Monday, September 17, 2007

Bad morning ride

Maybe Monday brings the worst out of people? This morning's ride was miserable. Not only was the train packed at maximum standing capacity, people were completely rude and obnoxious.

First, we had no room to even stand, some young backpacker (airport bound probably) with a HUMONGOUS backpack and accompanying attachments (to the top and bottom of her 3 feet long backpack) insisted on squeezing in. Not only did SHE not fit, her backpack was blocking the door. As she turned around to fit in, her backpack kept on hitting me over and over. It didn't hurt, or else I would have told her to watch it, but still, it was annoying. Throughout the ride, her backpack not only hit me but at least 4 other passengers around her.

Worse, her phone kept on ringing. Each time it rang, she had to dig in her bag to grab it, and by doing that, she bumps someone else with her backpack.

Separately, people are completely impatient. I am polite enough to step out of the train to let people exit because I don't want to block the doors in any way. However, people literally push me out with their shoulders before I even have a chance to walk out. I already look like I am ready to hop out and make way for them, is it necessary for them to push me out of the way? Would a freakin' half second hurt them that badly? It's like, damn, I am already planning on getting out for you ok? Don't need to push me out!

Lastly, someone standing next to me kept on yawning in my face. Why don't people cover their mouth anymore?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thankfully, I don't have the 'congestion' problems you experience, maybe, my commute is early enough to not experience it. Either way, once, when the train I was on broke down & we had to hop on another train, naturally, due to a train out of commission, the ensuing trains were more & more crowded. At one point, people literally told others trying to get in the already crowded train that there was no room, and kept them from getting in the train.

In your case, I believe this person should NOT have been allowed in the already crowded train. If it had been a cyclist no way would they have been allowed in the crowded train - even if they had a folding bicycle, which is usually as big as an average-sized 26" piece of luggage. It should be no different for people trying to get on a crowded train with excessive luggage. Had I been in your shoes, I hope I would've told her there was no room, especially when her bag started hitting me. If she had a flight to get to, she should've taken an earlier, less crowded, train.

Anonymous said...

I've been the idiot with a giant backpack in a foreign country a few times. That was before I learned to pack lighter. I was soo grateful at the kind behavior of my fellow passengers. I'm glad you didn't tell her to leave. It's hard to know if a train will be crowded or not and there's really no other (budget-minded) way for you to get to the airport. Though, I probably would have carried my bag in so I didn't swing around and bump other folks as much.

bartmusings said...

yeah, i could tell she didn't MEAN to hit people with her backpack so i didnt want to get upset at her. the thickness of the bag was about 3 times her body! I'm sure she wasnt comfortable either.

Anonymous said...

Far too many people have these huge backpacks that stick out almost a foot yet they act oblivious to the fact that when they move, especially turn, they have this appendage that swings around them and frequently hits people. To add further insult, people plus packs just take up a lot more space in crowded trains. People should show some consideration by carrying the packs and, if standing, putting them on the floor between their legs. This sort of arrangement takes up minimal space. If seated, hold the pack or put in on the floor at your seat and not in the aisle. These are just common sense and courtesy.

Anonymous said...

I have to disagree with anonymous (post #1). Being bumped around on the train is a minor imposition compared to missing your flight.

You don't know why this person is on this particular train, whether it is typical for this train to be this packed (it sounds like it was at least a little worse than usual), or whether this person is familiar with the ridership patterns of the system to choose a different train. (For that matter, what if she had gotten on at an earlier station, well before the car had filled up? The discomfort level would be the same in either case.)

However, it would have been much smarter of her to remove the pack before entering the car.

Anonymous said...

As far as the pushing goes, I have had to deal with people who refuse to get off the train and unblock the doors. As a result, it takes much longer for everyone to exit the train. Maybe the folks doing the pushing have run into one too many of those folks. (Not that it makes pushing right. You could have fallen.)

Also, people need to develop the habit of moving all the way towards the middle or ends of the car. Too many people mill around near the doors while the aisles remain relatively empty. You have to squirm past them to get to where there is more room.

Anonymous said...

I have to share a story that happened recently, since we're having a group-vent.

The train pulls up to the platform, and the doors open to expose the back of a lady with a stroller (and a kid inside -- good thing!), and I expect to see her move the stroller out of the doorway a little to allow ingress and egress since we're in the middle of the afternoon rush.

No, she stands there (which may have been understandable since there wasn't a lot of room) and singlehandedly delays the train by forcing half the car to unload single file. Singlehandedly, that is, until another lady slips by me (I'm at the front of the line), darts into the open space the people leaving the train were using to exit, and stands there with her back against the pole by the door -- while there's still a platform full of people behind her waiting to get on!

Lady had the nerve to titter at me when my bag brushed her, too, while I was boarding. It was amazing.