Impatient train woman

Eh? I’d have thought that sitting with a coat on your lap was far less of a strain than taking it off, folding it up and lifting it onto an overhead rack. I guess she stood up and stepped aside thinking you’d sit straight down, but you didn’t - you faffed about and she couldn’t get back in her seat because you were doing the coat thing.
I would have just sat down straight away so as not to hold other people up, then once the train was going and the aisle clear, have asked the woman if she could let you up to do the coat thing. I would likely have not said anything to you, but I certainly would have thought it!

No one knew you are disabled, struggling or in pain. They would probably have been more tolerant otherwise.

I'd have taken my coat off whilst walking through the train finding a seat.

I get wound up waiting for people to faff about in the aisle on a train...

It would bother me if I could see a queue of people.

So that you didn't block the aisle?

This! It’s so irritating when I’ve spotted a seat I want to sit in but someone is clogging up the aisle preventing everyone moving, so someone coming up the carriage the other way could sit there before I can get to it. Just like you need a specific seat, other people want a particular type too, for a variety of different reasons, eg near a loo. You do sound like you faffed unnecessarily for a long time (getting coffee out etc) and it IS annoying, you could have just squeezed in and said “you go past while I sort my stuff out” or something.

The train will move regardless so nobody's time is being wasted. OP says there were plenty of seats so nobody is being deprived of anything, so why should she sit uncomfortably for the full journey just so a couple of selfish fuckers can sit down 30 seconds quicker?

OP, I want to know what you would have done if you didn’t find an extra legroom seat? Surely you could just have taken any aisle seat and stretched your legs into the aisle.
Yes, I admit I would have been impatient if I was waiting for you to sort yourself out. Maybe they need to sit down for some reason you don’t know.
If I was hot, I would have already taken my coat off while I was looking for a seat.

I'm with you

That was the man that held you up today, on the train you were on. You witnessed him take longer that you felt he needed and were annoyed by it (as I would have been too Im sure. I also have arthritic knees and find standing very painful)
That doesnt mean the op took ages. Nor does it mean you can know for sure that she took ages any more than I can be sure she was quick. We werent there.
The op clearly thinks she was as quick as she could be. I think the aisle lady had deliberately sat in the aisle seat hoping no one would claim the window seat. The op did which caused the aisle lady to be rude.

No.

I sit in the aisle sit because I need to because of my disability. If someone wants to sit next to me and by the window then they're more than welcome but there is no should have. That's not ok. Particularly as OP says "extra legroom" seats, which I'm taking to mean priority seats.

It feels everyone has pretty much forgotten that we live in society. If we use public transport or go out our front door we have to navigate and negotiate other people. That involves inconveniencing others and being inconvenienced for a few minutes every now and then. Yes you minimise it but you're allowed (or should be) to take care of your own needs for a minute or two and the intolerance on this thread is depressing. Yes maybe the aisle woman had a need, maybe the people behind her did but so did she and they can't ALL win or be first in priority. We have to just try and rub along and not be so outraged when the mere existence of others infringes on our space.

Wasting what time?

You were on the train. The driver wasn't waiting for everyone to sit down.

It won't kill you to wait a few seconds till someone's finished

I agree. Most people would just think. Ah she's got her own shit to deal with.

Could you have stood for the journey then?

She also said it took “2 seconds”. I don’t have arthritis and take longer than 2 seconds to remove my coat and get something out of my bag. This has nothing to do with her disability, it’s her decision as to what order to do things and choosing to inconvenience others rather than herself. A number of us are saying we would have sat and had the coat on our lap. (I can’t even reach the over head things so I’ve never put things up there and coat on lap is totally normal).

I'm one of these. I NEED a seat or it's agony. If i could see empty seats filling up while I'm stuck behind you I'd be annoyed. Even if I understood why I'd still be frustrated

Some people think they are the only one with issues. I have arthritis, I'm in pain standing, I always make an effort not to inconvenience other people because I know I'm not the centre of the universe and I don't know what problems other people have. If everyone did that no one would be inconvenienced and no one would need to get annoyed.

Because you're showing no consideration for the fact aisle lady might have been in pain standing for you

You weren't on my train today then were you. Old man rearranging stuff, moving his bag, and it was definitely more than a minute and yes I was standing there in pain when he could easily have let me, and the other people, get past so we could sit down.

I’m not sure how held up anyone can be <on a moving train> 🤔

@TheignT easily only a minute or so. Ive waited far longer whilst people have arranged themselves prior to moving so others can find a seat.

I think this might be an invisible diability thing. She probably didn't know that you have all these challenges and that that particular seat was the answer to your difficulties. It's hard to tell strangers all that, so I'm not sure how to make it better, but she might just have thought you were being inconsiderate, whereas you actually had reasons for all the things you were doing.

If you take that attitude then op wouldn't have died not having extra leg room... see stupid comment. People have all sorts of issues and aisle Iady could have struggled standing

@InWalksBarberalla her own stuff - like an attitude problem? I guess that could take some working on........ no doubt she'll get some more chances to practice next time shes on a train! Whatever her issue is, she was rude and there really was no need.