It occurred to me just the other day how people appear to be getting more and more comfortable with putting their feet up on the seats, and not just with shoes on. This summer, more than others past, I’ve noticed people feel more than happy to just take off their shoes and get incredibly comfortable, regardless if someone is next to their feet or not. It’s not exclusive to age, or gender, or size. I’ve seen such things as an old bloke with his gross socks on the seat next to some poor woman, to people without anything covering their feet at all.
As I said, I am noticing this more and more, so what has happened to make people think that
:
1) this is a good idea and
2) that it is completely acceptable and no one around will mind? …Well we do f*cking mind!
We might not say it, because quite frankly I am concerned about someone’s mental state when they deem it okay to conduct this revolting act. The way I see it is if I were to go up to someone, and in my most proper, thick British accent, one of two things could happen:
1) they get so incredibly embarrassed that I actually end up feeling uncomfortable and feel bad for causing a fuss and making someone feel that way
2) they get really pissed off and stab me in the neck with their keys.
Both of these are a distinct possibility and neither which I care to experience. Instead, I sit in silence, occasionally giving them a look and hoping they can feel someone staring daggers at them, enough to think “Shit! What am I doing?! I am scum to be putting my feet up on here. Hang on…did someone put a turd on this seat already?!” Yes, that’s the other possibility! What if someone who kept their shoes on, had stood in poop? Or even more likely, if it had been a chap, there is probably piss on the sole of their feet because there are quite a lot of men out there who somehow leave a puddle of the stuff on the floor when they go.
I don’t get it, science can't explain it, these people are idiots. Nevertheless they walk amongst us and some of them put their feet on the seats. Only for someone else without their shoes or socks on to rub their disgusting, mangy feet in the now piss-covered seat.
Does this seem like someone you would want to confront?
She looks like she has nice clean legs, oiled and everything.
ReplyDeleteI think the foot riding problem can be solved with a simple design change. Move the seats back 6 inches and voila - they are no longer comfortable to put your feet on. This could be done by making each seat a few inches shorter. We get what we deserve after all :)
I love this plan, particularly since it would also provide some much-needed knee room (one of the reasons I refuse to sit in a quad with people I don't know is that, quite frankly, I'm not interested in having my knees - or any other part of my body - touching that of a stranger who hasn't at the very least bought me dinner...
ReplyDeleteNever going to happen, though - for exactly that reason. Too much leg room in the quads means fewer fares they can cram onto the trains... Sigh.
Seat changing wouldn't work anyway. The foot riders will switch to the seat beside them instead. I see people sitting like that a lot.
ReplyDeleteOn the LSW last Friday I saw a woman with more stuff strapped on her than a gold miners mule unload all her crap on the seats in a quad and sat with her feet part on her stuff and part on a seat. When people starting looking for empty seat she wailed plaintively "Where can I keep my stuff if you take a seat?"
I lol'ed and kept my reply to myself. An Indigo child most likely.
@ George, you are too polite I would have all too quickly had a great suggestion of where she can keep her stuff if someone takes a seat!
ReplyDeleteGO Transit should make this a regular PSA, because I noticed it more this summer too.
The only thing worse than bare feet are the people who put their snow-and-salt covered boots on the seats in the winter. People who do this might as well have a flashing sign on their foreheads saying "I'm an inconsiderate a-hole."
ReplyDelete"Where can I keep my stuff if you take a seat?"
ReplyDelete?! You've got to be kidding. I cam't figure out how @George kept his comments to himself - I certainly wouldn't have done so (particularly if I were the one looking to sit down at the end of a day, on a train for which I had paid an almost $10 fare).
I agree with @Jules - it's neither fair not appropriate for GO to expect passengers to police this increasingly problematic issue. VIA staff would make short work of anyone who pulled such a stunt on their trains (mind you, they'll also ask people with headphones that are too loud to turn them down too...).
I was in a mellow mood that day Nora. It was a Friday and I was thinking of the weekend ahead we had planned for a golfing trip.
ReplyDeleteIf it was a Monday morning then watch out.
BTW others made some funny comments but apparently this woman cannot be shamed.
Why do the seats need to face each other anyway? I commuted in Montreal for many years the seats all faced forward. There was no opportunity to put feets on seats.
ReplyDelete