Tuesday 20 May 2008

Back in primary school

They were a bad lot of people - those ones that got onto the tube at the Bond street station yesterday. There is clearly a demarcated safe area for people to stand behind as a train pulls into a station and the bright yellow line identifies that border. Of course this is so no little parts of the foot will become train kill.

Now these passengers at Bond street stood over this very bright yellow line. Naughty naughty... And as any good head mistress sort of train driver will do, a lecture ensued at every stop, something similar to the following: "Passengers are reminded to stand away from the yellow line. An average man weighs X amount of stone and the train weighs X amount of tons. Now imagine what will happen to your toes if the train has to go over them. If the yellow line is not clear, then I need to slow the train down to about 30 MPH and that can delay the journey. And if the line is not clear at all, then I cannot pull into the station and that will cause delays on the entire London transport system. Please stand clear of the doors, doors are closing. I will not be able to close the doors if passengers are standing against them."

Bonded in this lecture, we the passengers looked at each other, some smirked while others smiled and giggled. It was as if I travelled back in time and stepped off that train feeling like an eight year old again.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Uhh Ohh... and do they have a pointed hat and designated corner to put passengers in if they cross the yellow line?

Saaleha Idrees Bamjee said...

oddest announcement i ever heard at the tube station: "please be advised that such and such train will be delayed as there is a body on the tracks."
all this in that no-nonsense english accent.

Shamin Chibba said...

Did they give you a gold star when you stood behind the line?

Prixie said...

jo: they should have had that too! :)

sbm: how cold!

shamin: i would have preferred a happy face