Bradshaw:Code of Conduct

From Bradshaw, the companion guide to On Our Lines
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1. Overview and Purpose

On Our Lines is a safe space for travel and transport lovers to meet, socialise and collaborate, and share ideas and thoughts. It is a diverse place for sharing our passions, making new friends, learning more about transport and championing the inclusivity of all. On Our Lines is owned and operated by The Luxton Electric Traction Company Limited.

On Our Lines is a diverse community, so we see many different perspectives, ideas, and experiences across our spaces. The community includes individuals who are just starting to dip their toes into transport through to well-known transport influencers and professionals – all levels of knowledge and experience are welcome.

We value the participation of each member and want everyone to be able to share their thoughts and experiences in a safe and welcoming way.

This Code of Conduct sets out the expectations and responsibilities for all members of the On Our Lines community and provides a framework for how everybody can best contribute. It details what types of actions or content are unacceptable and what the consequences of such actions may be. By participating in the community, you are agreeing to abide by this Code of Conduct.

2. Pledge

By participating in the On Our Lines community, we pledge to create a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of age, body size, disability, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, level of knowledge or experience, nationality, personal appearance, race, religion or sexual identity and orientation. We pledge to share our knowledge freely and without favour and enhance our shared interest to the benefit of all.

3. Standards

Each community member is entirely responsible for their own actions and these standards define how we expect them to behave.

We do not tolerate harassment in any form, nor do we tolerate any behaviour that would reasonably lead to another person being made to feel unsafe, insecure, or frightened for their physical or emotional well-being. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • The use of sexualised language or imagery, or inappropriate physical contact, sexual attention, or advances.
  • Trolling, insulting or derogatory comments, personal or political attacks, or sustained disruption of conversations or other events.
  • Deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, or harassing photography or recording.
  • Harassment of any kind, even in a joking or ironic manner.

We will exclude people who discriminate against anyone in our community on any grounds.

We expect everyone who participates to:

  • Be welcoming and open-minded – New users join our community each day. Some are well-established enthusiasts and/or professionals, while others are just beginning. Be open to other ideas and experience levels. Make room for opinions other than your own and be welcoming to new members. Share your knowledge rather than criticising or ridiculing others’ lack, and remember that this same lack of knowledge often allows a different, equally valuable, perspective that may not be obvious to those with experience.
  • Be respectful – Treat everybody with respect, even when their views differ from yours. The broad nature of our shared interest means disagreements may happen, but remember to comment on ideas, not people. Share thoughtful, constructive criticism and be courteous to those you interact with. If you’re unable to engage respectfully, consider taking a step back to de-escalate a tense situation. Never cross any boundaries communicated to you by other individuals.
  • Be empatheticOn Our Lines is a global community with people from a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives, many of which may differ from your own. Try to put yourself in others’ shoes and understand their feelings before you address them. Do your best to help make On Our Lines a community where others feel safe to make contributions, participate in discussions, and share different ideas.
  • Contribute in a positive and constructive way - The things we do here matter to us, and we want you to act as if they matter to you too. Help us make every interaction with the community great by always working to improve the experience in some way, however small.
  • Share mindfully – Don't share sensitive information. This includes private email addresses and phone numbers, including your own. We don't allow the sharing of such information across On Our Lines, as it can create security and privacy risks for community members, as well as others. If you'd like to connect with other On Our Lines users away from our spaces, ensure that you do so politely and respectfully.
  • Be honest - Don’t knowingly share incorrect information or intentionally mislead others. If you don’t know the answer to someone’s question but still want to help, you can try helping them research or find resources instead. No-one can know everything. This will help foster a sense of trustworthiness within the community.

4. Reporting of Incidents and Contacting On Our Lines Staff

If you see a problem, report it. Our staff team have the authority and ability to intervene across the On Our Lines community to ensure everyone’s safety – but we are all the guardians. We want to be a part of facilitating a safe space, rather than gatekeeping it. If you see bad behaviour, don’t reply. Replying encourages the bad behaviour by acknowledging it, consumes your energy, and wastes everyone’s time. You can report a disruptive user or disruptive content by alerting our staff as appropriate.

When contacting us, you should include as much information as possible and let us know if you require a response. We will always contact you should we need more information to help us resolve the issue.

Our staff can be contacted by several different ways, and the most appropriate avenue will depend on where your issue is occurring:

  • Email. In all cases, you can report your issue to our staff team by email: [email protected].
  • Discord. In the first instance, you should ping @Signaller to send an alert to the moderation team. If you get no response, or your concern relates to a Signaller’s behaviour, you can also ping @Controller to flag the issue to the admin team. In extreme cases, you may wish to tag the @Operations Superintendent. Tagging individual members of the staff team is strongly discouraged.
  • Bradshaw. It is often quickest to flag any issues on Bradshaw via Discord, using the above methods, in the #discuss-our-bradshaw channel. You can also contact us via email as above, or directly using the link at the left of every page on Bradshaw. If you wish to keep your report on the wiki, you can also raise it by posting at the Station Cafe or on the ‘Chat’ page of any Controller.
  • In-person events. Each event will have a designated, identifiable Event Manager. A mobile phone number will be provided for use in emergencies throughout the event, or you can email [email protected] at any time. If you or others are in immediate danger, please contact the appropriate emergency service before informing On Our Lines staff. If your concern is about a staff member, you can contact The Luxton Electric Traction Company Limited’s Safety Team by emailing [email protected] – please include a contact number to allow the Safety Team to get back to you as quickly as possible.

5. Enforcement

There are a variety of actions that we may take in response to inappropriate behaviour or content. Each case requires a different approach, and we try to tailor our response to meet the needs of the situation considering the exact circumstances.

We recognise that sometimes people may say or do inappropriate things for any number of reasons – perhaps they did not realise how their words would be perceived, or maybe they just let their emotions get the best of them. Of course, sometimes, there are folks who just want to spam or cause trouble. In each case, we will have a diverse team investigate the content and surrounding facts and respond, as appropriate, using this Code of Conduct to guide our decision.

Actions we may take in response to inappropriate behaviour or content include, but are not limited to:

  • Content Removal
  • Content Blocking
  • Account Suspension
  • Account Termination
  • Removal from an in-person event
  • Ban on attending some, or all, future in-person events

On Our Lines staff who do not follow or enforce the Code of Conduct in good faith may face temporary or permanent repercussions as determined by the management team of The Luxton Electric Traction Company Limited, the operating company behind On Our Lines.

6. Legal Notices

No-one likes legalese, but we must include it to protect ourselves as well as you and your data. We have a Terms of Service and Privacy Policy which govern our collective behaviours within the On Our Lines spaces. By using any of our spaces, or attending our events, you agree to abide by the Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and this Code of Conduct.

This Code of Conduct does not modify our Terms of Service and is not intended to be an exhaustive list. We – and by extension, our operating company The Luxton Electric Traction Company Limited – reserve the right to remove or restrict any content or accounts for activity that violates those policies, including because it is unlawful, offensive, threatening, libellous, defamatory, pornographic, obscene or otherwise objectionable, or violates any party’s intellectual property or our Terms of Service. This Code of Conduct describes when we will exercise that discretion.

7. Notes

This Code of Conduct may be reproduced in multiple places across the On Our Lines estate. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the most recent version is displayed in spaces we control, you are advised to check the version number against our Policy Folder to ensure you are reading the most up-to-date information.

Changes to this Code of Conduct will be advised via facilities including, but not limited to, Discord, Bradshaw and other On Our Lines social channels. Where possible, 14 days’ notice will be given of any changes coming into effect, although we reserve the right to alter this period if necessary. In any event, you can withdraw your acceptance of the Code of Conduct (and cease to be a member of the On Our Lines community) at any time.

Portions of this Code of Conduct are based on the Geek Feminism wiki’s anti-harassment policy (CC Zero), and GitHub’s Community Code of Conduct (CC By 4.0).

8. Person Responsible for document

Role Name
Charlotte Monroe Operations Superintendent

9. Document history

Version Date Changes Author
1.0 February 2024 Initial version Charlotte Monroe