Train Etiquette
I have been making quite a lengthy commute from the Northwest suburbs to Columbia for three years now. Many wonder how I like commuting via Metra? My answer is simple. If my fellow commuters have proper train etiquette I quite like the commute. It gives me time to unwind and forget about my chaotic life for a whole hour and half each way. Train etiquette is a kind of unspoken set of rules or manners if you will that regular train commuters tend to follow….most of the time.
It really just astounds me on how some people will have the most personal conversation on the train while within earshot of at least 10 different people. For instance, a woman decided to call her friend about how she was having an affair with her husband’s golf buddy. As entertaining (although horrible) as stories like this may seem, it eventually gets to an uncomfortable level. I don’t need to hear about their sexcapades. I would much rather be sleeping or trying to finish homework that’s due that day. I don’t need such distractions. Talking on the phone in a reasonable tone of voice is fine by me but when you’re talking quite loudly about how you should’ve gotten a divorce 15 years ago…keep it down.
Treating a seat on the train like your own personal desk space is also an issue if the train you’re on is filled to capacity. Sure I’ve been guilty of this once or twice but only if there plenty of available seats around me. A couple days ago I had to politely ask a guy to move his stuff so I could sit. There was nowhere else to sit and he continued to scoff at me and move his stuff like I asked him to reverse the rotation of the earth. I wanted to laugh at how much of a task this was for him.
I could go on and on about the people I’ve come across on the train and their habits, but perhaps I’ll leave that for another blog post.
