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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think that comuting in London...

50 replies

TandB · 17/01/2011 09:12

...sends people into some kind of strange trance-like state of aggressive, rude, stupidity in which they behave in a way that they would never normally contemplate?

And that rain causes a nearly frenzied unreasonableness?

I have shouted at more people this morning than should be possible in an hour's commute.

At Waterloo Station they had closed the access down to the tube as it was so busy, so coming up from the tube we were fed in pretty much single file outside, back in and up a broken escalator and through a single door. I had DS on my back as usual but despite this, the same woman shoved me hard three times trying to get past until I shouted at her to leave us alone.

Coming through the doors two other women tried to barge through in the wrong direction and converged on us shoving me into the man behind. Cue more shouting.

On the completely full train, the man sitting opposite us refused point black to move his bag so people could sit down on the basis that "there was nowhere to put it and there's not really room for three people on these seats anyway". More shouting - not from me this time.

At the station at the other end, a woman decided that there was no point putting her massive umbrella down to walk all the way up the stairs, along the corridor and through the barriers and ticket hall. I was one of about half a dozen people to shout at her after being poked in the face. Her response was "it's raining". What? Inside?!

Final straw - I stopped on the pavement to let a doctor pull into his parking space outside the surgery. Whereupon he gunned the car through a puddle and soaked me from the knees down. I stuck my head round the gate and shouted a lot. To be fair, he did apologise and say he was just trying to get off the road quickly and hadn't noticed the puddle.

Seriously. Do people leave their common sense and courtesy at home when commuting? If I get pushed about that much with a toddler on my bike, I am not sure how non-child carrying commuters actually survive the journey!

There should be commuter etiquette enforcement officers who can hand out spot fines for just being a bit twatty.

OP posts:

Original poster

TandB · 17/01/2011 09:26

Add to that the stupid fucker who decided that he was more important than the dozen people already waiting to get on the train and barged us all out of the way in order to force his way on before anyone had the chance to get off.

OP posts:

JBellingham · 17/01/2011 09:27

Live elsewhere, London is awful

YankNCock · 17/01/2011 09:29

YANBU. I moved up north nearly 3 years ago and having missed London commuting one little bit.

ZillionChocolate · 17/01/2011 09:29

Nightmare - maybe engage your kungfu skills?

GwendolineMaryLacey · 17/01/2011 09:29

London is not awful, London is fab. Commuting is awful and I think people hate it so much that they do shut down all common sense and emotion, put their heads down and aim for their destination without taking notice of anyone else. Not excusing it btw, commuters are the reason that I drive into London.

I'd have sat on that bloke's bag btw :o

evenkeel · 17/01/2011 09:31

OP, as a regular commuter to London, I feel your pain. I'm sure you're right: everyone zones out and becomes a rampaging self-centred zombie purely as a way of dealing with the whole nightmare process. It's hellish. End of story

ButterflySally · 17/01/2011 09:31

YANBU. Commuting in London sucks.

globex · 17/01/2011 09:32

London is brilliant but commuting really really does turn one into an awful, unrecognisable person.

evenkeel · 17/01/2011 09:32

PS I have the bag confrontation too, on a regular basis. In fact I make a point of challenging people who have bags on seats because it's so blardy rude for them to sit there smugly taking up a seat. And breathe.....

TragicallyHip · 17/01/2011 09:33

Ah I don't miss travelling across London on the tube!

I can't stand people that try and get on the train before anyone has a chance to get off. I have shouted abuse at someone for not letting me off once. Silly caw!

pozzled · 17/01/2011 09:36

I do sympathise but,

"I have shouted at more people this morning than should be possible in an hour's commute."

Surely by responding this way you are one of the commuters you are complaining about?

BootyMum · 17/01/2011 09:42

I commute in London and am currently 36 weeks pregnant. I have been offered a seat twice I think throughout my pregnancy - once from a big burly shaven head and tattooed man and the other was an elderly woman. Everyone else either ignores me or I see them look at me surreptiously and then go back to reading newspaper. And I do look very obviously pregnant, not just fat, so no excuse really!

I am not sure if London commuting is actually getting worse, seems more crowded now than I remember a year or so ago. And I was definitely offered a seat more regularly with my first pregnancy a couple of years ago....

MackerelOfFact · 17/01/2011 09:44

God this sounds like my morning too! Add in the fact that you're packed like sardines into a train wearing full outdoor gear, the windows are closed because it's raining, the heating is on full, and you can't actually take your coat/scarf/hat off because you're too squashed to actually move your arms. At least if you pass out you remain vertical as there's nowhere to fall. It's utter misery.

LadyBiscuit · 17/01/2011 09:45

I have to say that since leaving London two months' ago after living there for twenty five years, I really don't miss much about it. I'm so much less angry now than I was living there :o

maxpower · 17/01/2011 09:45

YANBU I'm not missing the commute one bit (currently on mat leave)....

fishie · 17/01/2011 09:46

yes commuting is hell. i get out of it a lot by leaving very very early in the morning, is far more civilised.

and i try never to shout at people no matter how badly they behave, it just brings one down to their level. icily polite is far more effective.

Katisha · 17/01/2011 09:50

It's not too bad if you can avoid the tube. I walk for about 20 mins from Euston. On the odd occasion that I decide to get the tube because it's raining or I feel lazy, I nearly always regret it.

marriednotdead · 17/01/2011 09:55

I haven't commuted into town for at least 20 years but may have to soon.

I went into the West End the other day and was traumatised by the journey. May have to rethink my career options

Snuppeline · 17/01/2011 09:57

I am not a fan of London commuting either but I don't think other big cities with massive overcrowding issues are any better. Milano, New York even Oslo are horrid during rush hour. I put it down to lack of investment in infrastucture, high prices and long uncomfortable journeys. If you know you have to be on a sweaty train for 40 mintues, often longer due to 'signalling failures' or other rubbish you'd like a seat to make your own for the duration of the trauma. This equates to rushing onto the train looking for a seat. All to do with survivial I'm sure! Now I'm not saying we shouldn't strive for better, we should, but it would probably be a good idea to start with the overcrowding issue first. Get more space on underground and overground trains and people might not be so frantic trying to get on them.

That said OP I am sure your also one of the people who irritate most other commuters... given that you say you travel with a BIKE and a CHILD. Now that puts you right ontop of the hit list IME. I have had to use the rush hour trains from time to time with toddler and couldn't believe how unhelpful and irritated people where to see a pram (shock horror) take up space in the designated pram/bike area. Hope your return journey is better

maighdlin · 17/01/2011 10:52

i hate london. went over for a long weekend (from NI) with my sister before she got married as i couldn't go to mexico for her wedding as was quite pregnant so we thought it would be nice trip for us. wrong.

london is full of rude fuckers. i was constantly pushed out of the way (including outside the tube) not once did anyone offer me a seat and i was visibly pregnant with a face like the moon and ankles like tree trunks. every thing in london is such a rip off. it was like £18 for the tower of london.

Paris for me any day. At least people are nice to you and don't treat you like a bit of shit on their shoe because they are so bloody important don't ya know?

NinkyNonker · 17/01/2011 10:56

Yanbu for sure. I couldn't do it.

chandellina · 17/01/2011 11:02

only London could make Parisians seem nice in comparison.

(not that I agree - I find most Londoners perfectly friendly)

Original poster

TandB · 17/01/2011 11:04

Er Snuppeline, where did I say I travelled with a bike? That would be a good trick on the jubilee line.

And I did say I had my child on my back. I don't own a pram. We take up about as much room as a fairly average sized person as I am not very big.

So no, I am not one of those pram/bike owning conifers.

OP posts:

GwendolineMaryLacey · 17/01/2011 11:06

London is not full of rude fuckers any more than anywhere else is full of rude fuckers. Maybe you were the problem...

And the entry price for the Tower is relevant how?

Original poster

TandB · 17/01/2011 11:07

Jbellingham - we do live elsewhere half the week thank goodness. I only actually do the full commute across London once per week as I have to drive the other day and I stay with a friend the other night.

I reach a frenzy of fury by Wednesday and then retreat home to recover.

OP posts:

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