Mind Your Manners on BART: Tips for Newbies

At the height of the Bay Bridge commute maddness; a more perfect article could not have been written. This of course will be used in my research.
Mind Your Manners on BART: Tips for Newbies from SFGate

People Behaving Badly: Stanley Roberts

Stanley Roberts is a Video Journalist for KRON News. His regular feature, "People Behaving Badly," catches people in the act and explores the attitudes of people breaking laws in all forms. Stanley has documented and featured crimes on BART including fare evasion, eating/ drinking, and even masturbation.

I had the pleasure of recruiting Stanley as a member of my Panel of Experts. Stanley listed off the most common offenses that he's encountered while riding BART, which he does daily.

• Bringing animals on board: chickens, lizards, non-service dogs
• food/ drink
• BART gymnasts - the folk who do pull ups on the hand rails on the train
• shelter for the homeless (who bring their own beer on board)
• loud headphones
• loud phone conversations

Stanley points out that some of these offenses are illegal, and do compromise the safety and comfort of passengers. Unfortunately, BART does not enforce the rules that they have implemented. But at the same time riders do not respect them. "We live in a society of me-ism." He explained that people today believe in "me first," and have a higher sense of self-entitlement, and do not care about anything outside of our own worlds.

I asked Stanley if he had experience with other mass transit systems. As a native of Philadelphia, he's had years of experience with several East Coast systems where the subway is available 24 hours. While there is still a problem with litter, the etiquette amongst riders is at a higher level. With more riders, there is an a kind of unwritten set of rules and courtesies that riders adapt. This could be because people who use the systems rely on them daily, as oppose to many BART riders who just need to get to the game. There's also more police present on the train. With more riders, there is more likelihood of crime, which is why more police is needed. At the same time, their presence reminds riders to abide common train don'ts like eating.

I asked Stanley why he thought BART doesn't try to enforce these rules, and instead turn a blind eye? He believed that it's not feasible to have an officer on every train at all times. The task is also overwhelming, and there are other issues that take priority.

In discussing possible solutions to the problem, and how to raise awareness about courtesy and etiquette while riding BART. Stanley stated that through his observations, people love to ignore signs. He see this daily with drivers who choose to ignore stop signs, no turns, and that's why the the signs which are currently displayed on BART about eating and drinking are overlooked. Additionally the age of these signs, which are as old as some of the train cars (30+) years. He believes that's hat needed a "high tech solution to a low tech problem." In other words, something flashy, something that sticks out, and something something with sound.

In the end, Stanley mentioned that although he rides BARTS daily, he would much rather be in his car.

For more about Stanley Roberts and People Behaving Badly, visit his website PeopleBehavingBadly.com

A Survey on Comfort

The purpose of the survey was to gauge whether or not the issue of declining manners on BART was one that shared amongst riders who use BART for different reasons, different times, and different frequencies.

2 Days on the Rail, Part II: Obeserving Caltrain

For a basis of comparison I decided to try riding CalTrain for a day. CalTrains range in the Bay Area while smaller than BART, still offers a connection for many commuters living in San Francisco, and San Jose area.

In the past, I've only used CalTrain once before. Like BART, they offer padded seating for comfortable longer trips, room for bicycles, and seating for groups of people. Because rider ship is lower than on BART (many riders used CalTrain to connect to BART) I did not feel a whole day was needed, and focused on peak commuting hours.






The ride went as listed:
Monday, October 5th, 2009

2:45pm Hillsdale arrive 3:38pm San Jose
4:05 San Jose arrive 4:31 Redwood City (express train)
4:52 Redwood City arrive 5:05 Millbrae (express train)
5:14 Millbrae arrive 5:22 Hilldale

Throughout the observation, I switched cars, and train levels (caltrains has two levels of seating) to constantly keep observation fresh with different riders.

General Observations
During the afternoon hours, the Hillsdale station had about 15 passengers total waiting for either a north or southbound train to arrive. The station was was clean with minimal sign-age posted for safety. It included only no smoking, no skateboarding, and walk bike. These signs took no effect on passengers as there were a few who did all three while waiting for the train to arrive. Unlike BART, at no time was an announcement made, by a station agent, "calling out" offenders.

During the afternoon rides, cars had anywhere between 3 - 8 riders. The amount stayed study throughout the entire trip to San Jose. The majority of riders consisted of:

Students
Airport Travelers (San Jose)
Bicyclist Commuters

HILLSDALE (to San Jose)
On the train signage included: Emergency exit steps and no smoking. There were also pamphlets with safety information, and station information. Unlike BART, there was no advertising. Caltrain's seats were more compact, with less leg room. The padding on the seats was a vinyl with a cloth pattern on it. The vinyl probably allows for easier cleanup, which means less stains on the seats. The carpeting, however, was as equally dirty as BART. Overall, I feel less of an openness on the train, and less ability/ desire to lounge. Passengers kept to themselves, and were silent for this leg of the ride.
SAN CARLOS
Moved to the upper deck of the train. Here the seats are in a single row, giving more of a private feeling. More passengers group seating, putting feet on the chairs.

MOUNTAIN VIEW
A women spreads out across seats, and sleeps soundly. There is a person, in front of me eating chips. She puts them away as the ticket master comes by to see proof of purchased ride. Once he's out of eyesight, she resumes munching. The passenger is obviously aware that eating is prohibited on the train, but engages anyways.

w00t! I found $12.00 on an empty seat! That pays for today's ride.

When exiting the train, passengers all seem to do so in an orderly fashion. There is none on the pushing and shoving which is commonly seen on this BART. This could be because of the time of time, and low number of riders, or it could be because the level of etiquette on CalTrain is higher.

SAN JOSE (to Hillsdale)
After brief confusion at the San Jose station, I finally figure out where to go to catch a northbound train. Unknowingly, I board an express train that has limited stops, and goes no further than Redwood City. There are more students on this train, coming from the University. The seats are more communal, and fit up to 4 people.

While there are luggage racks on this train, passengers with bags still sit with their bags next to them, mostly on the seat beside them and some at their feet.

As the train begins to move the conductor makes an announcement, relaying the information about the trains destination and also includes a reminder to passengers to "please keep your planted firmly on the floor, not on the seats in front of you."
This simple and brief reminder proved effective as 2 riders did place remove their feet from the seats in front of them.

In my confusion, I get off at Redwood City, and wait almost an hour for the next train in hopes that it will take me directly to Hillsdale. The next train is another express train, which instead goes straight to Millbrae, never stopping at HIllsdale. I'm forced to travel there, and backtrack to the station I need to be at. The schedule at Caltrain is very difficult to read and understand; but that is another problem and another project.

2 Days on the Rail, Part I: Observing BART

An important part of my research involved getting out there on the train, and observing how people ride, and who’s riding. Although I ride BART almost daily, I felt it would be better to branch out to areas I don’t frequently visit, and during times I do not usually ride.

The day long ride went as listed:

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

12:30pm: Lake Merritt to Daly City | 2:00pm: Daly City to Richmond

3:30pm: MacArthur to Concord | 4:30pm: Concord to Daly City

5:30pm: Daly City to Fremont | 6:30pm: Fremont to Lake Merritt

Throughout the rides, I switched to different cars on the train to constantly keep observation fresh with different riders.

General Observations

Times of day and the station location allow for a wide range of different types of riders, displaying different behaviors.

During the early to mid afternoon rides, cars had anywhere between 7 – 15 passengers. This amount lessoned as I rode nearer to the end of the line. The majority of riders consisted of:

• Students
• Airport Travelers
• Shift Workers
• Elderly People
• Shoppers (mainly at the downtown San Francisco stops)

During this time, many riders displayed a lack of courtesy to their environment, most commonly lounging. The “loungers” would usually take up multiple seats, propping feet on the cloth chairs. While this action does not affect riders directly, it adds to the wear and tear of the seats and adds to the dirt and stain issue that is often reported and complained about by surveyed patrons.

The second biggest offense seen was by the “entertainers.” These are the people who did not use headphones for music listening, and spoke loudly on the phone, usually cursing and yelling. I witnessed people moving seats and relocating to other cars, to escape the excessive noise.

The third most common offense was eating. While mostly discreet about their eating, on occasion a “diner” would take no shame in enjoying lunch while on the train. Litter and mess is another common complaint by surveyed patrons; mess that is food and drink.

As the day moved closer to 5pm, more passengers going home from work boarded. In the beginning passengers still spread out monopolizing multiple seats. As more people boarded, some (not all) made no attempt at making their extra seat available for oncoming riders. Interestingly many new passengers opted to stand rather than asking for an available seat.

Eventually those extra seats filled as the train and became extremely full as it stopped at the major San Francisco stations. For the most part, there was a level of decency by riders on the train. The “9 to 5ers” kept to themselves and had very little interaction with other riders. Most traveled immersed in a book, video game, or music (with headphones).

Despite higher level of decency with riders, new forms of rudeness or inconveniences occurred, particularly in the downtown San Francisco stations. A wall of passengers who wanted to get on the train met passengers, who wanted to exit the train. There was a lack of orderly fashion. This behavior is also seen in the same area on weekends. Passengers who sat on the inside seats that needed to get off had the difficulty of having to climb over their seat neighbor. Outside sitting men were more apt to stand up and step out of seat to let the inside seat neighbor pass; women just moved their legs.

By about 6:00pm, as my train rode further away from the city the “9-5er’s” became less. Despite extra seating being available, many passengers preferred to stand, grouped around the doors. It was almost as if they couldn’t wait to get off the train.

During the final stretch of the ride (returning from Fremont to Lake Merritt) a new type of rider boarded. Casual riders on the way to the game began to populate the train. These riders came in as groups: families, friends, couples. With approximately 25 people on the train, the attitude of the riders returned to what was observed in the early afternoon. Many riders began lounging, and monopolizing seats.

These observations while insightful left me with some questions about the types of riders on BART and the behaviors they display.

Do riders feel more at ease to spread out, and act “natural” when the train is less populated? Is there a bigger sense of freedom to be, ”more at home” when there is room to spread out?

Or are these behaviors a reaction from environment or region where common courtesy and etiquette are not as recognized.

Perhaps these behaviors are seen more in the casual rider, who treats BART as a temporary solution rather than a everyday tool.

Finally, are people who take part of “bad behavior” on BART aware of what they are doing and the impacts it may have on other riders.

More images can be seen on Flickr!

The Game Plan

Timeline & PERT Chart

(keeping yourself in check)

BART - a human experiment

Problem Statement: As ridership on the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system increases, it becomes difficult to maintain a comfortable experience for all passengers.

Purpose Statement: The purpose of this study was to research and develop a method to encourage common courtesy among BART passengers.

What on Earth does that mean? And what is the purpose of this blog?

When presented with the challenge to find a problem, and design a solution I thought about what annoys the hell out of me in this world - the decline of basic courtesy and manners in the 21st century. As with all growing and evolving cultures, ideals and expectations change. But does that mean those little rules to live by need to disappear? Those little rules that help keep people calm and civil in a fast paced world.

A perfect example of those declining courtesies and manners can be seen daily on BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit). I'm a regular rider. I love it - I don't have to deal with traffic, I can travel and get work done, I don't need to look for parking, and it's fairly inexpensive compared to how much it would cost if I had to pay for gas, toll, and parking. However, BART and the experience of riding BART does have it flaws.

In many discussions with peers, it's agreed that while BART can do much more on their part (seat and carpet cleaning, or even better vinyl seating and no carpeting). They have released concepts and plans for the future of their rail cars (some of which haven't been updated since 1972). But what good are those changes if the some passengers continue to ride with the same attitude they do today? Shoving, littering, feet on the seats, not giving up a seat for the disabled, elderly or pregnant, bags/ belongings in the aisles... the list goes on. While the overall issue itself is rooted in sociology and human behavior, as a design student I want to understand it and raise awareness. This blog will track the information and data that I gather, and show the progress to a solution.

Problem Statement: As ridership on the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system increases, it becomes difficult to maintain a comfortable experience for all passengers.
Purpose Statement: The purpose of this study was to research and develop a method to encourage common courtesy among BART passengers.