Annoying things people do on trains
Discussion
I would go into London from time to time to visit clients, and wonder how people managed the journey, every single day. How obnoxious the people were, pushing and shoving, unsmiling borg collective etc. Until I started to do it daily. You soon learn, politeness does not get you a seat, smiling is not something you do frequently, especially at 6:00 am end of January morning, dark, cold and wet, with a 1.5 hr commute ahead of you.
It has been almost 10 years since joining the commuter collective. Thankfully, not doing as frequently as I use to now.
It has been almost 10 years since joining the commuter collective. Thankfully, not doing as frequently as I use to now.
Edited by QuantumTokoloshi on Tuesday 24th October 15:37
Yep, commuting into London sucks balls by time. Expensive, unreliable, dirty and unpleasant. Amazes me in the age of soap and hot running water, people still manage to smell so bad.
So many “professional services” employers want to be in London for some reason when it would be cheaper and easier for everyone if they moved out to where people live.
So many “professional services” employers want to be in London for some reason when it would be cheaper and easier for everyone if they moved out to where people live.
wormus said:
Yep, commuting into London sucks balls by time. Expensive, unreliable, dirty and unpleasant. Amazes me in the age of soap and hot running water, people still manage to smell so bad.
So many “professional services” employers want to be in London for some reason when it would be cheaper and easier for everyone if they moved out to where people live.
My personal bugbear, Satan's butt-hole smelling breathe, bad enough to make you want to gag, permeating the small inter-carriage alcove, as you are immobile, surrounded by a crush of humanity attempting to recreate the fall of Saigon.So many “professional services” employers want to be in London for some reason when it would be cheaper and easier for everyone if they moved out to where people live.
Jbeale96 said:
One that always annoyed me in stations is people walking up the wrong side of the stairs. I’m sure lots of stations have this, but at Bristol Temple Meads every set of stairs has a banister in the middle, and signage to indicate that people walking up use one side and people walking down use the other.
Every day without fail someone will decide that they don’t want to walk in the huddle of people using the correct side, so they’ll try to go down the ‘up’ side.
Completely selfish however it did provide me with great amusement because I would walk right next to the banister (which is where these people usually walked, because being as close as possible to the correct side makes it okay right...?) and then not change course for a single one of the b
ds. So they had to try to awkwardly squeeze past me and everyone else hopefully negating most of the time they would have saved.
On a related note: people who can't be arsed to climb or descend the stairs at the slightly slower speed of the person in front, so that the crush of people who have just got off a train fills the whole stairway, and they are too fEvery day without fail someone will decide that they don’t want to walk in the huddle of people using the correct side, so they’ll try to go down the ‘up’ side.
Completely selfish however it did provide me with great amusement because I would walk right next to the banister (which is where these people usually walked, because being as close as possible to the correct side makes it okay right...?) and then not change course for a single one of the b
ds. So they had to try to awkwardly squeeze past me and everyone else hopefully negating most of the time they would have saved. king stupid or self-absorbed to realise that people may need to use the stairs in the other direction. Okay, this is pretty petty, certainly compared to some of the gripes posted here.
But my personal irritation people who remain seated and make no effort to start making the way towards the doors as the train approaches the station. Then, as soon as the train stops, they push their way out of their seat and expect the people who got off their arses a few minutes early in order to be near the doors to give way to them.
yeager2004 said:
Okay, this is pretty petty, certainly compared to some of the gripes posted here.
But my personal irritation people who remain seated and make no effort to start making the way towards the doors as the train approaches the station. Then, as soon as the train stops, they push their way out of their seat and expect the people who got off their arses a few minutes early in order to be near the doors to give way to them.
This does my head in, glad I'm not the only one.But my personal irritation people who remain seated and make no effort to start making the way towards the doors as the train approaches the station. Then, as soon as the train stops, they push their way out of their seat and expect the people who got off their arses a few minutes early in order to be near the doors to give way to them.
BrabusMog said:
yeager2004 said:
Okay, this is pretty petty, certainly compared to some of the gripes posted here.
But my personal irritation people who remain seated and make no effort to start making the way towards the doors as the train approaches the station. Then, as soon as the train stops, they push their way out of their seat and expect the people who got off their arses a few minutes early in order to be near the doors to give way to them.
This does my head in, glad I'm not the only one.But my personal irritation people who remain seated and make no effort to start making the way towards the doors as the train approaches the station. Then, as soon as the train stops, they push their way out of their seat and expect the people who got off their arses a few minutes early in order to be near the doors to give way to them.
yeager2004 said:
Okay, this is pretty petty, certainly compared to some of the gripes posted here.
But my personal irritation people who remain seated and make no effort to start making the way towards the doors as the train approaches the station. Then, as soon as the train stops, they push their way out of their seat and expect the people who got off their arses a few minutes early in order to be near the doors to give way to them.
Then you have the idiot who when the train pulls into the end of line station remains seated until everyone has got off. Not a problem uless you are seated next to the tBut my personal irritation people who remain seated and make no effort to start making the way towards the doors as the train approaches the station. Then, as soon as the train stops, they push their way out of their seat and expect the people who got off their arses a few minutes early in order to be near the doors to give way to them.
t and have to ask him to move so you can get out. Near puke inducingly smelly fat man sat next to me yesterday, I pondered the nature of existence hoping to an extent it would end whilst wedged against the window, there must be body parts he can no longer reach to cleanse.
After 10 years of season ticket outside M25 to central London commuting, I've basically given up on the train now (mostly Southern Rail fatigue). I drive 14 miles to somewhere around Purley where you can park on a residential street for nothing and cycle the remaining 14, rain or shine. Just a one off yesterday due to holiday plans I'm keen not to repeat.
After 10 years of season ticket outside M25 to central London commuting, I've basically given up on the train now (mostly Southern Rail fatigue). I drive 14 miles to somewhere around Purley where you can park on a residential street for nothing and cycle the remaining 14, rain or shine. Just a one off yesterday due to holiday plans I'm keen not to repeat.
idiotgap said:
Near puke inducingly smelly fat man sat next to me yesterday, I pondered the nature of existence hoping to an extent it would end whilst wedged against the window, there must be body parts he can no longer reach to cleanse.
After 10 years of season ticket outside M25 to central London commuting, I've basically given up on the train now (mostly Southern Rail fatigue). I drive 14 miles to somewhere around Purley where you can park on a residential street for nothing and cycle the remaining 14, rain or shine. Just a one off yesterday due to holiday plans I'm keen not to repeat.
Ahhh, you are on my line then, which as you rightly mention is made even more of an ordeal by Southern Rail......After 10 years of season ticket outside M25 to central London commuting, I've basically given up on the train now (mostly Southern Rail fatigue). I drive 14 miles to somewhere around Purley where you can park on a residential street for nothing and cycle the remaining 14, rain or shine. Just a one off yesterday due to holiday plans I'm keen not to repeat.
I commuted into London for about 5 years and there were 2 things I said that resulted in cheers from other less outspoken people on my train.
Most mornings this man would get on the train, must have been late 40's early 50's, he would smell like the back of a dustbin lorry. Every single day he'd get on and it would smell awful. There were a handful of times where he would get on the train and there would be no smell but most of the time it was unbearable. Not sure if he never used to shower, or just wore the same clothes without washing them but it was super bad. Like you could taste the smell, it was so bad.
After about 8 months of him getting on, I had, had enough, so had everyone else, people would lift their coats, or sigh when he was on the platform and we'd see him. I ended up quietly telling him he needed to either wash his clothes more often, shower more or go to see a doctor as if he hadn't already realised he smelt unpleasant. He just nodded and didn't say anything, the people around me stared at me and I felt awful, but I had to say something.
He wasn't on the train the next day and this lady said she'd wanted to say it for ages but hadn't had the courage. I stopped getting that train shortly after this incident and never saw him again, except once and surprisingly he didn't smell. So either he was having one of his very rare not smelly days or he took my advice and sorted it out.
I also got stuck next to this annoying business man type who was loudly on the phone. I ended up telling him there was no need to shout and he'd do well to brush his teeth more often and would he like a chewing gum. The man stood next to me burst out laughing and the business man hung up his call and didn't say another word.
If it wasn't smelly, loud people, it was women fainting. The amount of times I had to ask some fat middle aged bloke to stand up so a pregnant woman could sit down was more numerous than I can remember.
I do not miss commuting at all.
Most mornings this man would get on the train, must have been late 40's early 50's, he would smell like the back of a dustbin lorry. Every single day he'd get on and it would smell awful. There were a handful of times where he would get on the train and there would be no smell but most of the time it was unbearable. Not sure if he never used to shower, or just wore the same clothes without washing them but it was super bad. Like you could taste the smell, it was so bad.
After about 8 months of him getting on, I had, had enough, so had everyone else, people would lift their coats, or sigh when he was on the platform and we'd see him. I ended up quietly telling him he needed to either wash his clothes more often, shower more or go to see a doctor as if he hadn't already realised he smelt unpleasant. He just nodded and didn't say anything, the people around me stared at me and I felt awful, but I had to say something.
He wasn't on the train the next day and this lady said she'd wanted to say it for ages but hadn't had the courage. I stopped getting that train shortly after this incident and never saw him again, except once and surprisingly he didn't smell. So either he was having one of his very rare not smelly days or he took my advice and sorted it out.
I also got stuck next to this annoying business man type who was loudly on the phone. I ended up telling him there was no need to shout and he'd do well to brush his teeth more often and would he like a chewing gum. The man stood next to me burst out laughing and the business man hung up his call and didn't say another word.
If it wasn't smelly, loud people, it was women fainting. The amount of times I had to ask some fat middle aged bloke to stand up so a pregnant woman could sit down was more numerous than I can remember.
I do not miss commuting at all.
ashleyman said:
The amount of times I had to ask some fat middle aged bloke to stand up so a pregnant woman could sit down was more numerous than I can remember.
I do not miss commuting at all.
Ah yes, those invisible blinkers that people develop, or the amazingly informative, insightful article in Metro that suddenly occupies their undivided attention, rendering them oblivious to the pregnant, the elderly or infirm etc.I do not miss commuting at all.
cjs racing. said:
tuffer said:
Older City type Gent sat across from me last night, probably 60, smartly dressed. Sank four cans of Stella during the 1 hour Train journey home. Then got in his car and drove off.
I hope that story ends with you calling the police.Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff