Rant
London Undeground travellers will be familiar with the mournful cry of the platform attendant
Please stand back from the platform edge and allow passengers off the train before boarding
It’s not hard to understand. Usually, we seem to be pretty good at it but, for some reason, rush hour activates the lemming instinct and the moment there is the merest sliver of light as the door opens, someone is trying to cro-bar their way onto the carriage.
It’s relatively simple, to be honest. In order for me to leave the train to give you enough room to board, I have to be able to pass through the door. I cannot pass through the door if you are trying to board at the same time. I cannot move away from the door if you’re in the way. We’ll all get home that little bit sooner if you engage brain before legs.
While I’m at it, move down the carriage. There’s plenty of space there.
I’m somewhat pissed off as I could not leave the train at King’s Cross a little while ago because of idiots who insisted on blocking the door. Net result – while someone kindly picked up me New Statesman, my copy of Prospect is now on the tracks of the Northern line where, presumably, it will become part of a rat’s nest.
Gah.
Just briefly, I want to re-emphasise a point I made in my post about Ian Tomlinson; the police aren’t horrible ogres. Viz., the two coppers who were looking after someone at Finchley Road station while waiting for the paramedics to arrive. They were very professional and very kind to the unwell person.
xD.
April 18th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
While I sympathize entirely with your point of view and get cross myself at having to fight my way off the tube, I think the answer to why people behave this way lies in the circumstances you describe: overcrowding.
At rush hour, people often cannot get on a train, so they regard all other waiting passengers as rivals and getting on the train as a competition. The race is to the swift, he who hesitates is lost, etc. etc.
Competition becomes especially vicious if those waiting see an empty seat: they’ll bore through anyone else to get it.
Your reaction – “let me off so you can get on” – is rational. Unfortunately, most people do not behave rationally, especially when resources are limited.
The tube is well past saturation point during rush hours and I do not see any solution for this. The misery will remain with us and get worse for the foreseeable future.
Ever thought of taking the bus?
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April 18th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Actually, I go by bus whenever I can – it’s often more convenient and always more pleasant that fighting the tube, particularly at rush hour. Unfortunately, I was off to Metro-land, and so the bus wasn’t really an option.
I think the tube boarding problem is an instance of the prisoners’ dilemma; if everyone plays ball, you’re fine, but you can never be sure that everyone will, so you don’t, and the result is worse for everyone.
I hope that the new trains, where carriages link up, will alleviate some of the problem, but I fear that you’re right – this is all down to overcrowding.
xD.
April 20th, 2009 at 10:18 am
The tube at rush hour creates the same laboratory conditions as the mouse experiment where over-crowding led to cannibalism and wanton murder among lab mice. So, considering, we are doing pretty well.
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