Some Metro readers believe they are entitled to take up as much space as they want on public transport, while others disagree.
■ Regarding Gordon from Glasgow, who says you should simply ask bus passengers to move bags they’ve placed on seats (MetroTalk, Thu), I mainly walk or take a taxi around London – but if I have to use a bus, I always take up two seats. I don’t want anyone sitting next to me, sneezing or coughing. If I’m challenged, I say the seat is reserved. Or ignore them. It never fails.
Steve Black, Richmond
■ I wish other passengers could be as nice as the ones Gordon describes and move their bag when asked.
I’ve seen passengers ignore people who ask if they can take a free seat or try to make out they have to leave their bags there, rather than putting them on their lap or on the floor.
I even saw one woman pretend to be asleep on a train when passengers came on board, hands tightly gripping the straps of her handbag that was placed on the seat next to her – only to conveniently ‘wake up’ once everyone had sat down or moved on to another carriage.
Gordon is right, simple human interactions do work – as long as the person on the other end wants to act like a civil being.
Matthew, Birmingham
■ I was on a train from London to Nottinghamshire and my seat had been reserved. I politely asked a woman to remove her bag from it and showed her my ticket, but she point-blankly refused to. I was annoyed and got hold of the attendant. Instead of making her move her bags, he found me another seat two carriages down.
Marianne Kellet, via email
■ I was sitting in a tram, bag on the floor, one empty seat next to me and other single seats scattered around. A lady with several carrier bags walked in, placed them on the empty seat and demanded that I move so she could sit down.
When I refused, pointing out there would be a seat for he if she placed her bags on the floor, she claimed they couldn’t possibly go on the floor – and spent the rest of the journey berating me at full volume about the manners of young people.
Iain, Manchester
Bike spaces on trains are not for passengers
■ The amount of times I’ve been given a dirty look because I dare to board a train with a bicycle! I use the train and cycle because I can’t afford to drive and it’s the most sustainable and convenient option. Bike spaces on trains are often taken by people and luggage. Railway companies must train staff to ensure they are used by bikes.
L, Cambridge
A flip side to the F-word
■ Regarding the use of swear words (MetroTalk, Thu), when my kids were young, one told me the other had used the F-word.
I was a bit surprised because we didn’t use that sort of language at home but I managed not to overreact and probed a bit deeper. It turned out that the F-word was ‘flip’.
Amanda, Croydon
■ If you believe that people have to stop demonising the use of swearing, or believe swear words are used to lighten the mood, then I couldn’t agree with you less.
I will cover my ears when I hear swear words, as rightly suggested.
I too hate swear words and would even suggest their use is due to total ignorance.
Sue, London
■ Those who think it’s acceptable to use the F-word need reminding that it was originally used as an aggressive and threatening word. Also, I believe it’s a replacement for ‘um’ or is used when people can’t put a sentence together.
Clive, Lancing
■ I recently had to ask a group of men in my local to tone it down because their language was quite offensive. Manners please, people!
Jock Muir, Oxted
Some of us are crying over spilt milk
■ Lisa Kemsley asks why people are upset at Animal Rebellion protesters pouring milk over supermarket floors, adding that the dairy industry is ‘inherently cruel’ to animals. (MetroTalk, Tue).
I am upset at the waste of a valuable staple foodstuff, especially now that we are suffering a cost-of-living crisis.
It is also an insult to hard-working dairy farmers.
C Jones, London
How should the BBC receive its funding?
■ In response to Nihal Banneheka (MetroTalk, Thu), who says the BBC is a British institution that must be properly funded. In 1993, in the face of a debate over taxpayer-funded repairs and other expenses, the doors of Buckingham Palace opened as a way of generating revenue.
Perhaps it’s time for the BBC to be business-minded and competitive, by opening its network to advertising – and, in that way, generate funds to keep services running.
Gabbie, Luton
■ The BBC is without doubt one of the greatest British institutions ever. People around the world watch and listen to it. It is informative and, for the most part, brilliant in all that it does – and deserves extra funding, rather than cuts.
We should be embracing and celebrating its 100 years.
Bob Jones, Kidbrooke
And another thing…
■ Regarding Lou Stothard (MetroTalk, Thu), who says the ‘growth economy’ has brought our planet to its knees – we do need growth in the UK to raise people out of poverty. The problem we are facing is the measures that we use.
By measuring only profit and wealth, it becomes profitable to trash the environment, pay the minimum wage to workers and send UK jobs offshore. If we tweaked the measure of success to include benefits to society, you could achieve incredible equitable growth and investment in the UK.
Neil Dance, Birmingham
■ There is one way our MPs could help every single one of us during these hard times – take a 10% cut in their salaries. Not too much to ask, surely?
Ann Paterson, Didcot
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