It's a familiar sight to anyone who has to take the Red Line during morning rush hour: people scrambling, clawing, sprinting, wedging themselves into doors, poking other people's eyes out with poorly controlled umbrellas, in their rush to board the next train.
The hurry would be excusable if this were the last train to leave the station like,
all day. But it's not. The LED sign overhead clearly states that the next train will arrive in
one (1) minute. And those signs don't lie. Ironically, this is one of several reasons the Red Line tends to slow down--the train can't leave the station on time because people are hanging out the doors.
Seriously. Is it such a big deal to be
sixty seconds later to your destination this morning? What were you planning to do with that sixty seconds? Will your boss be mad if you clock in
one minute late? Unless you work for the military or in a sweatshop, doubt it. (And you don't--not in
that suit.) Have you considered waking up one minute earlier to avoid this difficulty? Personally, I set my alarm for 5:59 so I won't be
one. minute. late.It's this type of
inanely discourteous behavior that threatens civil society as we know it here in Washington. Under a more heartless regime, the train would take off as scheduled and leave these crazy people to their fate. But this is Metrorail. So it's up to all of us to stop the madness. Do yourself a favor. Take a deep breath, step back, and wait sixty seconds for the next train.
Labels: Metro, rants
