It never fails. I always seem to sit next to the person who is in the middle of the train car and is sitting between the window and me. They always seem to feel the need to get up well before the train comes to a stop, which means that I have to try to balance bags, my coat, sometimes my umbrella, while I stand up to let him or her out of the seat. This happens more often when the train is crowded. I think people are afraid they're going to get stuck on the train. The only time I've seen someone get stuck on a train was when they weren't paying attention and they realized that they were at their stop just as the doors were closing. The correct Metriquette is to wait for the train to come to a complete stop and then politely say, "Excuse me." Everyone will get out of your way, and trust me—you're not going to get stuck on the train. There's no need to get up before the train even gets into the station.
4. Don't eat or drink on the train.
This should be a no-brainer. It's illegal to eat or drink anywhere in the Metro system, and if Metro police catches you, they can ticket and fine you. What irks me is when people who already know the rules go ahead and eat and drink on the train anyway. Commuters who get on the train at stops right near a coffee shop are particularly bad about this. They buy their coffee before getting on the train, and of course they're going to take sips out of their cup all along the way. Maybe this shouldn't bother me as much as it does, because after all, the real danger is that the train will stop suddenly and they'll end up with coffee all over the front of their suit. But it bothers me because most of us riding the Metro actually follow the rules. No matter how much the rest of us want some java, too, we don't ride the train with it. We wait until we get into town, and that's what everyone should do.
Stay tuned...there's more Metriquette on the way in Part 3.
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