Vaping - what can be done?
Hello, this is a genuine question rather than a moan. As a daily commuter on West Midlands railway, I find the sheer amount of anti-social behaviour depressing, not just because it makes my journey worse but because it adds to the general sense of a Britain fraying around the edges. This behaviour ranges from major infringements like fare evasion and destruction of the train seats/tables to the more typical feet and/or bags on seats. However, nothing seems to represent this lack of care for your fellow traveller more than the excessive vaping - this is at such an extraordinary level that the train often arrives smelling of weed, and is visibly cloudy like an old school cinema. At times, it feels like I’m in the minority for not vaping in the carriage.
So, what can be done? I have tried the usual moaning to train staff, the TOC and British Transport Police. However, this only really affects change due to visible presence, i.e., people don't vape as much when a security guard is standing next to them. Remove them, and we're back to square one. I can also see that increased barriers and policing will have an impact, but I'm not sure I want an overly policed or securitised railway either. So my question is more birds-eye view - how do we manifest large-scale behaviour change on the railways? What evidence-based ways are there to eliminate anti-social behaviour and bring back a sense of collective space?