Preaching To The Non-Converted

I am singing from the same songbook as The Toronto Star’s Jim Coyle today. His column concerns the latest additions to the TTC’s subway warning signs. To quote Jim, when did the TTC become such a “hectoring nanny”?

Surely there have to be studies out there that show signs that say “Do Not Charge Doors” and “Do Not Hold Doors Open” are not read by the people who continue to do these very things. Door chargers are in a hurry and the lettering is a mere blur to them. Only those of us who are considerate enough to remember to let commuters disembark first, have the time to read the signs.

This whole rushing-hither-and-yon thing is so false and self-made. Once you’re over the age of 22 you ought to have noticed that there are other people in the world and that extending a few courtesies makes things go smoothly. Coyle brings up other ineffective and useless admonishments including “drive according to the road conditions”. That means exactly nothing! I loathe being lectured by traffic reporters anyway. If I’m slowing down to get past an accident it’s because everyone in front of me has slowed down and I have no choice. I am not “slowing down to gawk” like I so often hear. But I digress.

I don’t take the subway very often and when I do, it’s usually outside rush hour because of the rudeness and squishiness. I do hope we’re a long way off from the day when government workers with long poles are poking and packing us into subway cars the way they do in Tokyo. But all these signs are doing is reminding those of us who are being trampled that the tramplers are not supposed to be trampling. And we’re not the ones who need the reminder.