Does anyone follow the rules?
I was waiting at the end of the platform at Embarcadero when I saw this guy puffing away. I told him there was no smoking. He gave me a look, paused, then ground out his cigarette. His girlfriend gave me an attitude and asked "Do you work for BART?" I couldn't think of a witty comeback so I just said "No, uh, it's against the rules to smoke here."
Why do people get all offended when they're told they can't do something? Being part of civilized society is following rules of conduct so we can share the trains/stations happily. What's the point with the rules these goof offs do whatever they want anyway?
It sucks that PASSENGERS have
It sucks that PASSENGERS have to be the ones to enforce the rules since the employees are too lazy to do anything.
sure it sucks, but this
sure it sucks, but this happened at the end of the platform. i'm glad that someone took the time to inform the guy that he should put the cig out.
it's not like the guy was smoking right by the station agent booth. the cops/agents can't be in all places at all times.
i had a similar situation in line for a ride at an amusement park once. we told the guy it was illegal to smoke in line. rather than putting it out, he chose to confront us. he ended up getting kicked out of the park all because he was a douche with no respect for others.
Don't the station agents have
Don't the station agents have video monitors that cover the platforms?
Just this morning I saw a guy
Just this morning I saw a guy with a half eaten apple having trouble with his ticket. He walks over to the booth and gets help from the agent, apple in one hand, ticket in the other. Agent didn't say a word about not eating in the system. Granted, he wasn't in the system yet, but would be in a few seconds.
As you should clean up the
As you should clean up the crappers when your at work. Oh wait that's not your job. So that makes you lazy also. hummmm.
Part of the Station Agent,
Part of the Station Agent, Train Operator and BART PD jobs are to enforce the system rules.
Let me guess: lazy BART employee?
Station Agents and Train
Station Agents and Train Operators are there to inform you of the rules, BART police are there to enforce it.
Well part of a Train
Well part of a Train Operator's job is to operate the train.
If a Station Agent is just there to give information and not ever do anything else, it sounds like they could be replaced with a pamphlet.
Sorry, but I think it's EVERY
Sorry, but I think it's EVERY patrons responsibility to help in enforcing the rules. We see all these complaints about lazy employees or employees that don't care or BPD this and that. Why can't the rider take part of the blame? You don't want dirty cars to ride in? Then take the crap off the train instead of leaving it. I will point out to a patron if they are breaking a rule. If they ignore me, it's real easy to call BART Police. Then again in this day and age I am sure many feel, "hey if it's not bothering me, why should I care?"
Agreed. I remember reading an
Agreed. I remember reading an article in the NY Times about the Delhi metro in India. The metro there is way cleaner than here because they had people volunteer to patrol the trains telling people not to litter and not to sit on the floor (its a problem there.)
If BART wants me to enforce
If BART wants me to enforce the rules, then BART can pay me for the service.
No way in hell I am paying BART's obscene prices to then have to do WORK for them while I am commuting.
when i was working in sf,
when i was working in sf, there was a large entry to one of the office buildings that was plastered with no smoking signs. i can't recall the address, but it is on california at the corner of sansome; a large reddish marble building. anyway, this entryway plastered with no smoking signs was also plastered with smokers 24/7. you can't stop douchebag smokers, you can only hope to contain them.
i think the issue you are missing is that bart PATRONS are the rude ones causing the problems. who smears shit all over the toilets and pisses all over the floors? who smokes in the the passageways between cars? who takes a shit in the stairwell of the parking structure? spits their gum on the carpets? barfs on the seats, etc?
if bart hired babysitters for all the moronic patrons, your ticket price would increase substantially.
I find that most of the
I find that most of the people who cause trouble on the system are fare evaders - bums, hoodlums, etc.
Maybe BART should start taking the rampant fare evasion problem seriously for once and install adequate barriers for the system or at the very least start eliminating the easy "emergency exits" that don't sound an alarm and are basically free ways to get into the system??
It's amazing that you can
It's amazing that you can tell a fare evader by sight.
Actually I make it a habit of
Actually I make it a habit of tailing people I see jumping the gates/fences when I'm in the system to see what they do, since BART is normally so damn boring, so I know what I'm talking about.
Nice ASSumption though.
Ironically enough one thing
Ironically enough one thing Muni metro beats BART (ya that's a surprise) is the fact the new faregates their installing are much harder to jump over than BART's.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamison/4900196162/
MUNI still sucks, but they
MUNI still sucks, but they are definitely keeping pace with changing technology a lot better than BART.
Their stations are also usually a lot cleaner than BART's.
It is a societal norm these
It is a societal norm these days. No one anywhere likes to follow the rules. It began at the top, and continues to be a bad role model for society.
This. Unfortunately, it's
This. Unfortunately, it's not worth the angry confrontation to point out the rules to someone. Usually, the people I see obviously breaking the rules are not the sort of people I would make conversation with anyway, so why would I provoke them? Not to mention that people who DO follow the rules will stick up for people's "right" NOT to follow the rules.
I had some dude snidely ask me what the homeless guy did to me the one time I called BART PD. I asked him why he thought it was OK to just leave someone alone who was passed out over the arm of the seat into the aisle on the train. What if they were having a medical emergency? He looked out the window the rest of the ride.
"All that is necessary for
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke)
I don't expect anyone else to
I don't expect anyone else to confront people breaking the rules. I used to just look the other way when someone was smoking or munching on their McDonald's. I don't give a sh*t if you eat, drink or smoke. If it doesn't affect me I don't care. Just don't do it when I'm around or leave the aftermath behind on the seat.
I draw the line at confronting fare evaders though. Even though it's messed up that they jump the faregate it's not worth risking myself. I wish BPD was around to catch them.
BPD would do NOTHING! They
BPD would do NOTHING! They are no more inclined to make people follow the rules than anyone else is.