one little cog

The timing of this has nothing to do with the upcoming TTC strike, I’ve been pondering about how people behave on the subway for some time and this was really good coincidental timing.

Interior of TTC Subway Car Graphic by MovingGraphics.ca

I’ve always been curious about how and why we sit where we do on the subway. So I decided to take the time to observe myself and others and see how we behave — perhaps even speculate on why. This is by no means academic or scientific (so don’t expect accuracy!), but rather an amusing look at our own habits as we commute.

I’ve analyzed how I sit and stand, determined my reasoning:

1. This is the top-of-the-line seat. This type of seat would be at the top of my list. Why? I like to sleep on the subway and there’s nothing worse than people bumping into you as they are moving past you while you are trying to get some shuteye. There’s plenty of leg space as well so your legs aren’t as cramped.

Pros: Sleep. Sleep. Uninterrupted Sleep. Maybe read on the rare occasion. Some allowance for personal space. Very good leg room! You can actually stretch!

Cons: Sitting next to you maybe… some inconsiderate bulky commuters. Commuters who like to knit and swing their elbows outwards. Commuters who like to dig into their bags and simultaneously maneuver arms into your sides causing you to jump — esp. if you’re ticklish. Commuters who like spreading apart their legs or pressing their leg up against your leg — sometimes even bouncing the leg (please just stop).

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2. When my top choice is out, I turn to corner seating where I can keep out of the way from the folks who like to stand really close and have their bags swing at me.

Pros: Potential for uninterrupted sleep of course. Possible reading time.

Cons: Similar case to number one. Only less leg room for stretching and increase chance of someone jabbing you with their elbow.

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3. If number two just ain’t happening, then I guess I’ll have to settle for the somewhat hazardous seat (especially when dozing off). It is pretty ideal for commuters who like to read. This is often the case when I am commuting home.

Pros: Some potential for sleep or reading. Good when exhausted after long day. Easier to exit subway car.

Cons: TTC seats tend to be small. To be considerate to neighbour, usually sitting on half to three-quarters of seat to leave some personal space. Commuters with free-swinging bags, large backpacks, or newspapers tend to like to stick really close to the pole where they hold on (also close to you). Be aware of the odd object bonking you on the head.

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4. If the middle-outside seats (#3) aren’t available then I may just settle for the end-of-the-car-outside seat. I prefer not to take these as people tend to like to lean against the door at the end of each car and your personal space is somewhat compromised.

Pros: It’s a seat. Enjoy it. Sleep, read, whatever. Decent leg room.

Cons: The occasional commuter who leans against the edge of the door at the end of the subway car sometimes decides to spread their newspaper on your head.

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Standing Density within a Subway Car

5. Ultimately when there are no seats available that I want, then I end up standing in around the middle section of the car away from the doors where people tend to crowd and get pushed by other commuters wanting to get on to the subway car. As you see from the next image, the middle is the least crowded is where people are least in a hurry to get in and out as it’s furthest away from the exits/entrances.

Pros: There is only one pole and limited space so at most you must share standing room with one other person.

Cons: More difficult to exit subway car. Occasional commuter with gigantic backpack or laptop bag decides to stand directly behind you (think staggered!).

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Behaviour on the Subway

Where do you sit? What kind of seating do you typically look for on public transit? Why do we act the way we do? I can’t answer all that but I’m sure if anyone can recall high school chemistry, we were frequently referred by the teacher to the term diffusion which is the movement of particles from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. Here are some observations:

A. Ironically despite the fact that humans are a social species, we tend to diffuse through out the subway car to seat as far apart as possible. As seats begin to fill up, our attitude towards sitting next to a stranger oddly enough seems to change. We begin to accept our neighbours. I guess we really want that seat … or perhaps we subconsciously value our newfound neighbour?

B. We also like to take the path of least resistance while eyeing a particular seat. That doesn’t necessarily mean the path is practical — be it running over people or pushing through a massive crowd in order to get to a seat, some people will do whatever it takes to rest their legs.

C. Once we get to a spot, we like to stick to it and not move. This happens quite frequently when we stand in the orange or red areas (refer to the third diagram). It also happens when we get stuck in a jam or when we are trying to talk with friends. It’s a little harder to be accommodating when we’re commuting as a group. This can be referred to as clumping — also a biological process.

D. We are very eager to board the subway car but as soon as we are inside, our mind is already focused on how we get out as fast as possible. This is the case for many people who stick to the red area. The result is a massive traffic jam within the red area, usually in the four corners where there are poles for holding on to dear life when the subway car starts moving.

We especially enjoy standing against something whether it may be a pole, a panel of glass, the edge around a door. Sometimes other people too become temporary inanimate objects.

E. Others who are more skilled in the ways of balancing (or simply have a better inner ear) are able to deal with the effects of inertia and thus do not require something to hold on to.

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What is interesting about this information is that we can take from it the fact that there are groups of behaviour. What will happen when the new trains arrive? It is said that the new trains will be open ended so passengers can walk from one end of the entire train to the other end. Will that have any impact?

For fun, take a look at the poll below and see which groups of behaviour you might consider yourself as belonging to. If you have ideas on additional groups of behaviour that you think that I should add, just say so!

Three Other Fun Non-related or Somewhat Related Sites

Tess from Tales from the Subway Rider has a hilarious post on the different type of sleepers.

Steve Munro has a brilliant blog on transit politics (TTC related)

For Transit Enthusiasts (also Toronto transit related)

Jarvis Jargon’s Humourous look at Subway Seating

Update (17/07/2008): The Daily Commuter’s look at the Summer Commute.

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