Courtesy Can Be Lacking On the Metro
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Dear Dr. Gridlock:
I am not from around here, but just visiting on business for a couple of months. Is it a local custom to run up and down the escalators, push people out of the way or knock them over to get to the platform five seconds quicker, even though the train hasn't arrived yet? This happens at several stations.
From downtown, I arrive at the New Carrollton Station around 6:20 a.m. on weekdays. I exit through the fare gates and feel as though I am going to be trampled by the people heading outbound to Vienna. The sign says that the train leaves in five minutes, yet people are running as though they have only five seconds.
Also, an announcement is made at each stop saying to allow exiting passengers to get off the train before new passengers board. Does this rule not apply at some stations?
These behaviors go against all the manners that I was taught in my youth and carried into adulthood. But if you can enlighten me as to whether generally accepted etiquette is different here, I will be happy to try to comply.
-- V. Sanderson Missouri
It's not what we preach, but it is what some riders practice. It's easy to imagine there's more of them, because their behavior is so noticeable, but keep in mind that what you're seeing is a mere fragment of the population that inhabits the nation's second-biggest subway system.
These relatively few riders behave a lot like their counterparts on the roads. They speed, tailgate, block the intersections and have no idea how to merge.
Our manners are going to be on display for the world during inauguration week in January. Tempers will be strained, because many visitors will be unfamiliar with our transit ways. Metro should spread its people out along the platforms to offer assistance -- and direct traffic -- but it's still up to us to show common courtesy.
