Metriquette, Part 3: The Final Four (Rules, That Is...)

Part 1 and Part 2 of this article talked about why I've stopped riding the Metro and some of the rules that I think Metro riders need to follow. This final part of the series will wrap up my list of Metriquette rules.

5. The poles are for holding on, not for leaning.
No one said having a farecard guarantees you a seat on the Metro, and I've never expected to get to sit down. But for some reason, there are riders who feel like they have the right to use the floor-to-ceiling poles as their own personal backrest. This is fine when the train is empty, but when it's packed, that sometimes eliminates a place for as many as five or six people to hang on. When the train lurches to a stop, those people stumble into the riders around them, and then no one's happy. Why can't those people just hold on to the pole and lean up against something when they get where they're going? 6. If you're able-bodied, don't sit in the reserved seats.
This is another caveat of the whole "you're not owed a seat" issue. I have been on the Metro several times when an obviously elderly and frail person or a person on crutches hangs on to one of the poles for dear life while an able-bodied Capitol Hill intern lounges in the seats that clearly say "Reserved for the elderly and disabled." Which part of that doesn't the youngster understand? I realize it can be a hard day at work, but that doesn't negate the fact that there are other people more deserving of the seats. If there are other available seats and the person in question still isn't sitting down, that's one thing, but on a packed and crowded train, the right thing to do is to just stand up. Don't make a scene, don't offer and embarrass the person, just get up and move out of the way. If they don't take the seat, well, you've still done the right thing.

7. Finished with your newspaper? Take it with you.
It amazes me when people leave their belongings on the train as if it's their kitchen table. This particularly happens with newspapers, for some reason. People feel perfectly comfortable spreading them around on the floor as if they're preparing for a new puppy rather than riding a train. This one's simple. Take the newspapers with you and recycle them as you get off the train in the handy brown recycling bins that are stationed around the platforms. Don't leave them for the next rider.

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