Getting on before people have got off

[MidnightFlyer]

This annoys me immensely. A 7/8 year old lad did it to me at Ebbw Vale Parkway on Thursday. If he hadn't been the age he was he would have been hit with my rucksack (accidently of course), as I do like to get in the way of people who try this, whether it is standing in front of them or catching them with my bag etc.

I hate this practice more than feet on seats, even general bad manners. It is quite common on the DLR / LUL too I notice. Surely I can't be the only one who finds it the lowest form of 'railway manners'?

 

[dk1]

Trouble is on lots of trains people are daft enough to leave a gap between them & the person in front who is getting off. They are just not organised enough which is so frustrating. People on the platform then see nobody getting off & get on. Those damn dithersers then huff & puff saying ''we are still getting off''. Well HELLO you should organise yourself better. The poor punters getting on cant see through a wall!!

 

[Polarbear]

It annoys me too.

A couple of kids tried to barge past me when I was getting off a train at Bootle a few weeks back & I said something to them. They just didn't seem to take in that what they were doing was both rude & (in my opinion) daft.

To me, it's always been logical to let people off the train before getting on. By doing so, it means that the people getting on have more room to move is what is after all a limited & restricted space. It's also good manners too!

 

[Lampshade]

Trouble is on lots of trains people are daft enough to leave a gap between them & the person in front who is getting off. They are just not organised enough which is so frustrating. People on the platform then see nobody getting off & get on. Those damn dithersers then huff & puff saying ''we are still getting off''. Well HELLO you should organise yourself better. The poor punters getting on cant see through a wall!!

This.

I was at London Bridge last year with a LOT of luggage, it was easier to use FCC to cross London than lug it all on the Underground. The 1200 to Bedford pulled in, the doors opened and people got off. After what I thought to be the last passenger alighting there got off, leaving a good 10 seconds, I started to board, just as a mother with a pram decides to bulldoze her way off, scowling at me in the process. I'm not being funny but she'd had plenty of time to organise herself to get off, she was stood by the doors in the first place and right under the PIS speaker.

 

[Greenback]

It's not always a lack of organisation that causes there to be a gap between people getting off. Perhaps something falls (or is thrown) out of a buggy and has to be retrieved. Perhaps someone is simply slower getting out of their seat and down the train. I have been late getting off myself, because I have inadvertantly left something at my seat and had to go back for it.

 

[12CSVT]

The worst place for this in my experience is St Pancras Low Level during the evening peak, and the worst offenders are often business types in pinstripes. Hundreds of times I have been ready waiting by the doors to get off, and as soon as the doors open what happens - I try to get off, only for hundreds of these dunderheads to bulldoze their way on.

 

[Greenback]

People waiting to board the train, often form intimidating circles around the doors even when they are not trying to force their way on. It's difficult to get through them as no one wants to move to one side in case it means someone else beats them aborad.

Most of the time this is due to an understandable desire to get a seat. If our trains were not so overcrowded travel may be more civilised all round.

 

[Dreadnought]

This annoys me immensely. A 7/8 year old lad did it to me at Ebbw Vale Parkway on Thursday. If he hadn't been the age he was he would have been hit with my rucksack (accidently of course), as I do like to get in the way of people who try this, whether it is standing in front of them or catching them with my bag etc.

I hate this practice more than feet on seats, even general bad manners. It is quite common on the DLR / LUL too I notice. Surely I can't be the only one who finds it the lowest form of 'railway manners'?

I'm with you! I go for the barge through approach loudly commenting something along the lines "CAN I GET OFF FIRST!"

I've also been known to 'broaden' the shoulders as I get off to ensure they get knocked back as well!

 

[chris89]

One of my pet hates when travelling, not just by rail but by bus as well.

When i tend to get off at Wolverhampton on the Edinburgh services i tend to stand right in the middle of the door with my carry bag to my side to stop people bargeing past me.

On this such as 334's, 150/1s, 350's, 323's i just go through one half of the door and will push my way through. On buses i do somethingly similar when getting off on Pendo's and Super Voyagers.

Chris

 

[table38]

Being taught by my parents to let people off first is amongst my first memories of travelling by train.

That, and keeping back from the platform edge to avoid getting hit by a door, as in those days, probably half the passengers were off the slammers before they had even stopped, so the problem of people getting on first pretty much didn't exist

When I used to work in London, I had a Samsonite briefcase. Not only could you sit on it of you couldn't get a seat, it also may have "accidentally" made rather satisfying contact with a few shins whilst leaving a train.

 

[gnolife]

Well, i travel with a Lax kit bag, about 7ft long, so if theres someone in my way, i just hold that diagonalways across the door or corridor, and if theres someone in my way (which there only ever is if theres people barging their way on, i just push them back off the train (its a 156 that im on so with my bag, no-one can get past me

 

[Captain Chaos]

Often a problem this at Reading especially in the morning peaks when your train is going to Paddington and you are getting off it at Reading. They have a nasty habit of swarming round the doors and trying to push on at any opportunity. So if I am first to get off (and as I am a rather well-built guy) I will stand there and virtually fill up the whole doorway, look at the swarm of people infront of me and then politely say "Are you going to let us get off then?". If you are lucky a small gap may appear allowing you exit. I swear that sometimes getting off a Padd bound train at Reading during the peak feels like one of those classic western stand-off scenes.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I've also been known to 'broaden' the shoulders as I get off to ensure they get knocked back as well!

I thought that I had "patented" this very useful method. It is extremely useful when targetted at ignorant and inconsiderant boarders who can see you awaiting to disembark, but still try to go straight through you.

Having played in the front-row of a scrum at school teaches you many such defensive strategies in times like this.

 

[Yew]

Basic fluid dynamics dictates that on a crowded train, Mass flow rate in shoud be lower than mass flow rate out, increasing to MFR(in) greater than MFR(out) with time....

Aka, let the people off first, but some doors will free up slightly earlier than others, hence a transition period where over the whole train, people are going in and out simeltaneously

 

[the sniper]

I hate this practice more than feet on seats, even general bad manners. It is quite common on the DLR / LUL too I notice. Surely I can't be the only one who finds it the lowest form of 'railway manners'?

The lowest form of railway manners perhaps, but it's certainly one of the most quirky criminal offences that you can commit in this country!

 

[amcluesent]

>Having played in the front-row of a scrum at school teaches you many such defensive strategies in times like this.<

Quite so, plus you have gravity to assist you stepping down from the carriage. As a person of weight myself (and school rugby player) plenty of peeps have found themselves going backwards when trying to force themselves aboard.

 

[table38]

I was just reminded of this. Evidently "one way" systems were tried in the distant past!

Passengers Must Leave this Carriage at the Front End in the Direction in Which the Train is Travelling. The Entrance is at the Back End.

 

[gnolife]

That would be chaos on a Cleethorpes-Man Airport or a Man Picc to Crewe via Man Airport train, which ways forward at Man Picc in the former or Man Airport in the latter?

 

[WelshBluebird]

People need to be careful before judging others though!

I was at Bristol Temple Meads waiting to get on a XC voyager to Exeter. Someone on the train had dumped their suitcase right by the door, and as someone left the train, the suitcase nearly fell out. I realised, and stopped it from falling out, pushing it back to where it was. As I did that, some elderly gentlemen who was getting off the train decided to stop and give me a lecture about "letting people get off first", totally ignoring me trying to explain that it wasn't my bag, and holding up everyone else getting off the train. Even his wife was trying to tell him to shut up and just move.

 

[trainophile]

I have noticed when waiting to board the Liverpool service at Chester (where the train turns around [not literally] as it is end of the route), because everyone has to get off the incoming train, people don't seem to have any sense of urgency, so are drifting off it at their leisure, or hanging around on board for a couple of minutes. Then if people try to get on, they get dirty looks.

 

[HLW]

Trouble is on lots of trains people are daft enough to leave a gap between them & the person in front who is getting off.

Yep. It's horrible in rush hour - everyone is in a hurry trying to get on, and then you have couple of people with loads of luggage who don't even make a move for the doors until the train has been stopped for a while. So everyone who has seen a train before gets off as soon as it has stopped, then everyone on the platform sees no one else getting off or waiting to get off, then you get the slowcoaches only just starting to stand up as everyone else tries to get on.

 

[Techniquest]

Oh that sort of thing is annoying. I've fallen foul of the forgetting something after getting to the doors early thing though before, got some dirty looks as a result.

Must admit the barging through people who won't get out of the way is quite satisfying, anyone who does it to me on my ALR had better look out as this 17-stone chap and his rather full and heavy holdall will be charging at them! It just wouldn't work with a small person, you've got to be fairly well built to charge through crowds of morons who don't understand the 'let people off then you'll have room to get on' idea. I know it gets busy in London, and you've got to have a bit of a bulldozer mentality to get a seat, however as long as I'm not having to stand for too long then I'd rather just make sure I was on the train.

I've had a go at people trying to crowd onto the Voyager I was getting off at Bristol Temple Meads before, as someone said you have the advantage of gravity too. It's just better not to get in my way...

 

[DarloRich]

>Having played in the front-row of a scrum at school teaches you many such defensive strategies in times like this.<

Quite so, plus you have gravity to assist you stepping down from the carriage. As a person of weight myself (and school rugby player) plenty of peeps have found themselves going backwards when trying to force themselves aboard.

Agreed - one of the best things about still ( now somewaht over my optimum fighting weight!) being the size of a prop forward is that i can block up most of the door. Always fun when some idiot tries to barge past and bounces off!

 

[CheekyBandit]

This annoys me immensely.

...

Surely I can't be the only one who finds it the lowest form of 'railway manners'?

Not just a low form of railway manners - but it seems also in breach of railway byelaws.

10. Trains
(1) No person shall enter through any train door until any person leaving by that
door has passed through.

 

[Greenback]

Not just a low form of railway manners - but it seems also in breach of railway byelaws.

10. Trains
(1) No person shall enter through any train door until any person leaving by that
door has passed through.

Unfortunately, quoting that byelaw rarely seems to help when attempting to alight through a jostling mob...

 

[Class172]

Now this is one thing that really winds me up! Luckily on my train in the morning it terminates at Worcester so there is no-one trying to get on board; there's no point trying to fight an oncoming crowd of 300 people. However, in the afternoon it is a different story: the train arrives at Worcester and people gather eagerly at the doors of the 170 - they open and there is generally some mild shoving and pushing. There is usually a small corridor of space that we allow for them to get off. All of a sudden you get this person charging in like a rampaging bull exclaiming 'Move! Coming through!' who takes up this room and barges everyone out of the way and forcing people back into the door vestibule. How rude!

It does make me laugh though when the train is already so packed with people (and bikes), he tries to get on but the people on the train don't budge, then shove them back onto the platform.

I do enjoy blocking their path when they do this, it infuriates them; I always go by the analogy of that their in the wrong and it serves them right.

I do employ a cunning technique though in the morning: as many of you will know, LM's Class 150/0s (bar scud 1/2) have a disused 150/2 carriage in the middle. When the train stops I rush to the driver's door there and use it as a way of getting on the train as quickly as possible. It increases the chances (albeit very small) of getting a seat or at least a decent amount of space in the lobby area.

 

[LE Greys]

It's sometimes not possible to tell whether there is someone still to get off or not, because the approach route to the door is unsighted. HSTs are quite bad for this, but at least they have a refuge so that you can get out of the way (the gangway or the other doorway) in case you suddenly realise that there is someone who is a bit slow.

Having said that, there is no excuse if you have line-of-sight to the door. A couple of times on the Tube, I've had to go on to the next station and double back because I've been stuck on the train because of people barging their way on.

 

[exile]

This can, TBH, be caused by numpties deciding that not until the train comes to a halt should they start gathering their belongings and heading for the doors.

 

[Squaddie]

I do like to get in the way of people who try this, whether it is standing in front of them or catching them with my bag etc.

I've also been known to 'broaden' the shoulders as I get off to ensure they get knocked back as well!

When I used to work in London, I had a Samsonite briefcase. Not only could you sit on it if you couldn't get a seat, it also may have "accidentally" made rather satisfying contact with a few shins whilst leaving a train.

if theres someone in my way ... i just push them back off the train

Must admit the barging through people who won't get out of the way is quite satisfying, anyone who does it to me had better look out.

How ironic that some of the contributors to a thread that is complaining about other people's lack of manners appear to have no manners themselves... and to be quite proud to admit it.

 

[ralphchadkirk]

How ironic that some of the contributors to a thread that is complaining about other people's lack of manners appear to have no manners themselves... and to be quite proud to admit it.

I was thinking that as well. A tad hypocritical, and two wrongs don't make a right!