August 13, 2007
Metro Officially Suggests You Stand to the Right
Have you heard the new Metro announcements yet? Maybe you were too busy rerouting yourself around the Yellow line over the weekend to notice, but Metro has added a couple new messages to its usual repertoire of station announcements, and at least one of them should have DCist commenters cheering:
"Hi. Welcome to Metro. We have a lot of escalators in our system. You'll notice that most people stand on the right side. And while you're riding, hold the handrail for your safety. Enjoy your trip, and thank you for riding Metro."
Yes, after years of grumbling and complaining through summer tourist seasons, Metro has finally relented and begun "officially" sanctioning the "Stand Right, Walk Left" rule that is the hallmark of civilized escalator behavior. But an unwillingness to commit totally to the rule leaves us with the rather lukewarm observational tone of the message: "You'll notice that most people stand on the right side" doesn't exactly inspire the fear of God, and really, isn't that what we're looking for in this situation? Something more like "Don't be rude, please stand to the right and allow others to pass on the left" is certainly in order, but according to the Post, Metro won't officially sanction walking on the left for safety reasons. They also are prohibited from putting up "Stand to the Right" signs because the national safety code for elevators and escalators does not allow non-cautionary signs to be posted within 10 feet of an escalator.
Other new Metro station messages include one that tells people that train doors are not like elevator doors, and will not automatically open again "if they close on your arm, leg or purse," and another that gives the same old spiel about not eating, drinking or smoking in stations or on trains. What do you think of the new messages?
Photo by lightboxdc
|
You can lead a monkey to knowledge, but you can't make them think.
I oughtta know. I'm a monkey.
They also are prohibited from putting up "Stand to the Right" signs because the national safety code for elevators and escalators does not allow non-cautionary signs to be posted within 10 feet of an escalator.
This can easily be remedied by making a cautionary sign that says "Stand to the Right or Your Ass Will Be Kicked Up by Your Shoulderblades," accompanied by an icon of a baseball-cap-wearing tourist being bludgeoned by a commuter with a suitcase.
Speaking of commuters with suitcases, wtf is up with all the people who know feel compelled to take an entire carry-on bag full of crap with them to work every day!? Surely you're not really carrying enough work back and forth between your home and office that you need that little rolling bag that's constantly getting in my way!?
Tourists may be an occasional obstacle, but I find that my fellow "regular commuters" are getting in my way a hell of a lot more often these days.
As an alternative, they *could* do something cool like the London Underground's 2001 "Love Is" campaign, which used cutesy cartoon characters to illustrate proper metro etiquette.
Great. The last thing we need is more PSAs in Metro. We already have too many of these damn things; they're poorly written, too long, and voiced by talent that I would generously describe as amateur.
Just another example of Metro throwing it's energy where it's least needed.
I think the WMATA director does some of the PSAs. But yeah, I second the huge rolling bag people comment. I think they're lawyers.
The moving sidewalk at National Airport has overhead signs to indicate walking and standing lanes. I guess this doesn't violate any codes yet.
Maybe we could get liability release forms printed on Metro farecards so our commutes are not ruled by stupid fear of lawsuits.
I'm actually with guest #4 on that one. The messages are impossible to understand, assuming that 'Garble' isn't your native tongue. And why isn't a warning to Escalefters of the angry locals rushing down to catch the train a 'cautionary' sign?
What's wrong with signs more than 10 feet from the escalators, then? It's not that far. Sheesh.
The mild tone is OK by me, since this is aimed at tourists, who are after all being informed of the rule, not reminded. The best part, though, is that this gives ppl the right to ask them to move (not like I have ever let this stop me).
Re the "closing on your arm, leg or purse": nobody believes this because operators open the door again immediately if there is a problem. Maybe they could be trained to wait longer, so it doesn't look like they DO open automatically for an obstruction.
These announcements are worthless because they are too long. In fact, you might even say they are rambling. Announcements like this need to be short and too the point. A simple "stand to right on all escalators." Would do the trick.
The same is true of the Metro security announcements. I don't need to hear John Catoe introduce himself to me and then tell me to report any unattended items to the police. Give ma simple and clear "Please report all unattended items to police or Metro employees."
Somehow I doubt this will change a thing-and only 'cautionary' signs are allowed to be placed by elevators? What about flashy, life size, seizure-inducing, ADD-aggravating advertisements? They're fine while a helpful safety message is out? What about 'Stand to the right or you may get a beat-down', that qualifies as a cautionary message, right?
Anything is better than the annoying and useless "See It, Say It" announcements. Please make them go away...
Yes, get someone competent to write the announcements. That rambling security announcement ("Blah, blabbety, blah ... a backpack, briefcase, anything, kindly ask them 'Is that your bag?' Blah, blah ...") is the worst, along with its Spanish version that's not even played at the same time, making non-Spanish-speaking tourists who hear it think they're missing something.
Also, how do department stores manage to have signs near their escalators without fear of violating the safety code? For that matter, how do they manage to run their escalators at a nonglacial speed and thus reduce the temptation for people to engage in all that dangerous walking?
It may not be enough, but I am glad they are doing something. The funny thing is sometimes I'll notice regular commuters (people I see all time) have this bad habit as well. I get the same perturbed feeling as when I'm driving and people are driving slowly in the fast/passing lane.
If you aren't passing move to the right! You don't have to have an IQ above 80 to understand this so why is it so hard for people to do? As a comedian I like says, "What the hell is wrong with you?"
I'm also glad to hear more drivers announcing people move so that people may exit the train. I felt bad checking women and children. Just kidding ;-)
Stand to the Right or Your Ass Will Be Kicked Up by Your Shoulderblades
Yeah. Can people still wear Crocs? What about fanny packs? Goofy FBI t-shirts? Seems like DCist commentators would cheer a policy shift on those, too. Also: people who ask too many questions, people who cling to the pole, people who talk loudly on cell phones, people from the Midwest or the Deep South, fat chicks, rowdy teenagers, people with children, people who smell funny, people who sit with their legs wide open, people who move slowly, people who won't move to the center of the car--generally anyone who doesn't look and act like Eliot Ness on his way to a Stick-up-the-Ass Convention. Which, FYI, is held every November at the Omni Shoreham. Slots are still available, so apply now.
People are going to do what they want. Those who have the Me Attitude will disregard the announcements. Just as when I see people running into the train while the doors are closing: Stand Back! Doors Closing! Honestly, who slows down to 55mph when passing a Speed Limit 55 sign on the Beltway? Say it or see it. You can't change the stripes on a tiger.
I also hate "Did you know that every day, good people like you are injured running for trains?" Maybe I'm not a good person, and regardless I'm not surprised that people's moral standing doesn't affect their likelihood of slipping on the ice-rink tiles. Is it the intended audience the Pat Robertson fans among the riders, who believe that falling while running down the escalator might be a punishment from God?
You're actually questioning people's need to have a carry on bag with them on the metro? Some of us do travel quite a bit, you know, and many others need to transport heavy materials and would rather not throw out your back in order to do so. Now where I'll agree with you are the duffle-style bags that also have rollers. That's just a nightmare of form and function design.
Tourists will listen to Metro announcements when they are done in goofy cartoon voices or by celebrities. Tourists think the entire District of Columbia is a theme park, and act accordingly.
So it's OK to have a small rolling back but not a large one? Gee, that makes sense.
"many others need to transport heavy materials and would rather not throw out your back in order to do so"
And many more are just carrying their lunch.
Yeah I don't like the escalumps, but there is definitely should be a limit to complaining.
Sometimes you just have to deal and quit being so uptight.
I get annoyed on the metro too (what with the loud, think they're entitled to two seats, sticking their arms in closing doors, out-of-town, metro-rapping, haven't taken a shower in three days passengers) but it is PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.
You don't HAVE to ride it. If you're that annoyed find another way to get around town.
Actually, Krisa, I think it's usually pretty clear which of the bag rollers are travelling and which aren't, especially when you see them every day. We even have a couple of them in my office. And do I really need to add a "people with medical excuses get a pass" disclaimer to cranky rants about unimportant issues like this?
I'll also point out that people who are going out of town also tend to be very conscious of where their suitcase is when they ride the Metro, as well as who it might be inconveniencing, since it's much more "stuff" than they normally have with them. The people who drag the suitcase-SIZE bags behind them every day, as a general rule, tend to be much less considerate, and seem to expect accommodation from their fellow commuters rather than offering it themselves.
Frankly I don't really let any of it bother me any more ... I'm just never in that much of a hurry. If someone acts like a jackass or stands in my way for a while, I have much more fun watching the rest of the crowd's blood pressure go up than I would getting myself all agitated.
The statement should read: "WARNING: Only terrorists stand on the left side of escalators. So unless you want an all expense paid vacation in Cuba; STAND RIGHT, WALK LEFT."
Nate, you’re the only person here who is making any sense. Jesus, people. If left standers are a frequent enough occurrence to be counted upon in your daily commute, than leave five minutes earlier.
“-- of impatient Metro commuters stuck on escalators because tourists don't realize that in big, important Washington, you stand to the right so all the Type A people can hurry past on the left.”
Seriously, who is the bigger ass? The tourist who happens to be ignorant of the unspoken etiquette, or the short tempered self important commuter who expects the Universe to bend to his/her convenience? If you can’t handle in inconvenience of working in a place full of tourists, get a job at a law firm in Detroit.
#24, I almost spit my water onto my computer reading that one.
I'm so glad they changed the "see it, say it" announcement where the reader stumbled over his line. You know, "if you see something suspicious in a train or............... station" Metro doesn't have money for a second take?
"You'll notice that most people stand on the right side" doesn't exactly inspire the fear of God
The metro announcement is supposed to serve as a polite warning. The native commuters are the ones who are supposed to inspire the Fear of God. It's a cooperative endeavor, you see.
Nate and Guest 25. I love you. I read DCist maybe once a month and every time there is a long thread about how "I'm being inconvenienced by some fat Midwesterner on my daily commute." Really? Still? You haven't learned that they're not going anywhere and perhaps you should start your day five minutes earlier during peak tourist season?
I think a good chunk of the people who complain are do so to up their DC cred. If they complain enough about tourists and others who "don't know how to do it," they somehow seem more of a DC insider and thus, more important.
"You don't HAVE to ride it. If you're that annoyed find another way to get around town."
That's why I drive. Metro = misery.
The new announcement is news, I guess, but Metro has had the following on their website under the heading "Metro rules and manners" for quite some time:
"When riding the escalators, stand to the right, walk on the left."
In my experience tourists are not the problem. Sure, I'll encounter some on the left side but they move as soon as you politely say "excuse me". You know who I've had problems with? Local teens. They* will congregate and NOT move, even when you ask them too. In fact, if you ask, they will get agressive with you.
And as a spanish speaker, I HATE the announcement in spanish. Not becuase it's in spanish, but becuase of the nasaly voice. It's just as bad as the commercials on spanish tv.
*my dcist diclaimer- not all teens, all the time and of all races.
The fact that it's "unspoken etiquette" is exactly why some of us would prefer that Metro make it spoken and so reduce the amount of ill will between "fat Midwesterners" who are understandably unaware of the local custom and "type-A stick-in-the-muds" who don't understand the true joy of spending long minutes watching the escalator scenery pass by.
The moving sidewalk at National Airport has overhead signs to indicate walking and standing lanes. I guess this doesn't violate any codes yet.
According to the article, moving walkways are considered an entirely different beast (they are built with the intention of people walking on them) than escalators, hence those signs are acceptable.
The bit about no non-cautionary signs near escalators is bunk: several of the escalators in the system have small, approx. 6"x6" notices near the handrails (near the little picture of the mother holding the child's hand) that say "stand to the right" for quite some time. They look as old as the escalators themselves.
And why can't the stand to the right message be put on the new signboards with the international symbols for no eating, smoking, etc?
I'm still waiting for them to speed up the escalators. Theyre too gd slow.
they really need to come up with special announcements for certain bus lines. yeah, 90/92, i'm talking to you!! something like "while riding this bus, please refrain from:
-urinating
-consuming alcohol
-writing on seats, windows, etc.
-selling drugs and stolen goods
-fighting
-harassing that nice young white lady who is too scared and/or politically correct to tell you to f**k off"
As someone who used to have to get to work in the morning it would drive me crazy when people wouldn't let me pass them on the escalator. Industriousness should NEVER be discouraged by the lazy. I was an assistant and not self-important, but every minute earlier I got to punch in was a minute earlier I got to leave. People MUST respect the poor working schlub.
What really bothers me is people who use the rolling bags because their materials are too heavy to carry. If you perceive you have a medical need for one of these and are under 55 and have no diagnosed illness or birth defects then you are hurting yourself by not carrying heavy bags, or walking up escalators, or whining about what you can't do, you're setting yourself up for an early grave. I find people that labor when they walk rather than hold their heads up and smile are a biiig issue on Metro. I know it sounds stupid, but this is 100% true, the next time you are tired after work instead of embracing your tiredness, throw your head and shoulders back, and step lively through the metro. Every time I do that I feel great and have a great time too.
Roller bags make you feel bad about yourself
the next time you are tired after work instead of embracing your tiredness, throw your head and shoulders back, and step lively through the metro.
The instant the metro starts broadcasting announcements like "smile and walk with a spring in your step. It makes the world a brighter place!" is the instant I start to get violent.
I'm going to exercise my right to be tired and surly after a long day at work, darn it, and no one is going to tell me differently.
I'm going to exercise my right to be tired and surly after a long day at work, darn it, and no one is going to tell me differently.
----
Look, I'm punker than you, but you have no idea what you're missing. no idea.
It seems to me that everyone would be well served by signage making elevator ettiquette clear. Tourists don't WANT to be rude, the stereotypical Midwesterners you asshole-east-coasties, and asshole-east-coastie-apologists are always on about has a mortal aversion to offending people or behaving improperly, ESPECIALLY in the Big City where it would make them look like a rube. (In fact much of the behavior people seem to find most objectionable in tourists is an attempt on their part to be self-effacing about their own rube-ness).
Can always count on monkeyerotica to come out guns blazin! I'm not even going to read the other posts, so forgive me if this is a dup(licate).
Maybe, they could try a sign that says: Caution! Moving traffic on Left. Does that maybe work? Huh? Pretty please?
God, you people whine a lot. Are your lives really so banal that you get into such a rage over this?
God, you people whine a lot. Are your lives really so banal that you get into such a rage over this?
It's a medical thing.
Unlike other people, we do need the aggravation.
It ain't just tourists. I see a lot of locals that won't stand on the left.
And some tourists, when asked, will quickly jump to the right. But a fair number will ignore you and/or get all exasperated at the indignity of being politely informed of how the metro really works.
So enough with the 'we are all assholes' schtick.
And, please man up and sign your posts if you're going to attack people.
Someone should point out to those Metro board bastards that if commuters didn't walk up the escalators, concourses would be continually jammed with people during rush hour and other busy periods.
I wish someone would have told me about the "doors don't open automatically if there's something in the way" rule before the damn door closed on me while trying to board. Yes, there was room for me; no, I wasn't screwing around. I just wanted to get on the train, but apparently the train didn't like me that way and preferred to close on my arm. I probably wouldn't have been any less annoyed, but I would have been slightly less confused.
God, you people whine a lot. Are your lives really so banal that you get into such a rage over this?
Really who is more of a complainer? The person complaining about this or the person that reads forty some comments before complaining about the complainers?
And can someone remind me why I am responding to a guest?
Some of us do travel quite a bit, you know, and many others need to transport heavy materials and would rather not throw out your back in order to do so. Now where I'll agree with you are the duffle-style bags that also have rollers. That's just a nightmare of form and function design.
Lazy-Ass Americans can't carry Heavy Objects, and yet insist on rolling them around in a trailer every day on a packed METRO train. You take up too much space with you obnoxious roller bag because "more is better" and yet you're so LAZY you can't bring yourself to haul you're own crap. I hope one of your wheels falls off!
Now I see you people training your kids with this bad lazy-ass bad habit... plus-size mom with her SUV-size luggage trailer, and her two overweight kids with their trailer-wheel backbacks. *Shudder* God forbid your fat kids actually get any exercise.
the national safety code for elevators and escalators does not allow non-cautionary signs to be posted within 10 feet of an escalator.
Just show a picture of a tourist getting kicked down the elevator and trampled underfoot when they block the way of a pissed-off self-obsessed DC commuters.
i'm with you, timfry.
and to guest [29]: i don't need to complain about tourists to have my 'dc cred'. i'll complain about anyone who stands on the left side of the escalators, regardless of who they are. children, the elderly, my boss, anybody. and before i get flamed by some random idiot on here...i'm just joking, okay?
i do recall on one occasion, though, where i politely said "excuse me" to a tourist who had parked his flabby butt on the left side of the escalator...he got all indignant-like and was like "i dont see a sign that says you have to walk!" i think i may have pushed him down the escalator after that, but i can't remember (again...kidding...)
Stuck behind a crush of people on the escalator who won't move to stand to the right... while a jerk ahead of me smokes all the way up and I can't even walk on the left to get past the smoke that I'm trapped inhaling. fantastic for my asthma. Happens all the time, and I wouldn't complain so much about the people not standing to the right if i wasn't forced to inhale secondhand smoke.
Aren't the escaltors technically still "ON" the Metro and don't the garbled messages and signage all indicate that there's no smoking on the Metro??
You all need to move to Wyoming.