On Demand
Getting Around: Underground Etiquette
Thursday, June 11, 2009
All this month, the Getting Around series will look at the unwritten rules for traveling in and around New York City, whether it's underground, on the ground, or in the air. Billie Cohen, deputy editor of Time Out New York, is the unwritten rules guru for the series.
This Week: Subway Behavior. What are your rules for subway etiquette? What are your tips for being a good subway citizen? Comment below!- About the Brian Lehrer Show »
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Years ago nobody ever brought a cup of coffee on the subway. Now, you might frequently find yourself standing squeezed in next to - or worse - sitting below someone holding 16 ounces of hot, clothes staining liquid in a squashable paper cup with a flimsey plastic lid -- not a good scenario for quite obvious reasons. If you can't smoke or play loud music, why should this be tolerated? Is this really the only time and place people have to down their morning cup of joe while rudely giving all the surrounding passengers an anxiety attack first thing in the morning?
Is there a rule about this (for people who really need one)? If not, should there be? If there is, should there be more enforcement, or at least an "awareness" campaign by the MTA?
And please don't suggest saying something to these people - this is NY so get real - once they get in the door they are there. Then what? I usually just glare and relocate - another NYC survival strategy, "avoid and conquer".
What about folks who stand in the doorways when people are trying to leave the train, effectively forcing everyone to exit and enter single file (when otherwise people can leave the train two at a time)?
All sense of proper etiquette is gone. People are constantly getting on the train eating french fries drenched in vinegar + ketchup, kids insert the word "nigger" at the beginning and end of each sentence as if they have some sort of speech impediment. I hear boys talk with girls openly about sex in front of grandmothers, with absolutely ZERO respect.
IT's not just ghetto people acting poorly. I've seen wall-street types in suits not offer up their seat to a pregnant minority woman, sitting and pretending that they're sleeping in the middle of the afternoon. It's shameful.
As much as I love New York, these are the things that make me hate it.
"IT's not just ghetto people..."
TerezaIzabel, nice language sweety. Very open minded.
Eating & drinking are not permitted on Washington, DC's Metro, which seems to contribute to a much cleaner subway, and certainly alleviates the aforementioned coffee anxiety.
As for subway etiquette, I think etiquette in general is on the decline. If only living in a highly populated city did not instigate an "every man for himself" attitude.
I stopped taking the subway to work after the transit strike. Now I walk the 50 blocks, both ways, almost every day. It actually takes about 5-10 minutes less time each day by walking, I get exercise, and I don't have to deal with kids and teens going to and from school every day. I am always the first to give up my seat to a pregnant woman, but it never ceases to amaze me how most people will not. I am also pretty adverse to loud noise and often you get on a subway car with groups of teens who use yelling to one another as a means of communication. Walking is a lot less stressful and has really improved my quality of life. Thanks for listening sweeties.
Don't cut in front of someone on the platform who has been standing there waiting for the train long before you. drives me nuts!
and i second Peter's annoyance with teens yelling on the subway - especially in the morning. there should be a separate car for kids under 20.
The MTA has rules about most of these items, but since the rules are not enforced, anything goes. Here's my ideas:
1) personal audio devices - If I can hear what you're listening to, then your "in-the-ear" headphones are not really in your ear, or the volume is so high that it is doing damage to your ears. but I would never tell you to turn it down, because it's not damaging me or the other passengers.
2) standing in the doorway - if you're not exiting at the next stop, there is no reason for you to block the flow of passenegers in or out of the train (and there's usually lots of room in the middle of the car). When the doors open, either step aside (i.e.: turn your body sideways) or step out of the car. if you're blocking the path, don't get upset when people push against you.
3) volume of personal conversations - if I can hear your conversation at the other end of the subway car, you are much too loud. Since these loud conversations are mostly from students, I can only assume that their hearing has been damamged by personal audio devices. I remember when subway etiquette was taught in the NYC public schools (they also taught how to fold the NY Times so you could read it while holding on to the strap), but I guess basic skills (like reading and writing) are more important. However, how to speak in public using "nice" words should be taught at home...
4) staircase etiquette - keep to the right. all staircases are 2 way roads. there is no "up" or "down" staircase.
Since you asked for my rules of etiquette, here are the ground rules that I exemplify:
1-step to the side of the door of an arriving train and let people get off first
2-when no seats are available, move into the center sections
3-offer a seat to elderly passengers, people with visible injuries, people holding babies/toddlers, and pregnant women
4-when carrying shopping bags, a satchel, etc., put them on the floor, not in the seat beside me
Everybody on the subway is more important than you.
Since others have set the precedent of listing behaviors they find annoying, I ask your indulgence for the same:
1-people crowding the doors, not allowing people to get off the train or to get into the train (Unless it's jam-packed in there, move your butt to the middle!)
2-loud talking
3-loud music. C'mon folks, those Ipods / MP3's are for personal listening. I don't want to be forced to listen to your music. This is a great time to invest in hearing aid companies, because the wave of hard-of-hearing Americans is building.
4-Excessive PDA's. The two teenage lesbians from Brandeis HS's softball team who did everything except undress in front of my toddler should have be banned from public areas until they can get their emotions under control. And it matters not to me whether excessive PDA's are hetero- or homo-. Keep it private, please.
5-Hearing the "n-word". Whether it ends in "-er" or "-a", it undermines the Herculean efforts of many who had a hand in changing this nation.
Thank you for allowing me to share.
PS - I will confess to drinking coffee in the morning, but I only use my sealable travel mug, and I don't drink it unless I am sitting or can freely move my arm up and down.
Rule #1: Let people off before you try to get on the train. This means get out of the way of the door (i.e. don't stand in front of it) and make sure there's a clear path to the stairwell.
Did you know they did some experiments in Paris and found that if people boarders let departers off trains first, the trains leave the station faster? That is, if you get over your self-centered self, you'll get to your destination faster?
**************
"Ghetto" means "low class" or "ill-mannered" among the low-SES and minority youth of this city, and probably for others, too. So, when TerezaIzabel (#3) wrote "It's not just ghetto people acting poorly. I've seen wall-street types in suits..." she was using a particular expression -- not judging minority or poor people. Clearly, she was pointing out that people who supposedly have some degree of class (e.g. those wearing suits) do this do.
I'm sorry Peter (#4), but the issue here is your lack of familiarity with an expression that's been in use for over decade, not any close-mindedness on TerezaIzabel's part. Ironically, you've displayed a certain close-mindedness to a dialect with which you are not well familiar.
ceolaf,
I know many people from the inner city or as you say, "ghetto," who are polite, respectful and awesome in every manner. When I was in high school I remember a good friend making a "trailer trash" comment similar to what you are saying with ghetto. My girlfriend at the time was raised in a trailer park and just started crying - she was really hurt. I have seen others get really offended by the term ghetto as well. ceolaf, your views on this matter are, in my opinion, delusional. You can use language that is meant to hurt others, I will not. Take care sugar.
No personal grooming. At the top of this list: Nail clipping!
Let us turn our attention for a moment to the odious "emergency exit" alarms on the gates, and the people who use them as exits, rather than going through the turnstiles. Really, there's not enough caffeine in the world to prepare me to routinely hear that sound at 7:45am. People, you can go through a turnstile, it takes just a few seconds more. And MTA: the alarms aren't working. You can remove them now.
Subway preachers: I respect your right to practice your religion. I understand that you feel that you have a moral imperative to save my soul. But are you really winning over converts by shrieking about hell at 7:30 in the morning at Columbus Circle? Because your ominous intonations *already* feel like a little taste of hell.
1) No spitting - I once confronted an oaf on this issue. Also no spitting out sunflower seed shells, no clipping your nails.
2) If you must pass gas, please get off the train and do so in the great outdoors.
3) No cussing, come on there are children around and also I don't want to hear it!
4) Don't stand there and block the doors when people are trying to get on and off.
5) Pack your garbage out with you when you leave the train.
6) Give up your seat for pregnant ladies, the elderly, small children and people with canes or crutches or other disabilities.
How about the poor polite officers who ride the subways when schools let out? They stand there with no power, or exerting no power. The kids still run through the cars, yell, take up numerous seats, etc. I have been on cars where the kids are yelling at the top of their lungs, but the cops do nothing.
SOUND LEVELS, CONTENT:
- NO out-loud music playing (headphones only, and not blasting)
- NO loud talking
- NO foul, vulgar language
Don't impose on others in a shared public space.
Also, adults: Stop being afraid to calmly and respectfully engage young people when their public behavior is inappropriate...
i can't listen to today's segment live so I don't know if this has been covered already, but my #1 annoyance on the subway is the men who sit with their legs as far apart as possible, taking up as much space as possible. I don't know whether they do this unthinkingly or whether they do it purposefully in an effort to give the appearance of having massive junk, or maybe some of them even have a medical issue that needs urgent attention, but it is annoying! If you can't sit without taking up enough space for 2 or 3 people, go stand in an out-of-the-way spot!
A close second: People blasting their music. They invariably have pretty bad taste in music, too!
does anyone else want to push people down the stairs who read or text while walking up the stairs during rush hour
please keep to the right on the stairs!
don't clip your nails on the train
don't stand in the doorway
People sitting with their legs spread apart so as to intimidate another person from sitting down or even asking for a seat.
People, not students, with backpacks -- what the heck are they carrying in these things day after day? First, take them off because they double your "footprint" and second, be careful when you turn, you're bumping into others.
Strollers during rush hour.
It would be great if guys didn't sit with their legs spread eagle. Extremely irritating and disrespectful.
I think preaching on the subway should be outlawed.
Cough or sneeze into your shoulder/upper arm and not on the hand that you use to also clutch the rails. Also, use tissues! I have seen people wipe their noses with their hands and proceed to grab a shared pole. Hello H1N1!
Standing in the way of exiting passengers or pushing your way in before any passengers get off and the best: those that stand by the door and won't budge when there's a train load of people trying to get off and/or on. Didn't their mother's teach them anything!!!
1. Don't stand in the stairwell leading down to the subway to talk on your cellphone.
2. Don't stop once you reach the top of the subway stairs to look around.
3. Don't suddenly stop in the middle of the sidewalk to fumble for something.
I view walking in this city as I would driving a car: keep moving straight ahead in your lane at a reasonable speed; pass slow-movers to the left; and if you have to do something, pull over to the side where you won't be in anyone's way.
ALSO: don't walk at a snail's pace with 5 of your friends side by side so that you take up the whole width of the sidewalk. This ain't a game of Red Rover.
If someone who is tall tells you that if you move into the empty 3 feet of space next to you the 15 people trying to get on the train can do so..... MOVE!
Tall people have quite a different point-of-view than short people and if you listened to them, everyone would fit on the train! WE SEE YOU!!
On a crowded train, teenage boys who sit with their legs wide open taking up two spaces should move over without being asked.
1. Don't unnecessarily stand in the doorway.
2. Let people off before you board.
3. Take up only one seat (unless you;re too big) -- don't wait until people ask you to move over.
4. Take off your backpack when it's crowded!
5. Don't lean on the pole if other people are standing.
6. Bathe or wear industrial-power deodorant.
Subway car poles are designed so that you can grip them with your hand so you don't fall. It is terribly impolite to see people leaning on it as if they owned it.
Also, the first thing you do when you walk into a subway car is to head to the middle of the car. Why is it that people cram by the doors - they seem to refuse to go to the middle!!!
If you're too poor to buy soundproof headphones, and still insist on blasting it for all to hear, you should not heed the "watch the gap" announcements (although, you wouldn't be able to hear them anyway).
Do not lean against the poles in the center of the car. It leaves others with no place to hold on.
People getting upset because they've been grazed in a packed subway car is unacceptable. -- This is NYC. If you can't take the crowds you shouldn't be here to begin with.
Okay, most everything I hate about subway travel has already been covered, but here's one that I find really gets up my nose - literally. Being on a crowded subway with people's morning breath, especially the yawners. Don't these people brush their teeth? Wish I had the guts to hand out breath mints.
If a seat opens up directly in front of you, this means you have first dibs on that seat. You have the right to sit there yourself or give it to someone else. No one should sneak in without your permission.
Forget rules for subway passengers. What about rules for the MTA?
I'm not talking about rate hikes or anything like that, but I hate that the MTA decided to lock the doors between subway cars on the F line and other lines.
If you're on a train late at night and don't feel safe -- or if you feel like you're gagging from someone's body odor -- sometimes you just don't want to wait until the next station to find a new car.
1) Thou shalt not bring odiferous fast food onto the train, let alone leave your garbage.
2) Thou shalt not wield an emery board. You will create a train-stopping sick passenger with that sound.
3) Thou shalt not clip your toenails. And definitely not clip someone else's toenails.
4) And thou shalt not defecate in the stairwells (seen it).
My number 1 petpeev on the subway is hearing people's music. There are people playing their music on their cell phones without earphones! Just jamming like they are in their homes, oblivious to their surroundings. And even when they use ear phones the bass is sooo loud it doesn't make a difference.
As a common courtesy, please turn down your music!
Peter,
I didn't describe anyone as "ghetto." In fact, the people whom you describe would *not* be labelled "ghetto" with the usage at issue.
More generally, however, you can be sure that I would never describe anyone as "ghetto" because it is not a term I use or like. I understand it, and understand who uses it. It is quite different than "trailer trash," primarily in who has coined the usage.
However, this is a discussion for another time.
If you can feel someone's breath on the back of your neck, it means they are standing too close to you.
No nails and no makeup - PLEASE!
Makeup helps us to look and feel our best in front of co-workers, family, friends etc. But caking it on while riding the A-Train is thoughtless in two key ways: it suggests that those around you don't matter (or you'd be sure you look your best before getting on the train); and it forces everyone to ignore the entire application process - weird facial expressions like pursed lips and raised eyebrows - and disregard the often nauseating amounts of makeup some chose to pile on. This may be more offensive than nail clippings.
Read a book, read the newspaper, listen to an ipod. But please keep the primping to the privacy of your own home.
Wear actual headphones while listening to your crappy music or playing your video game! Earbuds are like speakers!
Okay, here's another one: parents who talk to their young children REALLY loudly, as if we should all be as fascinated by their cute offspring as they are. Maybe that's where teenagers learn they don't have to use their inside voices on the train.
Let's see:
Men's legs (knees) should not span wider than the size of their seat. Their knees should not be touching me.
If you smell you should know it and you should not place your armpit near my nose.
You shall not expell gas.
You should not enter the train until I have left the train.
You shall not pretend that you are asleep while a 40 week pregnant woman/eldery person stands suffering.
Mr. Creepy when your hand slides down the pole and touches my hand you will quickly remove it and not let it rest on my hand. You know who you are.
You will not wear copious amounts of perfume and then get offended when I start to gag near you. You will also not spray perfume in an enclosed space.
You will not bang into me becasue you rushed passed me while I was trying to get off train and be surprised when your ass gets a kick.
Perhaps we should organize the platforms in a different way; have people line up in areas designated for their needs: cars for people with children, strollers, etc. nearest the exits/elevators. A car for the coffee drinkers, eaters, nail clippers and over perfum-ers. A car for people without luggage, big bags, or other items to transport. A car for people like me (with my big slouchy purse) who can hold it near their feet (which I always do).
If we sort like-with-like, maybe we have fewer reasons to complain.
I've been riding the subway for the past 10 years since I was commuting to a Manhattan HS from Brooklyn. I've seen everything from people masturbating to picking their noses. As far as the subway goes all rules are out and no one is there to inforce them even if we had them.
But if I could ban one thing I think it would be people clipping their fingernails on the subway, which I have seen done on the train on several occasions....
A positive rule and a negative rule:
-: Holding the doors open for someone running a little late is a *definite* no-no, even if it is for your spouse or the most sympathetic person in the world. Holding the doors open for one person slows down the hundreds of others who are already on the train. Furthermore, it is the kind of thing that can lead to uneven separation of trains -- which is what leads to the BIG slows downs.
+: It's OK to speak to the people around you. It's OK to speak to the children and teenagers around you, especially if you are *not* scolding them. It is OK to speak to people around you of different ethnicities.
Backpacks and large bags on the shoulder or back on a crowded train - either people are clueless or don't care that they're being disrespectful.
I think the following afflicts so-called "cool" new yorkers, too blase to see they are taking advantage of the limited space/patience on the train car:
No leaning or hugging on the poles...this is for support, it is not a chaise lounge or a strip pole.
No leaning back into that little window at the seat next to the door (especially on the R line): THAT IS WHERE MY HEAD IS, NOT YOUR BACK-PACK OR FLUFFY FUR COAT.
All bags go on the floor: I once had to squeeze into a seat next to 3 bags of fairway groceries with their own seats, while the looked indignant that I dared sit next to her arugula.
Do not snort at out-of-towners or people doing something that bothers you: if you have a problem just tell them or if you do, don't wait until you are about to get off the train that is lame.
that is all
Here are some rules of etiquette that could really help with the flow of traveling underground:
1) Don't block the turnstile while digging through your bag, pockets, coat, etc. looking for your metrocard. Step aside and let people through while you locate your card.
2) Wait your turn to get onto the trains by letting people get off before entering.
3) Step aside if you're standing next to the door when the train comes to the station. Make room for people to get on/off the train.
4) Once on the train, MOVE TO THE CENTER! Its the most obnoxious thing during rush hour to see clumps of people crowded by the door with tons of space in the center of the car. Straphangers can't get on the train even though there is space because people don't move!
5) Eating/drinking on trains -- its not just coffee that concerns me. What about the kid who brings on greasy fried food on a crowded train? That stuff is just bound to end up on someone else and stain their clothes. There are several other train systems in the US that don't allow eating on the trains (i.e. DC, San Francisco) and they have much cleaner, nicer smelling stations with less litter.
6) Stand on the right, walk on the left. If anyone has ever gone through 51st Street station where the 6 and E/V lines meet during rush hour, you know what I mean. Extremely long escalators and there is always that one person who decides to stand on the left. If this were DC or London, you'd be mulled over by angry commuters.
7) Give up your seat to elderly, parents with small children, people with disabilities, and pregnant women.
8)Panhandlers -- they aren't supposed to bepanhandling on the subways in the first place, but I understand you do what you have to do. Just please don't do it during rush hour when there isn't space for you to move through each car of the trains.
STOP the conductors who yell at every stop about holding the doors. I agree about the kids, I would rather wait until after schools rush rather than need to put up with listening to the few but VERY, very uncouth students. For the most part I see acts of kindness everyday via public transportation and that helps.
Steve: what business or concern is it of yours why non-students have backpacks? You don't know where your fellow riders are going or what their lives are like. That is silly. I carry a book bag every where I go, every day. I have every right to have one and won't be questioned on the matter. My life is not so simple that it can be summarized with two pockets worth of daily carriage.
To all, regarding talking to teenagers: Do not. Be serious, anybody who's reached their age and doesn't even have the respect to not yell and curse on the train is not going to have the respect not to verbally assault you for calling them on it. At least. Don't start fights on an already-rowdy train when we are stuck on it with both sides.
To the commentor who asked about "man-sitting.": It is completely unconscious. If I happen to be sitting on the train, I need to consciously remind myself not to spread out. I guarantee you that in the vast majority of cases, no malice is intended. No sinister plan. If you're not a man, you might not understand, that's just how our legs work. If I were to sit like a woman, legs pressed together, that would be uncomfortable as well as counter intuitive. Obviously, there is a happy medium in posturing style, but we men need to be conscious of it. It's not something that comes as second nature.
Finally: I stand in the doorways. I squeeze out of people's way as they enter and exit, but that's all I can do for you. All I want to do is read on the damn train and take a little load off and it can't be done, gripping a pole in the middle for dear life. Hate me if it makes you happy. You're going to get on and off of the train, you're not really being injured by my "insensitivity," so stop whining. At least I'm not taking seats away from sick old people, pregnant women and women of any age.
I would love if the mta hired etiquette enforcers. Sort of like subway super-heros!
In my world they would demand that people not pick their noses in a open and unabashed fashion. This would also include nail clipping.. They would demand that the needy have first dibs on seats. Women throughout the system would be free of strangers lame attempts of unwanted conversations.
I am sure the other listeners could add more to what my defenders of decency would protect.
1. Do NOT run into the subway when the doors are closing.
2. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE if you are going to drink a coffee on the subway at least keep the lid on it.
On a recent D train ride into work someone (I will refrain from using any expletives here) carrying an uncovered coffee ran onto the train while the doors were closing resulting in an entire coffee being thrown directly in my face. A wonderful start to the day to say the least.
Don't shove me in the back as I try to get on the subway. I realize it is crowded but just because you are behind me, it is rude and can be dangerous to push on me for you to get on the subway.
DON'T take a bath in cologne.
NO LOUD earpods.
NO PREACHERS.
NO WIDE OPEN LEG SITTING BY MEN. USUALLY MEN.
MOVE! If you're not crippled, walk swiftly into the train.
GIVE your seat to a person who has a disability.
NO LOUD ANYTHING.
BE VERY VERY POLITE AND QUIET.
SMILE
antonio,
agreed. but the etiquette enforcers would have to be police or no one will take it seriously.
Never ever clip your fingernails on the subway or the bus.
PLEASE, no fingernail clipping of ANY KIND!
Please get out of the way of people entering and exiting the train!
PLEASE DON'T LEAN ON POLES!
Please turn down your iPods!
Please don't sit in-between seats, taking up two instead of one.
Men, please sit with your knees together so others can sit in the seats beside you.
Please keep your bag(s) off seats.
And when it's crowded, PLEASE TAKE OFF YOUR BACKPACKS!
Thank you.
Please don't stop walking and look around when you arrive the bottom or top of the stairs. Just keep going, you'll figure it out.
1. as a short person (5' nothing) I'd really appreciate it if people would realize I cannot comfortably reach the overhead bars and allow for people of similar stature the courtesy of using the vertical bars, so we aren't flinging around on our tip toes
2. stop playing with your ringtones!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2 rules of etiquette
1- men cannot spread their legs more than 6"
2- all must remove backpacks and keep them by their sides.
1. Do NOT stand in the doorways.
2. Do NOT check your cell phone or play with your ipod on the subway steps.
3. Do NOT spread your legs so wide that they take up more than one seat.
4. Do NOT wear shoes, sandals, flip flops or high heels that impair your ability to walk or handle stairs at a reasonable pace.
5. Do NOT spit inside the subway car.
People who are going to stand still on subway escalators and not walk should stand to the right. If the escalator is too narrow to stand to one side, it's not really impolite to stand still, but I ask people not to do it unless they are old, children or with children, have hevay bags/packages, or have problems walking on stars.
May I add some public-address etiquette for MTA employees? We all like to be informed as to where the train is, and where it is going. But please, aspiring comics, commentators and misc. monologuists: shut up and drive the train. Thank you.
1.) Let people out first. You will still get on the train if you wait a moment.
2.) If you don't know that doors are where people enter and exit the train, then you shouldn't be riding the subway. Stay out of the doors.
3.) If a train is coming into the station there is no need to run at the speed of a bat out of hell to catch. They are not ripping up the tracks behind this train; there will be another train.
4.) Take up one seat. If your genitalia are that large that your legs have to spread so wide, quit your job and become a porn star. If you are that obese, consider walking to work.
5.) If you must sleep, please note that the person next to you is not your pillow.
6.) Don't urinate onto the tracks. There are public restrooms in Barnes and Noble, Borders, Starbucks, Citicorp Center and the Time Warner Center, amongst other locations.
7.) Don't defecate in the train (yes I've seen that happen). See number 6 above.
8.) Don't have sex on the train (yes I've seen that happen).
9.) A crowded train is not a green light for frottage.
If you're a passenger with a large tote hanging under your arm or very large, packed knapsack and you're standing, you probably don't have a seat and the train is packed. Think about moving to accommodate people attempting to pass by you. Many of us want to leave the train with the same limbs we entered the train with.
My biggest pet peeve is that people don't move to the center of the subway car when there is clearly enough room for everyone. This is especially a problem during the busiest times, rush hour.
First:
Move to the center of the car. Don't stand in the doorway. If you do so, please recognize the simple fact of physical space means you will get bumped into, so please do not complain.
These rules are not mandatory, but please recognize that failure to comply DOES mean you are a selfish jerk.
Second:
Do not throw trash on the tracks. Trash is the #1 cause of track fires and track fires are the #1 cause of service delays. Nobody likes service delays. Ergo, nobody likes people who cause them.
Third:
Bathe. Please?
What about conductor etiquette! The only thing worse than people entering the train before passengers get off are the conductors who request that you let people off first and then slam the door in your face (and they ALL do this). Definitely reinforces premature boarding.
Etiquette starts at the top or middle of the stairwell where people are often blocking access to the hand rails, either texting or getting their final phone fix before heading underground.
Eating on the platform or the car itself is like eating in the bathroom. Save for a stick of gum, it is unacceptable to whip out a ham sandwich or a pizza slice when you're squeezed between two people during rush hour.
Office Worker [52], with respect, I must disagree with a couple of your points, sir.
Perhaps we have a different understanding of the term "man-sitting." It is natural for men to sit with our legs apart, but it is not natural for us to sit with our legs spread wide open. No, I don't think it's some sort of conspiracy as you humorously suggest, but there are some men who not only sit spread eagle. They proceed to rock their legs back and forth, perhaps for some sexual stimulation created by the friction of cloth rubbing against their genitalia. That's rude. It's gross.
As for standing in the doorway, you may think you're squeezing out of the way, but I promise you, you are not. I like to read on the subway, too, but sometimes I have to wait. Move to the middle, and if that means you have to wait before you read, maybe you shouldn't be taking the subway.
People who are going to stand still on subway escalators and not walk, should stand to the right.
Don't lean on the vertical poles. When you find my knuckle behind your head, be aware that your offended glare means nothing to me or anyone else.
Regarding Subway Ettiquette
#1 People must not stand in the doorways of the subway cars, blocking entrance and egress of the rest of the passengers. The # 7 train is the worst for people blocking the doorways.
The escalators across New York have developed their own unwritten rule; an option for both the walkers and the standers which only takes one dissenter to upheave. The problem I think is that it is an unwritten rule and should be afforded perhaps the same level of formality as the bike/walk lanes on the williamsburg bridge. No penalties, just order. There should also be a sign that notifies pedestrians that if they get shoved or pushed past, not to take it personally and understand that we are all victims of our commute.
If you're on a train with a large tote under your arm or big, packed knapsack and you're standing, you most likely are on a packed train. If people are trying to move past you, remember that you're appendages are part of you and affect those around you. Many of us want to leave the train with the same limbs we entered the train with.
How about an etiquette campaign in the schools and within the subway cars?
No Door Blocking!
Apologize and/or say excuse me when you smack someone with a bag, bump them or step on their feet. A kind acknowledgement of those around you, a small apology and a smile will go a long way.
Never lean your whole body on a pole in the subway. It's very inconsiderate because it does not leave room for other riders to hold on to the pole.
Have no street performances on the train between 12am-10pm or some other determined time. I'm a musician and understand they're trying to make a living so I'm not completely serious, but at 8am the last thing I want to hear while still half asleep is a mariachi band or the lone sax player honking away no matter how great it sounds.
What is up with nail clipping and putting make up on in a subway car? How is this appropriate? And yet quite a few people do that...
1. Give up your seat immediately to elderly, disabled or pregnant people as well as people with small children. Don't pretend you're asleep or don't see them.
2. Don't put your feet on the seats or the poles. People don't need to sit on or touch all the stuff you've walked in all day.
3. Don't block the doors when people are getting on or off the train.
4. Wait for everyone to get off first before diving into the train to get your precious, precious seat that you're only going to sit in for three stops.
5. Don't sit on the stairs.
6. Use the garbage cans. Don't pretend that your garbage goes away because you put it under your seat. Just because you can't see it anymore doesn't mean it has disappeared.
7. Keep your conversation low in volume and don't cuss.
8. Don't put a package on the seat next to you on crowded cars.
Please keep your knees closed so that you don't take up more than your space. It is maddening as people sit on the train with their legs splayed open so that no one can sit next to them. If you have problems with personal space, you probably shouldn't be riding the subway!
*Take off that huge backpack!!
*turn down the I-Pod - for both our sakes
*Stop hogging the door or pole(unless you plan to dance on it)
*if the space is too small dont sit there!
Keep one's legs straight ahead when seated, not out to the sides sticking into the people trying to sit next to them.
Offer a seat to a pregnant woman!
Please! No nail clipping in subway cars. SO nasty. Also: no having love affairs with food items.
1) No chewing gum. No chewing gum. No chewing gum.
2) No music w/o earbuds.
This is a collaborative effort.
Kate + Krissa's subway etiquette:
1) Always offer your seat to pregnant women, people with small children or strollers, handicapped people, and anyone who is significantly older than you.
2) Refrain from eating on the subway, especially something like tacos, bananas, or anything with garlic that makes the whole train smell. We think coffee in travel mugs, and granola bars are acceptable.
3) Do NOT clip your nails on the train. Enough said.
4) Do not place excess bags, luggage, or dogs on the seats. Seats are for people, put your luggage on the floor. In addition, do not take up more than one seat. It is especially annoying when guys put their arm around a seat so women feel awkward sitting there.
5) When a train arrives in the station, stand to one side of the train door and wait for everyone to exit before entering the train.
6) The subway pole is not a stripper pole.
7) If everyone else can hear your music through your headphones, you're causing hearing loss to yourself and annoying the train. Turn it down.
Thanks Brian!
I have a few. Don't hug the pole, you are not the only person on the train. Don't bring your bike on the train during rush hour. Men should learn how to sit with their legs closer together. I'm so sick of guys who spread their legs 8 feet apart on the subway so I can barely fit in my seat. rude.
Please learn how to fold the New York Times when reading it on the train. Nothing is more annoying than having someone's paper in your face.
Please! No nail clipping in subway cars. Also, no having love affairs with food items.
How about Don't stand in the middle of the subway stairs while you finish your cell phone conversation!
Oh and on a serious note for the occasional subway spat have a rule that you hug it out after the aggression is over. :-)
1. Take off your damn backpack.
2. Put your knees together.
3. Hold the center pole with your hands, not your whole body.
(1) No Hugging(Hogging) of poles
(2) LET PEOPLE OFF FIRST!!!!
(3) No screaming into cell phones when above ground.
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