Travelled by train last week for the first time in years - really wish I hadn't

[coffeerevelsrock]

What a depressing eye-opener. I wanted to do the right thing and use the car less and also going to a few different parts of London is obviously easier by public transport.

I was taken aback by the lack of mask wearing on the trains. Despite posters everywhere saying please wear them, pretty much all staff wearing them and announcements encouraging their use, only a handful of people in packed trains had them on. Even on the tubes it was a minority who had them on. Last time I went in the summer (travelled by car that time but used tfl once there) it was compulsory and almost 100% take up. Now that seems to have fizzled out.

Then, on the way home, the train was cancelled and our connection was packed as three earlier trains had also been cancelled. On the packed train, I asked someone to move a bag off a seat so ds or I could sit down and the woman glared and huffed and puffed before doing so. Just so rude. In the seat across the aisle I then had to ask a young lad to move over so one of us could use the empty seat he was next to. He did without the rudeness but tbh I don't know why he didn't just move anyway - he could see how packed t was. Then a woman opposite had bags on the seat, headphones in and was looking fixedly at her book. She blatantly ignored me when I asked her to move for my other ds/someone else. WTF? You're sitting on a packed train with a bag on the seat and you pretend not to notice people are going to have to stand for 40 mins + so your bag can have a seat or so you don't have to sit next to someone??

The whole experience made me think people in this country are fucking selfish. This was on a Sunday evening - god knows what it's like commuting.

Is it always this bad and why do we have such an issue with masks here?

@Bearfrills

Why is everyone banging on about masks like they are some kind of magic force field. They do very very little

Well many scientific studies disagree with you...

www.factcheck.org/2021/08/scicheck-misinformation-about-face-masks/

The fact of it is that face masks do lower transmission rates, especially when used in conjunction with other non-lockdown measures like social distancing, hand washing/good hygiene, and good ventilation.

Face masks perhaps, but most people aren't wearing masks as defined in those studies. They're using thin snoods or single layer breathable fabric. I saw a woman wearing one out of fishnet material at the train station last week because it matched her outfit.

I can see the point in wearing one if you're very close to someone and spluttering/coughing, but when you're naturally breathing for 2 hours in an enclosed space, that breath is getting out there regardless, along with any droplets of doom.

@WomanStanleyWoman

I travel on the tube or bus most days, and the majority of staff have stopped wearing masks, despite TFL saying this is still compulsory. If their own staff won’t follow the policy, why should I?

Because wearing a mask isn't a hardship and you care about other people?

Face masks perhaps, but most people aren't wearing masks as defined in those studies. They're using thin snoods or single layer breathable fabric. I saw a woman wearing one out of fishnet material at the train station last week because it matched her outfit

“Most people” = people I’ve seen.

That’s not most people. Most people I’ve seen are wearing proper face masks.

This thread is depressing. I don't live in the UK. Where I live face coverings are still mandatory on public transportation (as they should be). I knew they no longer were in England, but I assumed that most people - being decent people who care enough about others to do this simple thing - still wore them.

They are not mandatory in shops here, just recommended, and probably 75% of people still wear them.

Oh, and this whole exempt thing? I have never heard of this or come across it where I live. I'm sure there are rare instances of people who genuinely can't wear a mask, and it must be very hard for them because they aren't allowed to go anywhere that face masks are required. But it means that only people who genuinely can't wear a mask make that claim.

Yup, I'm so relieved that I don't have to take the train anymore, it's grim

I have noticed that more people are wearing masks on my early train into London than on the way home, but I agree, it's grim and people can be incredibly selfish.

I don't love wearing a mask but frankly I'd rather be part of the solution than the problem so I do.

One day last week on a particularly packed train I sat on my seat while a man stood next to me in the aisle, sniffing, sneezing and mouth breathing. Full on snotty. No mask. I couldn't even have moved if I'd wanted to it was that busy and to be honest he wasn't the only one - you could hear sneezing, sniffing and coughing throughout the train. It's a filthy environment we're stuck in every day those who commute. Properly grim.

Am I the only one thinking all these recent threads about covid/lockdown/masks etc is Psy Ops?

Oh, and this whole exempt thing? I have never heard of this or come across it where I live. I'm sure there are rare instances of people who genuinely can't wear a mask, and it must be very hard for them because they aren't allowed to go anywhere that face masks are required

Which country is this as the majority do have systems in place for people are exempt? The ones who don't tend to be those who aren't particularly inclusive of disabled people anyway.

@Anonymous48

This thread is depressing. I don't live in the UK. Where I live face coverings are still mandatory on public transportation (as they should be). I knew they no longer were in England, but I assumed that most people - being decent people who care enough about others to do this simple thing - still wore them.

They are not mandatory in shops here, just recommended, and probably 75% of people still wear them.

Oh, and this whole exempt thing? I have never heard of this or come across it where I live. I'm sure there are rare instances of people who genuinely can't wear a mask, and it must be very hard for them because they aren't allowed to go anywhere that face masks are required. But it means that only people who genuinely can't wear a mask make that claim.

Horrifically backward for disabled people and their carers. MIL has mod- severe dementia. She would be pulling it off every 2 seconds as she wouldn’t remember why it’s there. She can’t be left alone and no family really feels comfortable with her 1-2-1. Is my FIL not meant to go anywhere at all then for months and months? Does MIL not deserve to be taken to a garden centre r local shop every once in a while? Disgusting attitude

@Clocktopus

Oh, and this whole exempt thing? I have never heard of this or come across it where I live. I'm sure there are rare instances of people who genuinely can't wear a mask, and it must be very hard for them because they aren't allowed to go anywhere that face masks are required

Which country is this as the majority do have systems in place for people are exempt? The ones who don't tend to be those who aren't particularly inclusive of disabled people anyway.

I agree with the person you have quoted. The UK has a problem because people can say "I'm exempt because I don't want to wear one". In my country (France) you never hear this "please wear a face covering unless you are exempt". It's just "face coverings must be worn". Why? Because here, you can't self certify. So the odd person could be exempt, but they will have been to see their doctor to do so. Virtually nobody is exempt as virtually nobody needs to be exempt. So we have higher levels of mask wearing. And not just any mask. I never see people in home made ones.

And it's not backwards, it just stops all those people not wearing them because they don't like it, (many of whom post on mumsnet, some this post) from getting away with it. If you are entitled to be exempt, you are exempt.

WTF is wrong with people.I am not in a vulnerable group,but I always wear a mask on public transport,shops etc.How many times does Britain have to repeat the same thing over and over again.do you dipsticks not realise,if the numbers of Covid go up,there will be more restrictions again.Forget about Boris Johnson,he will always be 2 month behind with his acttions.

I wonder how many people would wear a mask if trains were segregated into a couple of carriages being for non mask wearers and the rest for wearers?

Once the non maskers carriages were full, they have to wait for the next train or put one on!

I love train travel, you had one bad trip, surely you've been stuck in traffic jams too, have you sworn off cars as well?

@Clocktopus

Oh, and this whole exempt thing? I have never heard of this or come across it where I live. I'm sure there are rare instances of people who genuinely can't wear a mask, and it must be very hard for them because they aren't allowed to go anywhere that face masks are required

Which country is this as the majority do have systems in place for people are exempt? The ones who don't tend to be those who aren't particularly inclusive of disabled people anyway.

The US

I got a london commuter train yesterday and easily 90% of adults were wearing masks. Same on the tube train (bakerloo).

@Dojacatpaws

I love train travel, you had one bad trip, surely you've been stuck in traffic jams too, have you sworn off cars as well?

But never come across somebody actually stopping their car in the middle of the road just because they wanted to park. Or at least not doing that and then being pissed because they don't think they should be told to move.

@catblanket how do you know countries are about to close their borders to the UK?

The US

They do have exemptions for people unable to wear a mask in the US.

@Guetzlibache

WTF is wrong with people.I am not in a vulnerable group,but I always wear a mask on public transport,shops etc.How many times does Britain have to repeat the same thing over and over again.do you dipsticks not realise,if the numbers of Covid go up,there will be more restrictions again.Forget about Boris Johnson,he will always be 2 month behind with his acttions.

😆

Mask wearing doesn’t do anything. But if it makes you feel better to complain about an endemic, seasonal virus …

@Lockheart

There's an unspoken etiquette on my commuter train that you don't sit next to anyone, for social distancing purposes. If it's a table of four, you can have two sitting diagonally opposite. So I'm afraid to me it sounds like you were the one committing the faux pas in that case.

I fully agree about the masks, but if you're sensible about masks you should also be sensible about distancing!

My commuter train is too busy for there to be empty seats. And too crowded generally!

I do think we have a very self-centred society here in the UK.
Mask wearing is on and off from what I’ve seen on the trains here.

When I was 30+ weeks pregnant with my son I had to stand about an hour on a packed train to London, which I didn’t mind so much, but people kept trying to push past me to walk up and down the train- I couldn’t really move my belly out of the way enough. A woman did offer me her seat but by that point we were almost at the station.
I did have a nice moment on the tube though, same day, a woman I didn’t know got my attention as soon as I got on the train and said loudly “I can get you a seat!” - dunno if it was her confidence, but someone hopped up to let me sit down straight away.

@UsedUpUsername I guess you don't think covid exists either... Or else you don't mind coming across as not all that bright...

@ShirleyPhallus

All these stories and threads of people being selfish arseholes boils down to one thing:

The general public are awful, selfish arseholes

This is the answer to many many different threads

This ☝️

Mask wearing doesn’t do anything. But if it makes you feel better to complain about an endemic, seasonal virus

The gormless are starting to escape from the Covid boards.