This is a pet peeve. I absolutely cannot stand it when people are not readily armed with a BART ticket in hand BEFORE they approach the ticket turnstiles. I hate it when people stand in front of it, blocking it, while digging through their purse or computer case endlessly for a ticket. They search for 5 second, and then slowly realize that oh, they don't have one, causing a long line of people waiting behind them to get through. I also cannot stand it when people don't realize in advance that their tickets do not have enough $$ value to get through the gate. Instead, they try again and again AND AGAIN, while blocking a line of passengers behind.
With BART, every second counts. If I'm delayed for 15 seconds let's say, it could cause me to miss a train. Instead of running through the doors before closing, I'd be watching the train just leaving the station.
Yes, I am impatient. I move fast through the parking lot, through the ticket turnstiles, up the stairs and into the train. I do not allow myself any step of inefficiency and expect others to do the same. 90% of daily commuters are like me. But the other 10% somehow find themselves hovering around the ticket turnstiles, ticket machines and escalators like they've never taken BART before. If they are first timers, they can be excused, but some of these folks I see daily.
9 comments:
I am so there with you. This is the one aspect of BART where I will turn into a psychotic raving loony from hell if I encounter it. I have no problem with shouting "MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!" until the idiot flees the turnstile. I've even done it in front of BART police and never had them do anything more than chuckle about it.
haha, yeah, i sometimes tell them to please move to the side so others can get through. they just cluelessly respond, "oh", and surprised to see a line of people waiting for them!
I also get rather annoyed by this. I too am not above saying "Excuse me" and proceeding through. I wish that more people would speak up. When you see a line of 20 people behind somebody standing on the escalator or blocking a fare gate, clearly the first few people in that line up are just as much at fault for failing to say "Excuse me" or "Please stand to the right"
What if there were EZ-Rider only faregates?
you could get to the station a little earlier and not be at the mercy of a 15 second delay
Preach on bartsister! I always thought I was kind of a freak for hurrying through the parking lot, turnstiles & parking fare machine.. running up or down to the platform. And I don't even have a shuttle to catch like you do! I'm never late, I just don't find it necessary to doddle when it comes to my commute. *Love your blog, mama~sita!
Oh, I so totally agree. I don't even like it when people hold their ticket in their left hand. Helloooo, the ticket slot is on the right, hold the ticket in your left hand and you slow the line. And yes, you can measure the effect on the line if people hold their ticket in their left or right hand....
One day I had a woman who stopped in front of the only working turnstile, fished in her purse for a ticket. Ran the ticket through, then stopped between the gates and put her ticket back in her purse. I was three or four back in the ever-expanding line and I just wanted to push her out of the way.... grrrrrr.
It's really good to know that I'm not the only person who feels that way! There are more of us than i thought!
How about the folks trudging up the stairs at a glacial pace, two abreast, chatting merrily and blocking those of us rushing up to catch the train that is pulling in at this very moment? I almost missed my train this morning from that.
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