Karma's a Bitch

It's easy to lose your cool on Metro, particularly on the Red Line these days, but remember, what goes around, comes around, sometimes with amusing outcomes.
A funny little anecdote from reader Todd:
A guy elbowed me out of the way at Farragut West, shoved his way out the door and took one step to his right when a tourist (obvious by the T-shirt and denim shorts) sneezed in his face without covering his mouth. The guy who shoved me got a face full of snot.
I laughed as I walked up the escalator to the left of the door.

More on manners and behavior:
Riders that suck
Miss Manners on mass transit
The encroacher
In a wheelchar? Too bad.
Japanese behavior modification
Dippin'
Clippin'

Types of Rider: The Encroacher

Sure, stretch out! Mi Metro es tu Metro. We don't care.
Actually, this guy was pretty creepy. He kept trying to "accidentally" touch the woman next to him. She, needless to say, looked completely skeeved out. When she left, no one took that seat, despite the train being pretty crowded.

More annoying behavior
The clipper
The dipper

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Quick Hits
"Repair" work preceded crash (WaPo)
Why is Metro Ctr. so hot?
Metro: "Chiller is down. Repairs underway. Hopefully fixed in next couple days." #wmata

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Miss Manners on Mass Transit

One of our most popular posts is about annoying Metro behaviors. There are a lot.
Obviously, there is no official guide to how to comport oneself on mass transit--even "stand to the right" is ad hoc. Luckily, Miss Manners' Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior has the answers to many vexing mass transit behavior quandaries.

In the updated 2005 edition of the book (p. 149), the etiquette enforcer tackles the following:
Giving up your seat to someone in need: "Standing room should be the reward going to those most able to stand comfortably."*
Getting on and off a train: "The American subway conventions have always consisted precisely of pushing and shoving."
Backpacks: "People who hit others with their burden are rude."
How to avoid that annoying co-worker who's on the same train: "Merely move your nose downward toward your open book."
And finally, escalators: "Yes, the riders should stand to the right to make a left lane for the passers. Should they fail to do so, however, you needn't stand fuming behind them. There is a magic phrase that can be invoked politely to get them to move. It is 'Excuse me, please.'"

*NYC is considering fines and even jail time for passengers who refuse to budge. (h/t @hostagehoosier)

Other news:
Should Purple Line be rail or bus? (WTOP)

Japanese Subway Behavior Modification

Now that Metro is ramping up a "courtesy campaign," we thought it'd be interesting to see what other subways have done to curb sociopathic tendencies.
Last year, the Tokyo subway system began a long series of campaigns to improve rider behavior, with everything from seat hogging, passing out drunk and pretending to golf with your umbrella targeted.
We don't know how effective these kinds of things are, but the Tokyo posters are, at the very least, pretty funny. Poor guy with the weird eyes!
Our fave is December. That actually happens A LOT over there.
Haven't yet decided if the WMATA Metro pixie is funny or not. Leaning more toward that strange feeling between weird and sad.
View a nice collection of the Japanese posters here.