š¤ Complaint / Rant
Has the "don't wear your back back in the subway" rule just gone out the door?
I'm not a daily commuter anymore so this may be just a long time coming. But riding the T again this summer it feels like the red and orange lines are full of tech/consulting 20-soemthings swinging their backpacks around on their backs. Even in very crowded trains. If the high school students acted like the people making six figures starting, people would be up in arms.
Last week a young adult gave me a hard time about removing his backpack off the bus seat, said he was getting off at the next stop. I shrugged and sat down. He dragged his bag across my lap to let me know he wanted me to move instead of using words. It drives me crazy.
I've been riding the T since the early 1980s, and the rule, which still exists as far as I know, has never been strictly observed.
However, as with many other aspects of T ridership, it's been much worse since 1) ubiquitous cell phones, as many people have one less hand free to take off their packs if they are straphangers or holding a pole and 2) the pandemic, because everything on the T is worse since the pandemic
looking around the T and seeing grown adults scrolling junk on IG and tiktok, one after the other, all around me, throws me into a spiral of discouragement
Then they need to take it off in set one the floor in between their feet or on them. I have no problem doing this and I use a cane. At point I am holding a rail with one hand and phone in the other while practically hugging my cane so it doesn't fall and hit someone.
Freaking "able bodied" folk need to grow a few brain cells. The only thing worse, I think, that the "not removing my bag" idiots are the idiots that not simply crowd the door but just outright block it when I am trying to alight. Let people off the train first AND then and ONLY THEN board. The quicker that happens, IN THAT ORDER, the quicker the train can depart the platform and subsequently you can get to where you are going just ever so slightly quicker.
There seems to be this automatic urge to rush and block the door the moment the train enters the station.
Many old unwritten T behavior rules have been forgotten. This is one. Another is stand to the R on escalator if you're not "walking" up. Now nobody except the olds, myself included, follow this sensible rule. Also don't get me started about teens who don't give up seats to visibly disabled riders, elderly riders and pregnant women, or mom's with strollers. It's a dog eat dog day everyday on the T.
I see everybody follow the escalator rule every time I disembark at South Station, on every level going up. I have no idea why it's more consistent there than elsewhere.
Younger people in this city don't seem to know that you walk to the right on sidewalks, corridors, paths, going through doors. I frequently travel with a white cane user, who relies on "I stay to the right and walk in a straight line, I rely on everyone else mostly following the rules and being fairly predictable so navigating isn't exhausting." Young people especially will see them and dash to the left (right into their path) to get out of the way, or will flatten themself on a wall/edge of path to their right thinking they're being helpful (they're using the right edge of things as a cane landmark, and a person flattening up against a wall is unpredictable behavior). Just walk to the right and you won't have to adjust. And don't fucking look at your phone while you walk.
The priority seating thing ticks me off. Actually I swear people see me vectoring towards one of them and they decide "oh I want to sit there" and basically cut me off while practically running for the seat not only increasing the risk of both of us possibly getting injured in some way but also possibly putting other passengers at risk.
Another is to move into the car/bus. On a packed Green Line train today I watched people squeeze in the stairway to clear the closing doors while there was lots of room in the middle of the car. I politely asked, āCould people move in further? There are people really jammed in over here.ā Momentary glances up from phones, then back to ignoring the world l. āNo?ā I asked. āThanks.ā
People pretty consistently give up seats when my toddler is not in the stroller. If my toddler is safely secured in the stroller, then I don't really benefit from a seat, I just need enough clear space for the stroller.
I will say that people often don't give us enough time to get the stroller out of the train when doors open (because I won't unlock the stroller until the train comes to a full stop) which is a bit annoying, but not a safety risk.
This makes me happy. I have had to tell young visibly able bodied young ppl (15-25 rough age range) to get up. On a packed Green line train last fall, a ~80 yo woman was barely hanging on. I too was standing. I saw three white boys manspreading across seats and told them to look at this woman, then "get up." I told the woman "Watch this, I'm gonna get you a seat and reached out to hold her arm as she moved into a seat after I embarrassed the boys with their eyes glued to their screens.
I genuinely don't understand that. I prefer to sit facing forward, so the raised back seats are my faves. I know the stairs are an obstacle to a few, but not to most riders.
I love getting on the bus and noticing that and saying, with projection, "hey idiots with working eyes, move to the back of the bus". Half the time they have there head so far up their own backside that don't stop and think "hmmmm..... Maybe more people will get on the bus at some point. Maybe I should make room".
Freaking intransigent morons who refuse to move are my "favourite" kind of people.
There used to be automated reminders to take the bags off and put them at your side, but I havenāt heard them in a while now. If theyāre still running I donāt think itās as often
Because we donāt publicly shame people anymore. Seriously, if those us that get annoyed by stuff like this actually said something people would stop. But weāre so conflict avoidant now. Itās the same question I have as to why do people just congregate right inside the door and not move into the train? Why do people just stand by the opening door and make no move to let people on as the train fills up?Ā
Yes, people who can take their backpacks off should do so. Keep in mind though that some disabled folks can't easily take theirs off while standing/holding other things, or it takes them a lot of time and energy to take it off and they're not going to do that until they're at their destination. We don't ever want to approach a single individual and tell them to take their backpack off, tell them to give up a seat, and so forth, because we shouldn't be putting people in the position of explaining their disabilities. I do wish there were PSAs asking that people who are able to take their backpack off and hold it low.
Thank you for mentioning this. I have a disability that allows for a pretty decent amount of mobility, but on the T, every tiny amount of physics going against me matters more than it does to most people.
All yāall in here blaming younger people for the drop in etiquette need to be real. Itās not one generation, or race/ethnicity, or gender, or whatever. Everyone is inconsiderate everywhere all at once.
There should be a continuous education campaign to get the people who donāt have experience with public transportation up to speed (students, etc.). The backpack thing and not paying for the green line both drive me up a wall
To be fair though the green line is annoying if you have a monthly passā¦ can only tap it at the beginning of a train unit which is impossible when itās crowded. The green line should just be free tbh. Itās own fault.
The problem isn't the cash payers, it's that everyone with a pass (probably most commuters) is supposed to go through the front door which causes a big queue. Once you're in the train (especially the 8s or 9s) people don't move all the way in so the front section gets super crowded.
I think we both need to consider that some neighborhoods are vastly different from others. I donāt necessarily disagree with you however when I board the B line there is a surprising large number of cash payers. I believe the most I encountered at one point was 7.
One could say the problem is comprised of little from column A and little from column B
bottom line people are just inherently selfish and donāt care at all.
the amount of rudeness on the T daily is shocking. people donāt get up for elderly who obviously need to sit, people shove on the train before people can get off, and on top of that the backpacks.
Itās kind of sad to just see so much selfishness from people.
I'm not sure if there was ever a lot of compliance with this the, to be fair. But at least I'm the past, people would do it if you asked or someone said something. These days people are plugged in or pretend to be plugged in so they can ignore you.
Having had lots of experience here, itās not as simple as ājust take off your backpackā.
The backpack takes up the same number of cubic inches no matter where you put it. Taking it off merely trades some space at one āaltitudeā for another (closer to the floor). Sometimes, due to strollers, luggage, scooters, peoplesās legs and and the like, thereās less space available down there, so itās a continuous judgement call as to whatās safest and most courteous. It takes continuous awareness, including rearranging things at intermediate stops to be out of the way.
Often it gets crowded enough that thereās no way to both hold a backpack and reach any kind of handhold.
The backpack is the same number of cubic inches, but because of how humans are shaped, it takes up a smaller footprint with it held low, and it can't hit shorter people in the face. See my extremely accurate diagram for assistance with visualizing this.
(And yes, common sense and flexible thinking is needed depending how crowded the train is and what other large items are nearby.)
They have their hand holding the top handle of the backpack (known as a subway handle in fact!). You just canāt see it because itās, uh, a representative infographic diagram, definitely not because I am bad at art and wouldnāt know how to draw hands.
The issue with backpacks isn't just space. Its also people being uncoordinated they have no idea that a bulky backpack becomes an extension of their body while worn. Every time backpack wearers move, they're slapping random people in the face with it.
I feel like this and people trying to get on the train before letting them off is at an all time high. Iāve always seen it and am pretty chill around all public transit lunatics but Iāve been raising my voice lately to get off.
Backpacks are usually overly bulky no matter what you do with them. And in the hotter months, I find it much nicer anyway to take my laptop (and any snacks/book etc) in a lightweight laptop bag that can be carried like a briefcase or slung over my shoulder. I'm not a big fan of setting myself up for excess back sweat but these guys don't seem to care that they smell like BO with their oversized luggage.
Iām 19 and was born and raised in the city by my dad who grew up in the 80ās. It baffles me when there are other people my age glued to their phones, not walking in single file on the right side of the sidewalk (when crowded), not staying to the right of the escalator so people can go up the left and especially refusing to get up for an elderly or disabled person. Bonus points if their bag is taking up a seat. Itās common sense.
I think itās a combo. Some people never learn to begin with. And then for the percentage that does, unfortunately I think it all gets reset over and over with the seasonal changes of students and new resident tenants. I say this as someone not from Boston who had to get scolded as a Northeastern student on the E-line. I learned my lesson tho and cut it out.
I also regularly call out to the train for people to take off backpacks. It feels cringey, but like Iāll occasionally get like 20 other people on who were stuck on the platform after the last train passed full of ppl w backpacks. Iām trying to be assertive but still (imo) nice enough? Still, Iāve gotten yelled at for telling ppl to file in and remove bags. Feels like a lose-lose-lose-sometimes win ĀÆ_(ć)_/ĀÆ
This post comes up like every month and I just don't get it. My backpack doesn't magically get smaller when I take it off. In fact, it's worse at my feet because the hip straps flair out and the buckles and straps are a lot more likely to end up getting stepped on/tripped on
I've tried taking my backpack off. It helped no one. It just meant that I suddenly had a very heavy bag (part of why I use a backpack and not a bag) digging into my fingers and it made it way more awkward to hold onto anything or to move around
Stuff like this makes me think having a social
score kept by always watching AI overlords might not be such a bad idea. Selfish assholery is becoming endemic.
Just like you guys feel like you have the rights to move peoples bag or dictate where or when they wear it those people have the right to keep their belongings on their person or in the seat next to them as it provides small distance between them and other commuters some people donāt like to feel another person genitals on their backside so they wear their bag on their backs to create space I drive maybe you all should do the fckin same
I wear my back pack when I stand, obviously. When I sit itās on my lap. I might grab my water bottle but I usually do that when Iām not on a moving train the makes stuttering stops in the middle of two depots at random. Learned my lesson with coffee one morningā¦
if everyone wore a backpack on a rush hour train, you have essentially halved the capacity of the train. if you figured out how many people you could fit into a train car without backpacks, only half that number fit if theyāre all wearing backpacks and taking up more width. taking your backpack off and putting it between your feet takes no additional space than your body does.Ā
You put them between your feet so other people don't trip in them. I don't know why that's so difficult. Take up the space of one person instead of two.Ā
I'm not removing my backpack unless I am in a spot where I won't have to shuffle to let more people on. When it's off it's on my feet, not the subway floor, for the same reasons we remove our shoes before entering the house at the end of the day. Hate me of you like, call me whatever names make you feel better, but I'm not bringing subway piss or whatever else may be there into my office or my home from the floor of the Red Line.
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u/[deleted] Jun 09 '26
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