TFL have foiled a commuting trick and Londoners aren't happy
- Published
If there’s one thing that Londoners hate more than commuting, it’s allowing other people to get a competitive commuting advantage over them.
Rush hour on the Underground has long been a war of attrition - against both rival commuters and the ticking seconds of the clock.
Oyster cards are unsheathed, ready for battle. Withering looks are shot against the backs of those stood on the wrong side of the escalator.
In this race, each traveller has their own set of closely-guarded commuting tactics - some handed down through generations.
So Londoners are pretty frustrated with Transport For London (TFL) for an act of the highest sacrilege: levelling the commuting playing field.
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The London transport provider recently began trialling bright green markings on the platform at King’s Cross Underground station. They're designed to encourage people not to block the carriage exits, so that people can get off and on to trains more quickly.
This might strike some as a noble cause, but not the seasoned commuter – no, no, no. For the green markings also give away which stretches of platform the train doors will open on to – a secret hitherto only known to a select few Jedi.
The new TFL programme severely jeopardises the advantage that a select number of knowledgeable commuters have hitherto held, causing outrage and despair.
The competitive spirit, however, lies deep within the warrior mentality of the commuter. And Londoners will not be taking the new measure lying down.
The TFL website says: “The green lanes trial encourages customers to move down the platform at Tube stations. This is to try to ease congestion and improve both reliability and safety.”
Will that highly reasonable explanation be enough to calm the commuter bloodlust? Time will tell.
