Once a common site on Britain’s roads, phone boxes are now disappearing at a rapid rate, either being removed or repurposed as community libraries, defibrillators or even greenhouses.
When was the last time you used a payphone? Do you know where your nearest phone box is?
A Salisbury man has started a project to try and breathe life back into the vanishing boxes. #RecodeThePhone is the brainchild of Jez Whitworth, and aims to revitalise the one-time lifelines, creating a new telephone system for Salisbury.
Jez explained that the voice at the end of the phone is like chatting to Alexa or Siri. It is very clever, you walk past, need some information, pick up the phone and the AI (artificial intelligence) robot operator gives you details. Communicating with technology is something we are getting used to, so what a good idea it is to use it to help save the iconic telephone boxes, he exclaimed.
“The new system would offer free calls and mailbox facilities to anyone who needs it, as well as access to helplines and services,” said Jez. “Tourists can use the phones for local information – including any landmarks nearby. There’s also a fun side to the project – people can call the AI operator for a ‘chat’.
“The plan is for the project to offer support for mental health sufferers too, with initiatives that include the AI operator calling pay phones around the country with messages of hope and reflection, at times of the year where we know people are feeling at their most vulnerable.
Follow the project’s progress on Twitter: twitter.com/RocketJez. Get involved with the project collecting as many phone numbers of payphones as possible. If you come across any telephone boxes on your travels, make a note of the number and email them through to recodethephone@gmail.com.