AIBU for getting the rage at people who walk through the (open) barrier?

[CustardLover]

My local tube station (London Zone 3) has only got two little gates which means that when the herd piles off the trains at 6.30/7, there are queues on the platform to get through. This means that the gates are often left open, although the scanner still registers your oyster card / travel card.

Now, as users of London Underground will know, if you fail to check out again after checking in at the beginning a journey, LU will default bill your card for the maximum possible journey price, even if you're not liable for it, so even though the gates are open, most people still want to scan themselves out, hence the queues.

So far, so annoying for us all. However, the thing that drives me batshit crazy is when we're all politely (and yet clearly tired and annoyed after a day at work and having to shuffle these tiny, slow beeping gates) taking our turn, some arseholes just ignore the queue and walk straight through, without scanning. No skin off my nose you might think, if they have a travelcard / didn't scan in / don't care about paying more then whatever. HOWEVER, when someone walks through the barrier like that, it freezes the scanner for the next person - the light goes red and you have to wait a beat of two seconds (which feels like 20 minutes with the bubbling crowd behind you) to then scan your card and proceed. Sometimes, while you're waiting for the light to go amber again, another joker walks through AGAIN and sets it off.

Obviously, I am terribly British and never say anything, perhaps occasionally tut under my breath, but AIBU to want to run after those people, grab them by the lapels and scream 'WHY DO YOU THINK YOU'RE SO BLOODY SPECIAL? Do you think the rest of us like queuing? That's we're too stupid to see that the gates are actually open? YOU FROZE THE SCANNER YOU SELFISH LITTLE PRICK.'

Or should I just go on holiday?

[calmexterior]

Um, do you think they know? I wouldn't, I'd just assume people were queuing because they had an Oyster card and I didn't...

[bustraintram]

If I have a paper travel card and the gates are open why on earth would I bother putting it through the gate? YANBU to find it irritating but YABU to brand people who don't scan stupid; you only scan if you have to surely? Anyway, the two seconds you spend waiting for the scanner will be less than the time for me to get my travelccard out, put it through the gate and wait for it to spit out again.

[CustardLover]

To be clear, I don't expect those who don't have oysters to scan their paper tickets, but I do expect them to wait their turn to walk through and not just walk straight to the front, slowing the rest of us down in the process.

[ArgyMargy]

It is actually possible to use the tube without an Oyster card, you know. Thousands, possibly millions, do this every year. Not everyone in London lives there. YABU.

[FamiliesShareGerms]

Are you saying that someone walking through the open barrier slows the closed barrier down for everyone else?

That really can't be the case, surely?

[lastnightiwenttomanderley]

I come into Paddington every day and often the staff instruct those with paper tickets to just walk through the wide gates whenever they can, at the same time as people are scanning their oysters. Is this the same thing?

Are they very new/old scanners?

[CustardLover]

I haven't been clear, sorry.

The gates are all open.

You still scan if you don't want to be financially penalized (on oyster - no scanning necessary with paper).

Therefore there are queues to shuffle through.

My point is though who don't wait in the queue to walk through, which therefore slows the queue up for everyone else waiting (freezes the scanner so the person waiting has to pause for it to reset).

I think they should take their turn like the rest of us and then merrily walk through when it is their go, admittedly turning the scanner red for two seconds but not at the same time as someone else is trying to scan their card.

I admit that I may well be being VU with this - the rush hour doesn't bring out the rational best in me. And I assure you I have never acted on my impulse (except in my imagination where there are QUEUE POLICE to ensure fairness).

[CustardLover]

Oh I imagine they are very old - it's an end of the line, sleepy sort of station except for that hour slot at either end of the working day.

[Tobyjugg]

I don't have an Oyster card (live outside London and buy one day travel card when I come to London). I never knew about the 2 second delay. I thought ticket holders were supposed to walk straight through. My apologies if I'm one of those delaying you. Perhaps the best this is to get TfL to put up a sign explaining this.

[Tobyjugg]

*best thing

[londonrach]

Told to walk through by the staff with my travel card. Doesnt matter if its scanned or not. Ive worked london peak time and never seen the problem you mention those than need to use the oyster reader do those tat dont dont! But im coming in wimbledon, waterloo way...

[OneHandFlapping]

Are you saying they push in at the front of the queue? If so YANBU, and I would do everything I could to not let them in!!

[CustardLover]

I know what you mean re Waterloo /Paddington. The station I'm taking about doesn't have staff on this platform in the evening - could it be a different setting? Actually, sometimes I imagine it's a sadistic LU employee sitting in the office and just hitting the red / freeze button (that exists, right?) when he/she fancies it, just for the laugh.

But that's definitely me being VVVU. (and more than a little paranoid. I think I definitely need that holiday).

[WorraLiberty]

You would have loved me last week OP

I stuck my travel card in the wrong slot and a technician had to be called, to open the machine up with a screwdriver

[Glastokitty]

I think you need a holiday. This thread makes me very glad I don't live in London any more.

[londonrach]

Look worra i broke some hospital doors 3 weeks ago when i locked up...dam things kept opening and closing like a monster on me when they were meant to be turned off.....that was a wine day...

[TiggieBoo]

Yanbu, people not waiting in the queue is just not cricket. But I'm a daily tube user and I never knew that walking through an open gate resets the scanner...I suspect many more people don't know this/have never noticed it happening.

[LaurieFairyCake]

Yep I buy paper ones and had no idea about this.

I promise I will never do it again.

There that's one person off your list

[PrincessPilolevuofTONGA]

2 seconds you say? Gosh that must be a right bind

[Morelikeguidelines]

Yanbu. I understand what you are saying. One at a time please!

[youbethemummylion]

Why are the people at the front letting the queue jumpers push in. In my experience the gates are narrow and so the only way to push in front of the person waiting to scan is to physically push in. Very rude.

[Tanith]

Aren't you getting annoyed with the wrong people?
Surely you should be complaining to the LU about their daft system?

[Aridane]

I think I just about follow what you are saying - and am a Londoner + Oyster card user. But if I barely follow, I think you are asking too much from an irregular / paper ticket user.

And two seconds - well, not exactly a life-changing delay.

I like the poster who managed to disable the ticket machine and have it manually opened with a screwdriver...

[Trills]

I cannot conceptualise an "open" gate that sensed people walking through it (even though they didn't touch anything) and decided that it would disable the card scanner.

I can entirely imagine that the people walking through have no clue that they are doing anything to inconvenience anyone.