So they called me a cockeyed optimist
Immature and incurably green . . .
But I'm stuck like a dope
With a thing called hope
-- Oscar Hammerstein II
We start with a brains half-full assumption about fellow humans, a benefit-of-the-doubt approach until strangers prove us wrong.
It takes just a few minutes for Deadline readers to yank us back on track after we mock this streetcar etiquette and efficiency lesson Tuesday:
A quick tip for QLINE riders: Once the doors open, let others disembark before boarding. It's polite, but it also saves time for everyone! #QLINECourtesy #QTIP pic.twitter.com/cnevQlpnsf
— QLINE Detroit (@qlinedetroit) May 22, 2018
As someone who commuted from Upper Manhattan to Stuyvesant High via two subway lines, I see that as simplistic and snark-worthy:
Whoa, wait -- public transit is such an alien concept in #Detroit that we must learn common-sense basics like kindergartners being taught to line up⁉️
— Deadline Detroit (@DeadlineDetroit) May 22, 2018
Are so many riders this clueless? Or are you just messing with us, @qlinedetroit? pic.twitter.com/5GKqr3g5QR
Not so fast, Mr. Noo Yawkah. Listen to those with a finger on the pulse of local unawareness, or perhaps a finger raised in response to rush-aboard rudeness. "Get out much?" asks a reply from someone named Gregory.
Other responses:
No they are clueless..
— Martin Ertz (@ErtzintheTetons) May 22, 2018
Passengers often stand in front of the door, not allowing people to leave the streetcar. People on the platform also often try to enter the vehicle before passengers can get out.
— Sarosh Irani (@Irani99Sarosh) May 22, 2018
People do it all the time on elevators, why not public transit too?
— Susan Rose (@susanrose516) May 22, 2018
We also hear from David Gifford, an industrial purchasing manager in Romeo and self-described "transit enthusiast" who runs Detroit Metro Transit Guide pages on Twitter and Facebook as a public service:
Another problem has to do with the design of the shelters. They are closed off on one end so people waiting and people exiting have to share the same crowded space. If the shelter were open ended passengers could exit left and board from the right. pic.twitter.com/6TWf9q91Og
— Detroit Metro Transit Guide (@SEMittenTransit) May 22, 2018
They also had to recently tell riders to push the stop buttons to request an upcoming stop. This is transit riding 101 but is very new to our region of car drivers. It takes time to learn these things. pic.twitter.com/c99eRnpmNY
— Detroit Metro Transit Guide (@SEMittenTransit) May 22, 2018
Your turn now:
Share QLine experiences in a comment below. Are most riders courteous or clueless?