DC Ladies: Metro Etiquette

 
This week I took a little break from the regular blog to write a guest post over at The DC Ladies.  The topic was basic metro etiquette for local riders.  Check it out!

DC Ladies: Metro Etiquette

And if you want to read more about the topics I covered you can find them here:
Stand right, walk left.
Giving up your seat.
Talking at rush hour.
Letting others out.

Eating and drinking

Today we're sharing a cardinal rule of riding the metro.  Do not eat or drink on metro trains or in stations.

Yes, that's Ben's Chili Bowl.  Delicious, but not good for metro.

Most riders will adhere to this without worrying about it.  Then there are those riders who think it's just a stupid idea.  I mean, other subway systems let people eat and drink all they want.  Yes, but have you see the creatures that lurk in those systems, living off the leftover foods of subway riders?

Not a fellow commuter I want to be near.

It is actually against the law to eat or drink in the system, and you can be issued a citation for not complying. Locals may remember that time a girl was arrested for eating french fries in a station.  It prompted a change in their policy of dealing with snacking, but that doesn't mean it's a free-for-all now.  Even metro employees need to keep stray food out of the stations, and for goodness sake, don't feed the raccoons!

This doesn't mean you can't take your restaurant leftovers home with you or carry around a soda you bought at a concession stand.  It just means that you can't consume these items while you're in the metrorail system.  I mean really, is your ride so long that you can't go without munching on something or sloshing your beverage around?  Wouldn't you rather consume your delicacy in a setting that's not swaying, jerking to stops, and filled with grime anyway?  And if you find yourself hurrying and needing to eat, plan your time better.  Eat that granola bar on your walk to the metro, not inside the system.

Ben's Chili Bowl lunch: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallyg/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Genuine NYC subway rat: http://www.flickr.com/photos/_tim/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Giving up your seat

So you're traveling to town on the metro and with luck on your side you snag one of those coveted seats near the door, with all the legroom.  It seems like a big accomplishment and you can relax with your book or ipod, or chat away with friends.  While your body is in contact with that seat, it's yours.  All yours.  But when should it not be yours?

Apparently his feet get the priority ride.

 

Ever see the signs at the seats near the center doors of every train car?  They say priority seating.  That's not just referring to the quick-exit location or the unlimited legroom.  To you that means it's your seat until someone who actually NEEDS it arrives.  Not only does etiquette require you relinquish your metro throne for disabled or elderly passengers, WMATA requests it, and the law requires that they have them.  The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that priority seating is available on public transit.  This doesn't mean WMATA has to enforce it (so no you won't be ticketed for sitting in that seat), but wouldn't you want that seat if you had problems standing for long periods of time, especially on a swaying jolting train ride?

There's a big message at the top with signs pointing to each seat, in case you weren't sure.

 

I'll even go one step further and provide some more etiquette guidance.  Relinquishing those seats to a pregnant woman is not only thoughtful, but it will keep all the other women on the train from scowling at you while a pregnant woman is standing.  Also, giving the seat up to someone carrying a kid or dealing with a stroller is great, and will probably keep that kid from falling all over the floor or touching their drooly hands to the poles.  Giving the seat up to someone in a cast or brace is a nice gesture as well.  A younger person offering the seat to an older person, not just an impaired rider, spreads the good karma too.  And my favorite thing to see is men giving those seats up to women.  That is by no means necessary, and not every woman will accept the offer, but a chivalrous gesture can brighten the day for the recipient of the gesture, as well as those witnessing it.

So go ahead and claim the priority seats when you want them, but keep an eye on fellow riders and be prepared to offer it to someone more needy than yourself.


First photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alykat/ / CC BY-NC 2.0
Second photo by the author's obviously sub-par camera phone.