Line cutters
So I was ahead of two passengers waiting to do the "sneak back to an earlier station to grab a seat" deal when apparently some guy cut in front of them. At first I had no idea what one guy was saying about a line which quickly turned into multiple profanities. I thought at first he was talking to me since I had shifted my feet (although I hadn't moved, so it wasn't making sense) only to realize the a-holes and f bombs were not directed at me. Wonderful to watch male egos go at it and have staredowns, but fortunately his friend was sane enough to pull the cusser down the train to calm him down.
Which is certainly not to say women are better. At Civic Center I'd watch a woman very sneakily scoot up the middle while the two lines would part to allow people to exit. She once called me out for cutting, although really, if you're not going to step up and be in the line, don't complain because sometimes it's really hard to tell if someone's waiting for the very next train or not.
I also had a woman cuss me out at CC station because she was walking like a freakin' turtle and I had to scoot back over because I realized the fare gate was signaled for entrance, not exit. It was unfortunate my card didn't work for the first try, so I got to be the the target of some very choice language.
My favorites are the people who REACH over and insert their ticket or slap on their card even though they are not physically in front of the gate. But because they have gotten to the ticket part first, they act like nothing's wrong and they didn't just block you or possibly a whole group of people and scoot right through.
I was the subject of multiple
I was the subject of multiple profanities once when I blocked a ghetto styled woman from cutting the line by zipping along the side of the train.
I had spotted her trying to cut in front of 10+ people so I casually stepped to the right blocking her path. She was *PISSED OFF* i did it and was making comments at me all the way to Oakland.
Sounds like the same woman
Sounds like the same woman who cut in front of me. I gave her an earful because she almost tripped me. My husband was shushing me the whole time! She and her pose decided to move to the other end of the car.
I use the bike as barrier to
I use the bike as barrier to block cutters. Works great on the platform and at the fare gates. I can get some great extension with it.
I do the same thing. Another
I do the same thing. Another trick is to angle the bike toward the nearest stairs/escalator to help direct traffic off the train. This keeps any cutters from blocking the paths of people exiting the train.
... and always do it
... and always do it casually, as if you have no idea your blocking/intercepting the line cutting assh*les.
I often stand in line like
I often stand in line like any civilized person and people without fail 90% of the time will walk in front of me as if I were not there and it seems to be OK. I can't be that hard to see being I'm a 6"3 dude. I often wonder what the reaction would be if I disregarded the line and walked straight to the front.