City Life, Part Eighteen: The CTA Push-Push, Shove-Shove Method

Platform Standoff

Every time a CTA train stops, the people waiting to board crowd the doors, so that, when they open, the people boarding the train and the people exiting have a standoff. The people on the platform can’t get on the train until the people who are already on the train get off; and the people getting off cannot do so because the other group is blocking the doorway.

This used to irritate the hell out of me. When I was on the train, trying to get off, I would barrel through the crowd on the platform, shoving people aside and shouting, “Excuse me, excuse me!”. And then I would feel guilty for being an asshole.

Now, I just calmly wiggle my way through the thronging herd. Though I’m still prone to sighs of disgust.

When I’m on the platform, I step to the side, so that the people on the train can get off. Consequently, I am always the last person to board every train. Everyone else boarding the train prefers the push-push, shove-shove method.