Why do people not follow good Metro etiquette? Here are some rules so you don't make an ass of yourself.
1. Do not, I REPEAT, DO NOT stop when you get off of an escalator (this applies to all escalators, Metro or non-Metro). If you do, you endanger everyone behind you and I will push you aside (and I have) without so much as an excuse me. Don't be a shopping mall dumbass. Don't stop and block people before you get on an escalator, either.
2. Stand on the right, walk on the left. This is the rule in most urban areas and airport moving walkways. Learn it, live it. Metro won't put up signs, so tourists and infrequent suburbanite riders will always be a problem, though.
3. Do not lean your entire body against the poles/hog the pole, making it very hard for people to hold on without fondling your ass. Frankly, if you do that, you deserve any jabs and hair pulling you get. What, you thought those were by accident? Think again, dimbulb.
4. If you're sitting next to someone and the surrounding seats empty out, please get up and move to another seat. There really is no need to snuggle up to a stranger when there are completely empty seats and no one standing.
5. If you're in the "convenience" seats and a pregnant woman or elderly passenger or someone with a disability or even someone with a lot to carry and no arms free to grab a bar gets on the train, don't just stare at them or pretend you're sleeping. Get your ass out of that seat and offer the seat to them.
6. On a crowded train, do not hog the whole seat. Put your legs together and bag on your lap or under the seat. Please, guys, close your legs. It's a nasty habit and the last thing I want is your thigh pressed up against mine on a hot and sweaty summer day. Ugh.
7. Have your Metrocard out and ready before you approach the gates.
8. If it's crowded, move to the center of the car. You don't have to do this if the train is empty, just when it's rush hour. You really have no excuse unless you're only going one stop. If you are, get on the train last, so you'll be next to the doors.
9. Likewise, if you're standing in a doorway that opens, move out of the way to let people in and out.
10. Let people get out of the car before you get in. Do not stand directly in front of the door and block exiting riders. Amazing how many people lack this common sense and doubly amazing that the worst offenders aren't tourists, they are commuters.
11. If you can't fit on the train, wait for the next. This only applies during rush hour, as you could be waiting a good long time during non-rush hour schedules. Still, never force your way on to a train or try to hurry your still-on-the-escalator family onto the train by holding the door. You will not please commuters if you cause the train to be offloaded.
I'm sure there are more I'll add to these. I know I had a big peeve today, but I can't remember what it is now. It's so common on my commute, I guess.
Now, a Metro observation. There are two blind men with canes who get off at my stop. They are almost always on the same train. It never ceases to amaze me that one has an unerring sense of direction and always seems to know where he is and where he's going (although he's put that cane between others' legs far too often, I stay behind him now). The other, well, let's say he's really spatially challenged. He's never able to direct himself up the escalator or out the gates without help, frequently heading in the opposite direction. Today, I had to stop him as he completely passed by the gates or he'd have ended up at the other set of escalators headed back down to the Metro level. Someone else led him through the gates. I don't feel sadness or pity or anything, just curiousity about what he feels in the situation. He must know he's always headed in the wrong direction but can't really do anything about it. It must be tough. Still, he goes to work every day!
( 08:31 FH | urban living. )