I have a tendency to wear my mind on my sleeve

[venta]

Badge win. My badge (which I'm wearing as part of a TfL trial, to advertise that I need a seat on the tube) demonstrably worked at least twice today!

I'm kind of OK standing for short distances if I've got plenty of space and something convenient to hold on to, so I'm currently not directly asking for a seat when I board the tube - but I am hoping someone will offer. I'm just avoiding really crowded tubes.

My journey in this morning (which was hilarious in its own right, due to failed signals and misinformation - in place of one Central line train I took three Districts, two Piccadillys, a Victoria and a Central and was monstrously late for work) featured some definite badge events...

A man leapt from his seat as I boarded the tube. And it was District, which means no step to board, so I think the badge would be the only indication that I'm walking-impaired. I felt rather guilty, as he was holding a baby, but he assured me it was fine and handed the baby off to someone else (I assume she was with him...)

On one of the other tubes, a guy got up but without obviously looking at me, so I'm not sure he hadn't just decided to stand up anyway. On another, one of the other standees offered to go and ask for a seat for me (I declined her offer). And on at least another two tubes people ignored me totally - though I think I perhaps could have positioned myself better to be more visible.

This evening, a lady beckoned me over to take a seat she would presumably otherwise have taken herself. Again, I think only the badge would suggest I had any more need of a seat than she did.

So I'd say this badge is definitely working well for me today!

Comments

[vicarage.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid I'm curious about your 7 tube detour...

[venta.livejournal.com]

My normal commute is Ealing Broadway to Holborn on the Central line, but that was all "severe delays" yesterday. No problem, I can do District + Piccadilly instead (ChrisC, who works further West than I do and has functional legs, opted for mainline train to Paddington + walk at this point).

1. District line Ealing Broadway to Acton Town.
2. Piccadilly line Acton Town to Holborn. Except the tube ground to a halt at Hammersmith and after some time we were told we were being held indefinitely at a red signal and "strongly advised" to switch to District and change as necessary. Immediately I sat down on the District tube, the Piccadilly one I'd left departed, and there was an announcement that the District tube would be indefinitely delayed by a red signal.
3. District line Hammersmith to not-sure-yet. I decided to switch back, since the Piccadilly line was advertised as fine at Earls Court. Of course, it's not a straight switch across the platform there, it involves stairs and a walk.
4. Piccadilly line Earls Court to Holborn. The Piccadilly line was not fine. It crawled very, very slowly to Gloucester Road, then gave up. We were told the Piccadilly line was basically not running and to use "any alternative route".
5. District line Gloucester Road to Embankment (thinking I'd make it up the Northern line to TCR and walk). Then people started coming in drenched and I realised I wasn't that keen on walking as I hadn't a coat. Plus it seemed the Central line had healed, so I bailed early.
6. Victoria line Victoria to Oxford Circus.
7. Central line Oxford Circus to Holborn. The change at Oxford Circus seemed like a really long walk, so it's probably good I didn't try TCR to Holborn.

With hindsight, just staying on tube 2 was probably the right decision. At pretty much every stage there's something I would have done differently with more information (or with better walking ability).

[vicarage.livejournal.com]

I admire your tenacity, dodgy leg and all! I do hate it when I apply my mega-brain to a travel problem and get out-witted by inaccurate information. I'd have been muttering and swearing not so under my breath for tubes 3-7.

[lathany.livejournal.com]

Sounds like two wins!

[shermarama]

Do you have a history of losing your shirt?

I went on the Guangzhou tube-equivalent yesterday as part of a group that included some not-terribly-mobile Australian pensioners (broken-down bus on the way back to the airport, so the airline rep took a bunch of us on the Metro instead) and even though it was pretty busy, they got people jumping up to offer them seats, but there was a poster campaign going on for what looked to be 'be nice, offer these sorts of people your seat if they need one' so I guess it was on people's minds. Or at least I think that's what it was, as obviously I couldn't read it, but they had four categories of seat-needing people in cartoon form: one was an old man, one was a pregnant woman, one was a young guy in a wheelchair (I get what the shorthand was meant to be, but, er, wheel*chair*) and then I couldn't work out what the fourth was. It was a young woman done in much paler colours, looking a bit distressed and faded-out, and I couldn't help thinking that Guangzhou Metro would like you to give up seats for ghosts.

[venta.livejournal.com]

I do have such a history, have a kudo :)

People do sometimes leap up here to offer seats, though I don't believe TfL has a policy on ghosts! (I'm delighted some places do though, thank you for sharing it!)