Interesting analysis, Charles.

That said, sometimes people are just tired, and they forget to take off their bags or place them out of the way.

More transit is the answer.

And nationwide high speed rail.

Then if it’s “capitalism”, then why don’t you see this behavior in the capitals of capitalism, New York and D.C.?

This post reminds me of Erica C. Barnett’s all-time classic Slog post “Should the Handicapped Be Banned From Express Buses?"

@2 And given how wide Americans are, in general, narrow escalators are doubly bad.

For fucks sake, it IS possible for people to be just plain clueless without an economic model being the root cause.

And as others have pointed out, this is really an issue of poorly planned infrastructure: the escalators are too narrow (and let’s not get started on them always being broken…) and baggage storage on Link is clearly inadequate.

@5. Thank you for saying that. If the Stranger thinks crowd behavior in Seattle is bad they should visit China.

And, yes the public transit is terribly designed. The frequently broken escalators are too narrow. The stations aren’t long enough to accommodate longer trains. The tracks are on the same grade as the streets which prevents the trains from running at top speed.

If the Stranger really wanted to promote public transit they would be up the ass of the suits who have fucked up the transit system, rather than writing sophomoric Marxist analysis of the rubes who don’t know to stand to the right. America needs a smarter left the same way it needs a smarter right.

Sure there is room for improvement but I love me some light rail! Remember when we only rode slow buses, some of them bound by electrical (roof) poles everywhere?? These public transportation experiences are the minor inconveniences we assume when we live in cities, but complaining about it also serves a community purpose, I suppose.

I was asked the other day if I took the rail. My answer was yes, everywhere in the world except for Seattle. I'm not sure we'll ever have the will to support the density and logistical excellence to support a top tier transit system. Perhaps rider behavior is a leading indicator of this.

@7: "Remember when we only rode slow buses"

I remember when buses could cross the floating bridges. Hey, wait!

I find that people on the move in Seattle are just plain rude no matter what the mode of transportation is. Want to see self centered louts lacking both common courtesy and sense? Go for a spin on the Burke Gilman.

Marxists are fun.
They use a lot of words but never get around to saying much.
They accomplish even less

I don't think Marx has an exclusive grip on being polite.

Just be decent human beings, if that's still possible in our country right now.

I don't think Marx had an exclusive grip on being polite.

Just be decent human beings, if that's still possible in our country right now.

Taking up the entire width of a narrow escalator isn't bad behavior, per se. Some people do this with their bodies alone. Keeping everything and everyone on the right-hand side of an escalator to keep a left-hand "passing lane" clear causes uneven wear on the mechanical parts and more frequent breakdowns. Now, I like to climb escalators myself, especially if I'm in a hurry, but if I can't do so, I take a deep breath and accept the situation. The people in front of me aren't being rude or breaking any rules.

Bags and other personal belongings on seats? It depends (though dogs on seats are never, ever OK). A visibly pregnant person or someone with small children deserves to take up however many seats they need for their comfort. If someone is wearing a mask, I assume they are trying to defend a space for social distancing and leave them be. If neither of these things are true, I might ask politely if I can sit down and 95 percent of the time they make room without a fuss. The other 5 percent I don't think I'd want to sit next to anyway.

But people who crowd train doors before everyone has exited are the lowest form of transit-riding life. Charles and Hannah are 100% right about that one.

Is is it possible that Charles has a sense of humor? This piece reads like an conscious self parody. Keep up the good work!

The only good thing I can say about Marxists is that they're not Republicans.

Republicans are horrible people.

In case no one has told you today,
You can be individualistic
without being antisocial.

@17 Thank you for the more straight forward and sensible analysis here. Modern Western Capitalism has its evils, for sure, but the unimaginable greed of Bezos or Musk that revels in proportions so uneven it makes the sum totals of all the progress of human history seem economically meaningless is in no way comperable to some person using public transit (hurray!) after a long flight and putting their bag on the seat next to them (possibly to keep the isle free for people to move, or possibly because they don't want to expend the effort of keeping it from sliding around every time there's a start or stop.

But seriously, if you don't know by now to Step Back When The Doors Open, you probably shouldn't be out on your own.