Monday, August 23, 2010

A concrete improvement to one of the TTC panel recommendations

I've been reading the TTC Customer Service Panel Report (PDF), and I thought of a way to improve upon Recommendation 2R.

The report says:

OBSERVATION 2R

Many customers stand right in the doorway of the subway cars, which blocks and slows down passengers getting on or off.

RECOMMENDATION 2R: Review Subway Door Signage

The TTC should review the current signs that say, "Do not block doorway.” A more effective sign should be developed and used on all subway car doors.


This issue would be better addressed by thinking about why people stand in doorways.

People stand in the doorways because those little red and clear wall-like things next to the doorways are convenient to lean against. It's easy to stay balanced there, and you can even have your hands free to read or text or game. To address this - especially if there's still time to tweak the design of the new subway cars - they need to make the doorways less convenient places to stand, and other parts of the subway car more convenient places to stand.

In terms of immediate action, the best thing they could do install a rail down the centre of the ceiling of trains that don't already have a rail there. (Some do and some don't). When there's no centre ceiling rail, it's very difficult to stand in the aisle, so more people will gravitate to other parts of the trains (including all the nice convenient walls and bars near the door). A centre rail enables tall people at least to stand comfortably in the middle of the aisle, well away from the doors, without fear of losing balance. It won't solve the whole problem, but it will help.

In the more long term, the ideal would be good handsfree standing places that aren't near the door.

The other thing to keep in mind is that it's totally okay to stand in front of the doors that aren't going to open. If I'm riding north on Yonge from downtown and getting off at Eglinton, it's totally okay for me to stand in front of the left-hand doors, because all the downtown stations use the right-hand doors and Eglinton is the first station to open on the left. I'm in front of the doors the whole time, but totally out of everyone's way.

However, sometimes people block doors because they don't know which doors are going to open next. Longtime riders on familiar routes know, but people who are new to a given route sometimes stand in front of the wrong door thinking they're diligently keeping out of the way. If there was some kind of visual or audio signal indicating which doors are going to open next, people could get themselves out of the way before the train pulls into the station.

***

Also, I just had to add this really bizarre thing from the Panel's proposed list of customer responsibilities:

Never run to catch the bus, streetcar, or subway. This is dangerous for you as well as other riders.


I see the argument for not running on a subway platform. However, by telling us not to run for a bus or streetcar, they'd be basically telling us not to run down the street! Sorry, TTC, but that's out of your jurisdiction. We can evaluate the risk of running down the street for ourselves, thanks.

I sincerely hope they choose not to retain that particular wording.

5 comments:

laura k said...

Do door-blocking subway riders in Toronto step aside to let people in and out, generally?

I know when people turn sideways on both sides of the door, there is still much less room for others to enter and exit. But do they generally do that?

In NYC it is very common for the doors to open and the door-blocking riders just stand there! Grrrr.

impudent strumpet said...

They generally stand as close as possible to the little wall things as though they're trying to be out of the way. And if the car isn't crowded, they do move all the way out of the way. Most of the door-blocking I've witnessed is crowded cars plus people not knowing which side the door is going to open on. If there are so many people in the doors that there isn't room to board, it's generally because the whole car is packed like sardines.

A problem I see far more often is people running for a train, stepping into the doors, and then just STOPPING, as though there couldn't possibly be anyone trying to get on behind them!

Unless that's what they really mean by "Don't block the doors?"

If so, they should say "make room for people to get on behind you."

laura k said...

"A problem I see far more often is people running for a train, stepping into the doors, and then just STOPPING, as though there couldn't possibly be anyone trying to get on behind them!"

Huge problem in NYC, too. More grrr.

M@ said...

If there was some kind of visual or audio signal indicating which doors are going to open next, people could get themselves out of the way before the train pulls into the station.

Bing! This would be my number one request. I'm fine travelling from Union to Eglinton along the Yonge line, but anywhere else I'm always taken by surprise.

I'll tell you what drives me nuts, and it's happened more than once. Not only are they standing in front of the opening doors (for repeated stops). Not only do they refuse to move (for repeated stops). They actually read the fucking newspaper while they're standing there, thus blocking even more of the doorway than they would if they just stood there like an ignorant jerk.

When this happens, and it's happened more than once, I take great satisfaction in brushing by them and trying to knock the newspaper out of their hands with my shoulder. And if I'm successful? An "oh, sorry" thrown over my shoulder as I move on.

I know it won't teach them anything but I feel better.

laura k said...

"I take great satisfaction in brushing by them and trying to knock the newspaper out of their hands with my shoulder. And if I'm successful? An "oh, sorry" thrown over my shoulder as I move on.

I know it won't teach them anything but I feel better."

Allan used to do this in NYC. I was always a little concerned someone would go off on him, but apparently it was worth the risk.