Civility Patrol

Kew Gardens Station, Photo from Bridge and Tunnel Club.

From "If Train Riders Don't Mind Their Manners, a Commuter Group Will," in the New York Times:

THE 7:47 a.m. Long Island Rail Road train from Ronkonkoma to Jamaica pulled into the Deer Park station, and Sandra Krebelj-Douglas eyed her fellow passengers carefully. As one of eight official "note takers" for the The Long Island Rail Road Commuters Council, a volunteer group that acts as the voice of the railroad's passengers, she was preparing to monitor riders' behavior in a two-month program to establish the nature and extent of antisocial behavior. Results from the note takers, who ride different lines from different stations, will be used in a report sent to railroad management later in the year.

"Most people aren't deliberately rude," said Ms. Krebelj-Douglas, who lives in Dix Hills. "They just forget they're in a public space."

Some examples they're looking for:
- putting your feet on the seat.
- having your I-pod so loud the person next to you can name that song.
- leaving your newspaper in pieces on the seat when you leave the train.
- leaving a half-filled coffee cup - or any coffee cup - under the seat - just waiting to be tipped over.

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