Tuesday 27 January 2015

Public Transport MTA:Manspreading, Primping, Just keep your stuff to yourself on the Subway OK?

yeah, Dude! (although I thought 'dude' was Californian, what do I know I'm British
While the weather looks set to turn rather chilly, New Yorkers will probably be better off staying in, although it has to be said NYC is pretty good about still getting around with many feet of snow having fallen,- just read here- as opposed to London having just a few inches. (it can stop the whole city-no joke).


But you've probably heard by now that the Metropolitan transit Authority want travellers to be a bit more considerate of the passengers that may take up more room, either by spreading their legs, but also by putting on their make up...

In a city of so many and overcrowded subways it makes sense. It's always infuriating when you get on public transport and someone has given their bag a seat, their make up, or someone's spread their legs so wide they take up three seats- this is easier to do on the NYC subway than the London Underground, because the seats are injection moulded plastic, rather than the padded seats with arm seperators on the London Tube.

But some of the MTA language is hilarious, (in a British way, we laugh when we see outright rudeness, it's shock or something) bordering on what we in the UK might see as offensive "Poles are for your safety not for your latest routine" I mean they seriously dont mince their words.
They remind the women this is a "subway car not a restroom" and about that bag taking a seat, they are equally direct and abrasive "Keep your stuff to yourself". This is the New Yorker way, this city isn't run on it's politeness.
In stark contrast to the way Transport for London (TfL) asked Londoners in 2013 not to run and take their time in terms of "what wouldn't hurt you" read here.
What is the man in the red doing on the Clipping/Primping picture? The mind boggles.

So to remind NYC public transportation users to have consideration for others you can see posters like this emerging on the Subway, and London Underground users want London to do something similar. Isn't it a strange world when posters have to encourage you to behave and have some manners, I wish someone would tell my noisy neighbors, maybe I'll just make a poster.