My train was amazingly on time today despite the heavy rains. I barely made it to the platform in time but luckily I had comfortable shoes on today so I was able to sprint at good speed.
However, some people weren't so lucky. As the train doors were closing, I saw a few more people dash up the platform. One man, in particular, did not take his missing the train well at all. He was pissed off. He screamed some profanities, then proceeded to pound the door of my train (the 6th car I believe) heavily as we slowly left the platform. He pounded the doors at least 4 or 5 times.
After slamming the doors, he then started pounding the windows as he ran along (just about 12 feet along) with the train. It's as if he wanted to show all of us how pissed off he was and how inconceivable it was that we left him!
If he wanted to actually make a difference with his pounding, he should have ran up to the train operator and begged her to stop. I don't know if TOs are allowed to stop for passengers but I've seen that happen a few times.
5 comments:
How terribly embarrassing for him. I guess people who have these angry outbursts don't realize how petty and stupid it makes them look... He is probably the same sort of self-important person who gets infuriated when you want to change lanes in front of him or have the nerve to do the speed limit on the freeway.
I think people are so focused on getting on that train that they take leave of their senses. I witnessed the behavior of passengers on Vancouver's SkyTrain system, running after trains shouting WAIT WAIT and pounding on the windows in frustration when the doors closed on them.
SkyTrain, btw, is 100% automated; there are no train operators.
Well, TOs need to maintain some sort of ontine schedule, especially during commute. They need to determine when to close the doors based on the facts they have when the door closed button is pressed.
Sure they could be reopened, but during commute there are added trains and the schedule is tight. 3-5 minutes there will be another train. Rule of thumb, don't reopen during commute.
if i stopped the train for every laggard i'd still be at work. the funniest thing is people who bang on the train and scream while looking toward the rear of the train! it happens about 70% of the time and it's a real mystery to me why they think the train would be moving backwards. when i was fresh out of training class i remember saying "sorry" to a woman as i pulled away from 12th st, i had not seen her or else i would have held the doors for her. well, she looked right at me and sneered "no you're not!" now i don't say anything, just do the look back and close the window. if it's late at night i always stop and reopen for women, the elderly or disabled but never for able bodied men, they're on-time for the next train.
I like your last comment, anonymous, "they're on time for the next train."
Great thinking!
Maybe this wouldn't be a problem in transit systems across the globe if we all had message signs saying, "Train is 1000 feet down the track...pick up the pace!"
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