Subway and Public Transportation Etiquette - The People We Encounter

Heh. This is great. But I am born and raised in Los Angeles, so I have very little experience with the subway. Probably why I want to read more about it, though

thread useless without pictures of no. 17...

Tryptophan

The guy who suddenly falls asleep when a [elderly or pregnant] woman steps on a car without open seats.

I'm definitely the dasher.

At least you don't have the pet-owners, or at least haven't listed them. I've yet to be on a subway in Paris this semester without someone taking their dog. Extra points to the ladies on the metro who let their miniature-whatever ride along, so I have one more object taking up space that I have to watch out for.

I have experienced all of these people and feel your pain. People in general suck. Couple of additions to it are:

The absolutely, positively have to catch this train
This is the time when a train pulls in and it's packed. There's maybe space for two more people and two more people get on. Everyone has their nose in someone else's armpit, but there's just enough room to survive it. Ten others on the platform are like "*******, I'll get the next one". All is well with the world. Then someone appears and marches past all the people hanging on the platform and squeezes onto the train, making it utterly unbearable. Combine this with the backpacker and their backpack blocks the doors from closing for about three swipes before they've convinced everyone on the train that they are the antichrist and they make space to let the backpack in. These people should be pushed in front of the train.

The Door Clogger
I normally stand by the doors if I can and I step sideways to let people on and off the train. Most of the time there is someone else on the other side of the door doing the same thing. Sometimes someone gets on and stands in the middle of the door, when there's plenty of space inside the car. Rarely have I contemplated causing the death of a fellow human being more than in this situation. I consider these people basically the same as someone who would walk into a virtually empty public restroom and use the urinal right next to the one I'm standing at. Seriously dude, **** off.

[/rant]

First world problems. Suck it up crybabies.



patrickBOOTH said:

3. The Backpacker: This is the person that occupies as much space as three people with their giant backpack. They generally stand and are usually reading something and are totally unaware people are trying to get by their enormous backpack. .

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The Backpacker will often have a guitar as well, sometimes strapped to the backpack taking up even more room. The guitar could well be their main source of income.

Ty_Webb said:

I have experienced all of these people and feel your pain. People in general suck. Couple of additions to it are:
The absolutely, positively have to catch this train
This is the time when a train pulls in and it's packed. There's maybe space for two more people and two more people get on. Everyone has their nose in someone else's armpit, but there's just enough room to survive it. Ten others on the platform are like "*******, I'll get the next one". All is well with the world. Then someone appears and marches past all the people hanging on the platform and squeezes onto the train, making it utterly unbearable. Combine this with the backpacker and their backpack blocks the doors from closing for about three swipes before they've convinced everyone on the train that they are the antichrist and they make space to let the backpack in. These people should be pushed in front of the train.
The Door Clogger
I normally stand by the doors if I can and I step sideways to let people on and off the train. Most of the time there is someone else on the other side of the door doing the same thing. Sometimes someone gets on and stands in the middle of the door, when there's plenty of space inside the car. Rarely have I contemplated causing the death of a fellow human being more than in this situation. I consider these people basically the same as someone who would walk into a virtually empty public restroom and use the urinal right next to the one I'm standing at. Seriously dude, **** off.
[/rant]

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I too am very familiar with many of the people whom you mention, but I find that I'm not too bothered by any of the people above, as I kind of enjoy the 'show' that one gets to witness on the subway every day. There are some people/actions, however, that do bother the hell out of me.

1.) I like to stand by/at the doors, and I usually either move outside the door or swing around to allow people to come on. Often, someone will come on and 'stop' at the doors, effectively stealing my spot. I know they do it unintentionally, but it still pisses me off.

2.) Men who do not offer their spots to women/the elderly/children on crowded trains. You are a man. Act like it.

I am probably guilty of many of these offenses when I ride the subway. Mostly because I only visit the city occassionally and find the subway experience takes some getting used to. One thing that I always forget is that too much consideration for others will get you in trouble. For example, trying to be polite I usually allow others go in front of me. But when there is a never-ending crowd of people I could wait forever to get on the train, escalator, turnstile, etc. This also tends to annoy and prove to be inconsiderate of the people behind you. When I did live in the city years ago I remember being appreciative of those passengers who were skilled at their commute and being keenly aware of people who didn't do it very often.

you guys are probably just talking about yourselves.



cuponoodles said:

2.) Men who do not offer their spots to women/the elderly/children on crowded trains. You are a man. Act like it.

 

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Why should I give up my seat for women and children? I'm pretty sure being a female or a child isn't a disease that makes it more difficult to stand.

A variation on 4. The Pole Dancer, regularly spotted in Paris: Fat people who prop their bottoms against the support, grasping the pole between their ample buttocks.

Not necessarily an annoying commuter profile, but:
The I-got-on-a-crowded-train-with-no-seats-but-now-there-are-plenty-of-seats-available-I-am-still-going-to-stand-up Commuter:

It's some sort of cognitive dissonance/pride thing, but I'm guilty of doing this all the time. I'll get on a crowded train and there's always the one stop where 75% of the people on the train get off, leaving a plethora of seats and space. My stop is after the Mass Exodus stop so I still stand up, but I'll look around and see several other commuters hanging onto the poles even though there are several open seats in front of them. I never understood why people don't take these seats, cause the people who get on after the train has emptied take them with no qualms whatsoever.

It's a really interesting phenomenon.