Crowds & the Tube

I was reading an article the other day in the Metro, about crowd behaviour. It made me think, that I don't think I'm like the majority of other commuters, in fact I think this on a regular basis. I sometimes might go as far as questioning my sanity.

General tube behaviour is head down, headphones in, phone to face, AVOID EYE CONTACT AT ALL COSTS. I quite enjoy a little look around, reading the posters, watching body language between others on the train and drifting off into a Walter Mitty-esque sea of imagination. I also quite enjoy being able to help lost tourists navigate their way to London landmarks.

The article also described how commuters tend to congregate near doors of tubes and buses to speed up their journeys when it does nothing but slow it down, as people struggle to get on and off because of our selfish friends. I do the opposite. I would rather walk the entire way down the platform and sit in a half empty carriage, or move along inside and stand freely, rather than bunch up with my head in someone's sweaty armpit by the door. I also quite enjoy knowing that I have given up my seat for someone. After a 15hr shoot, having been on my feet all day, I went to the National theatre to watch a long-awaited showing of 'Home'. Whilst waiting for it to start there were only two seats free in the cafe area. As soon as I sat down, I saw an older couple who'd just filled up their dinner trays - my feet might not have forgiven me for another three days but it felt good to know that they could eat their dinner at a table in peace. It's the same on the tube for me.

Although, I feel that the one time that my humanity falters is that time I'm thinking of my next toilet stop and a group of drunk teenagers are taking up the entire escalator. If I ever have murderous tendencies, it's then. I also feel like London transport brings out some rather suicidal tendencies...there's nothing more tempting than wanting to take a shortcut and slide down the central parting between the escalators or weirdly, take a heroic Matrix-style jump onto the front of a train (I am aware that's not normal). Walter Mitty and I are a little too similar sometimes I think.

My experiences with transport in London is like my sweet tooth's relationship with the new Wild Berry Skittles and custard creams. Some days dunking my biscuit into a storm-filled teacup is too much, some days I'll cram too many skittles into my mouth and some days there are just too many people trying to use the same train.

So, let's help each other out. Don't be one of the cattle of the common land. Stand on the right on an escalator. Move along the platform and down the carriage and for the love of god stop me from sliding down the escalator when I do eventually break and the temptation become too much!