Miserable sods on train

[YoureAllABunchOfBastards]

Coming home today. Woman opposite proposed 'adults only' carriages because some kids were making a bit of noise. She 'didn't expect that in First Class'.

She also complained about the choice of butties, the coffee - not hot enough and not replenished often enough - and the seats. Seriously love...bog off!

"If I pay for a First Class ticket or an upgrade on the weekends, it's because I want peace & quiet. That's what I pay for." but first class never was nor is a designated quiet zone. In fact more people travel first class over the weekends because of the weekend first upgrades.

And no, working at the weekend is no reason. The train is no more an office than a playground. Want to work in peace? Stay at home or buy earplugs. Someone's need to work does not trump someone's need to travel with their children when this happens in a public space for which everyone pays the same amount.

I travel long distance by train nearly once a week. Bad behaviour is rare. So no I don't think because it is public transport, that it is fine to behave as you want. And most adults and children don't.

It is never ok to impose that sort of noise on your fellow travellers.

You'd have loved DS2, this afternoon, then. He got a bit excited about something and there was no stopping him. He repeated the name of the favourite thing that he'd seen, quite excitedly, over and over again, for a good 5 minutes.

pikachew that's not imposing a kids tv program on people though. I'd not have a problem with an enthusiastic child, the iPad thing tho is selfish.

Some parents are lazy fools. their are giving their kids an ipad to keep them quiet but then can't even be bothered to put headphones in so that it's actually quiet!

lol *they're

Usually it isn't the children's noise that causes annoyance but the parents unwillingness to try and keep them quiet and occupied.

Last weekend travelling back from London there was a family with two young children (about 3 and 4) who were really noisy. The children weren't behaving badly, but were just loud. I managed to zone out, but many of the other passengers were getting annoyed. One of the young women at the next table said "I am never going to have children", and some people moved away when seats became available. DD and her friend's faces were like thunder.

The parents just kept saying Shh to the children. My friend, who deals with children in a professional capacity, just said they should be parenting their children and telling them not to speak so loudly. A mild shh every now and then just didn't make any difference.

Today on a long train journey a little girl was upset and distressed, but her mum kept her occupied with loads of various distractions. She read to her, she played with her with her doll and she let the little girl play on her phone. She got sympathetic looks from the other passengers.

NicknameUsed's post illustrates how his noise could have been annoying to some.

As for quiet shushing - it's best not to go there. HE can spend a whole 30 minute journey being the one doing the shushing.

You'd prefer the iPad. Believe me.

I had the pleasure of my first train journey for years at the weekend. How exciting! By chance, my trip coincided with Chester Races and so I enjoyed standing outside the loo with about 30 other people in far too close proximity for the first leg of my journey. We laughed but simultaneously counted down every second until we reached Chester.
I then found a seat. Hurrah! However, the loudest man on the planet had also chosen my carriage and spent the next 45 minutes 'entertaining' his children with a constant babble of nonsense, all at 10000000 decibels.
I plugged in my earphones, and zoned out.
That's life with our fellow human beings in a confined space for you. Hey ho.

The woman wasn't U. iPad with no headphones is awful.

If people want adult only carriages, that's fine by me. As long as I don't have to travel in them.

I was once on a train for four hours with a large group of young men heading to Blackpool on a stag weekend. They were drunk and appalling. I would much rather sit in a carriage full of small children at maximum volume, even with iPads and Peppa Pig.

My Best Friend is noisier than my dc, she loves to chat on the phone especially on PUBLIC Transport Doesn't the name give it away Each ticket covers one space or a seat (if available) not the entire carriage/train.

This is why driverless cars will inevitably become the new public transport. People will never choose to take mass public transport if there's an alternative because (apart from all other issues like no end to end solution etc), they'd ideally not be hostage to other people's behaviour.

Perhaps the train companies should provide more than one quiet carriage?

The woman opposite the OP is a reason why some people choose to travel by car, so partly polluting the earth. Quiet coaches are the best answer I can think of.

Went to London today 2.5 hr journey. Family behind talked loudly, unwrapped really pungent food, and watched lovingly as their toddler kicked the backs of other passengers' chairs. Laptops/ iPads without earphones truly bother me so much less than any of this. It's the conversations that are the worst, and I know that makes me unreasonable, but I can't block them out.

Ffsake, though iPad without headphones is v annoying, children are human beings with as just as much right to be present on trains as anyone else. We live in a world populated by people of varying ages, some of whom are young and louder on trains. We were all kids once! We really need to get over our Victorian attitudes to kids in this country. As a parent who uses public transport I do expect and help my children to be a quiet and calm as poss on trains via snacks, books and screens (with headphones), but I don't always manage it.

But at least you try Breadwidow. Too many parents are immune to the noise and disturbance their children cause, especially to others.

I agree that when we use public transport we all have a responsibility to be considerate towards our fellow passengers no matter what age we are. And if a child is too young to understand then the parents should be guiding them.

The "but adults can be noisy too" argument annoys me. It's irrelevant. I don't care if it's screechy hen parties, loud conversations about Important Business Because I Am Important or children scooting down the middle or listening to Peppa Pig. I don't want any of it and IMO it's all antisocial. And the "it's public transport, you have to accept it" thing is annoying too - it's public transport, so people should stick to acceptable public behaviours, whether it's abstaining from watching scat porn or accepting that polite behaviour on trains involves not annoying other passengers. It's more unreasonable to say people should accept antisocial behaviour in public than it is to say that it's unreasonable to expect other people to behave considerately in public IMO.

Sometimes children will make noise but the considerate thing to do is to try and minimise the annoyance to other people as much as is possible, which includes using headphones, and avoiding the quiet carriages, and yes, first class, if you know your children are unlikely to be able to be quiet - because many people work in first class as it tends to be quieter. Pick a carriage where people tend to be noisier rather than one where you know the average noise level is going to be lower. Same for hen parties.

"The "but adults can be noisy too" argument annoys me. It's irrelevant."

I agree. People use that excuse for allowing bad behaviour in children all the time. Grrr!

Perhaps the train companies should provide more than one quiet carriage?

The problem is that no one enforces the quiet carriage and people's perception of 'quiet' can vary a great deal!

What a miserable woman. It must be exhausting being her and so utterly fucking joyless.

Pity her.

Because the only way people can get joy in their lives is through children?

What a ridiculous comment - it says FAR more about you than it does about her. If the only way your life is full of joy is because of children, it must be incredibly empty.