones nowadays that it's not surprising that the phone box is almost obsolete.
At the end of the day, would we really want them left to be smashed, burnt out, used as toilets, etc.?
Posted by: Ashley, Sussex Jan 30, 2008 4:44:55 PM
If they insist on getting rid of them then i for one would like to preserve one- I love seeing them around, the older the better- they are part of what make this countrys heritage fantastic- I would put it in my own garden and maintain it myself at my cost
Posted by: Kevin Dodd- London Jan 30, 2008 4:39:07 PM
They are a target for vandals, smell of wee and don't work. Sell them off and if you love the iconic beauty of them you can have one in your garden.
Posted by: carina, newcastle Jan 30, 2008 4:20:59 PM
but what will happen to Dr Who ??? will he end up using a bt home hub ?
Posted by: Drew, uxbridge Jan 30, 2008 3:40:24 PM
What about turning them into public toilets? Oh wait, some of them already are used in this way...
Posted by: Armand Versace. Budapest, Hungary Jan 30, 2008 3:35:56 PM
In the mid seventies, it was somewhere to go for a snog in the winter :o). I say keep them, and use them for something else.
Posted by: Mark, London. Jan 30, 2008 2:04:19 PM
I think that there should still be phone boxes in areas that are out of signal from mobile phones. I know that most people have mobile phones now, but if I were to break down in some areas of where I live, I would be very grateful to see a phonebox if I had no signal to call for help.
Posted by: Lynne, North Wales Jan 30, 2008 1:44:04 PM
As a former British colony, Malta has a significant amount of cast iron phone boxes and letter boxes. All are protected through scheduling (68 phone boxes and 158 letter boxes) since they form part of our engineering heritage.
Posted by: Joe from Malta Jan 30, 2008 1:00:14 PM
Englands pride is NOT some stupid red box thats been around since the year dot-plonk!
The pride of England is its people and the liberties we have fought for over the centuries... I say scrap em!
Posted by: Jellynut Jan 30, 2008 12:53:43 PM
BT say these boxes cost on average £1500 a year each to maintain, but some only take a few pence in call charges.
Okay, I can see the economic madness of continuing down that road. But if we get rid of the red telephone boxes, will the savings be passed on to the customer in reduced call charges, or will BT's executives just award themselves a pay rise with the newly enlarged profits?
Surely it would make sense to take the phones out of these boxes and convert them to some other use. No-one wants to see them disappear completely as they are a Biritish icon, so why not just give them a new role in life?
Maybe we could have some suggestions for new roles that these boxes could perform?
For example, they could replace the phones with cashpoints, or a terminal where people can top-up their mobiles. Maybe convert them into emergency recharging units where people can quickly top-up their phone, Ipod, PDA, GPS, or laptop batteries for a small charge.
Posted by: Sam Knox, Kings Lynn Jan 30, 2008 11:43:20 AM
no dont let them get rid of the old telephone boxes thats our history.
england is not wat it used to be them boxes are englands pride . there wont be nothink left soon . i say keep them
Posted by: london Jan 30, 2008 11:28:33 AM
I want to scrap BT but "Somebody Tell Me" why are they allowed to corrupt the corridors of law "Wham". As for the phone boxes, I wouldn't fight to save BT.
Posted by: Khalid Jan 30, 2008 11:11:12 AM
There is a particular phone box in my area which gets vandalised, including the glass panels shattered! Every time i walk past and see the damage which somebody has caused, it is absolutley shocking! I would like to see this removed as its just a problem and an eyesore!
PS. Photos to follow.
Posted by: Kevin, Sunderland Jan 30, 2008 10:27:45 AM