Why Do Passengers Insist on Crowding Around Subway Doors?
And how can you get the bottleneckers to move?
- Esther Bergdahl for The Atlantic City Lab February 17th, 2016
- Source: http://www.citylab.com/navigator/2016/02/why-do-passengers-insist-on-crowding-around-subway-doors/463236/
Dear CityLab: Why do so many subway passengers refuse to move towards the center of the car, even when there’s plenty of space there?
Every subway rider has spent time wedged into a forest of armpits, avoiding eye contact. Posted train etiquette directs us to the center of the car, which often has more room; the crowd shifting that way would alleviate pressure on everyone. But public transit is largely a game of chicken with your fellow passengers, a calculus of commute length and relative comfort. Why not use all the space available to us, rather than packing ourselves near the door?
