Morning rush hour from Denmark Hill to City

[a fish]

FFS, Pay attention, KidKruger. Let me make it clear, I am not advising people to bollock others just for ?...being on the train and not being bent on looking out for your needs...?, I am relating what I think should happen when, as I stated above and you clearly didn?t read it properly, I stood up to let a pregnant woman sit down, and a bloke who stood and watched her climb laboriously on at New Cross Gate sat down in my vacated space before she could. She said loudly ?I think this gentleman was giving up his seat to me?, patting a large, very very obviously pregnant ? and indeed badged ? belly, shaming him into getting up and letting her sit down.

[katgod]

It is hard when the train is so packed you can't get near the seats but I commuted through 2 pregnancies and did not need or expect a seat for the first 6 months and certainly had no badge, but found undoing my coat and standing at right angles to those seated ( ie so bump really very obvious) meant I was offered a seat every day, albeit commuting from Ed station not dkh. And when even walking to station became too much I took the bus from Lship lane to London bridge.

[KidKruger]

afish: "call them on it loudly" sounds like chastisement to me, either way the guy obviously made a mistake - this does happen in real life. It's just the way it is - passengers aren't intentionally trying to take a seat that another passenger has tried to give-up to a pregnant person.

bonfire: fair enough, but one bad experience that someone told you about or you saw doesn't necessarily (especially i this kind of example) happen generally. You don't have to be overly faithful in the human condition to realise that.

To put it more mildly, there's been a lot of complaining, all of which in 99% of cases can be resolved by politely asking for a seat. I understand there's sometimes fear of asking but with not everyone on the train being aware, unfortunately that's the way it is. Not ideal.

[a fish]

KidKruger Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> afish: "call them on it loudly" sounds like

> chastisement to me, either way the guy obviously

> made a mistake - this does happen in real life.

> It's just the way it is - passengers aren't

> intentionally trying to take a seat that another

> passenger has tried to give-up to a pregnant

> person.

No, he saw her approaching, I saw him look at her directly moments before I stood, he did not '...obviously make a mistake...', he probably thought she - or indeed I, or indeed someone else - wouldn't call him on it. She did, but even if she hadn't, I would. His sheepish behaviour after she did so, rather than saying 'Oh sorry, I didn't know' further proved that he was being a selfish @$$hole. You do get them you know, whether it's on trains or bikes on pavements.

[d.b]

What's wrong with "ask politely"?

[a fish]

d.b Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> What's wrong with "ask politely"?

'It's not my f*&?ing problem that you're pregnant'.

[JohnL]

BBC Breakfast seemed to be talking about this today.

Must read this

[reren]

Not sure anyone who hasnt been pregnant themselves can fully understand this situation. I personally feel quite physically vulnerable while pregnant and it puts me off being too demanding about a seat - but i have got more confident this time (2nd time round) and just firmly and politely say 'can i sit down please' and i find people always stand and usually hadnt noticed rather than trying to be rude. Also find as i got more obviously pregnant people are generally really considerate.

But i find the bus much easier than train - often people aren't travelling as far and happier to stand themselves.

Are you going to farringdon - have you considered the 63 - depending on where you live? I started getting the bus every day - took longer but always got a seat and it was actually quite relaxing just sitting on bus for an hour - but i appreciate you may not be close enough to the right bus stop to do that...