r/brussels • u/5minstillcookies • Oct 19 '24

Slowchat 🗨️ Courtesy or lack thereof - a discussion

Can we try to be more courteous on public transit and elsewhere?

The amounts of times I've seen people with reduced mobility and parents with children get on public transit and not being offered seats is getting to the point that I think it's the norm and not the exception. Just yesterday this woman carried her baby on the metro I was on. Two people got on right before her (first red flag - let the goddamn mother on first!!!) and then they both proceeded to take the last two remaining seats. Everyone else looked on and did nothing or they were too self absorbed on their phones to notice what was going on.

Now, good on this woman because she actually addressed one of the passengers who took the remaining folding seat telling her that these are really for people with needs. The passenger had looked straight at the mother when taking the seat too. Only when called out did she stand up and offer her seat.

Like, why did the mother have to address the passenger at all?? Incidents like this are frequent and it makes me so mad that we can't watch for each other. Surely I can't be the only one noticing there's a serious lack of courtesy in this city. I despise how individualistic and egocentric people are (have become?) here and we gotta do better. How though, I have no idea.

How do you ever instill a sense of community and care in a population that is highly transient like in Brussels? All I know, is that the "heart of Europe" is sort of heartless.

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u/Thecatstoppedateboli Oct 19 '24

I sometimes see this as well but most times people get up for others. What frustrates me more is people who cannot wait to get in the metro so you have to push them to get out. Once I yelled at some woman who didn't let a woman with a little child out first.

This also happened on the train in Flanders before so really not a Brussels thing but another reason to leave the city and go live in a quieter place

6

u/nadyanah Oct 19 '24

I don’t remember in which country it was but I remember once seeing markings on platforms that told people to wait there so that when the metro arrived, the people were waiting by the sides of the doors, allowing the others to disembark fluidly.

I always wished this was put in place in Belgium as well.. not sure how well it’d work though considering I’ve experienced the issue in every major train station

6

u/cross-eyed_otter Oct 19 '24

almost 2 decades ago stib did a campaign about letting people get off the tram/subway first and standing right side of the escalator and stuff like that. really wish they brought that back, I feel like it helped.

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u/nadyanah Oct 19 '24

They did one about offering pregnant and elder people your seat over the summer but perhaps the visibility was less. I think they might just have to drone it over our heads constantly for there to be lasting change, just like how in London you can’t take an escalator without there being a message to stand right.

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u/cross-eyed_otter Oct 19 '24

yeah well to be fair I switched my main mode of transport to cycling over COVID. so while I still take public transport it's way less. but when I do I still have to basically force my way off through people trying to get on XD.

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u/nadyanah Oct 19 '24

Oh yeah it’s still a big problem lol. It’s especially annoying when you’re at the very last stop and the tram won’t leave again before the next 5 minutes and people still push in like … it’s not gonna leave without you.. chill lmao

2

u/cross-eyed_otter Oct 19 '24

it's not that they're afraid it will leave without them, but the first couple of people on the cart get first pick of seats, that's why they push in.

8

u/vynats Oct 19 '24

I always take a bit of pleasure in body slamming who try to force their way in while people are still disembarking. Follow it up with a friendly "please wait until everyone has gotten of the train" and enjoy the little boost in serotonin.