I am certain that we have mentioned manners on the regular commute before in our pages. The daily delight of being thrust into a moving metal tube with one’s fellows brings into sharp focus the foibles and bad habits of the travelling masses.
So imagine our delight when we discovered that those nice people at First Capital Connect have published a guide to travelling securely and pleasurably. The guide is called “Using and enjoying the railways”
It’s not easy to find on the rail company’s web site because it is hidden under the ‘safety’ tab and for this reason there are lots of helpful tips which are safety related but if you follow the guide you will not only make your journey safer but also much more pleasant for both yourself and for your fellow passengers.
The guide is written with a noticeably wry sense of humour which belies its corporate origins. This makes it a very readable guide which is quite a pleasant surprise.
Certainly for those of us who travel into London on a regular basis the suggestions about thinking about others before you listen to loud music through headphones and munch on smelly food ring true.
To all the wonderful advice here I would add one major item. We at the Perfect Gentleman are great believers that all Gentlemen should carry not one but two handkerchiefs. Certainly when it comes to the autumn and the start of the cold season I am often tempted to hand a handkerchiefs to a freely sneezing or sniffling fellow passenger who appears unaware of the germs that are being shared liberally with their fellow passengers.
But that said we echo their comments “But it is my belief that just a little extra time, courtesy, consideration, and kindness from those travelling on the railway will add up to safer and far more agreeable journeys ahead.”
Amen to that!
You can review the guide at http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/safety/