Why is this behavior repeatedly banned in the Shanghai subway? , 76 cases have occurred in one month
"For your safety and the safety of others, please do not use your own small benches in the carriage. Thank you for your cooperation!" Many subways in Shanghai will play such voice prompts. However, recently, some netizens have discovered that the "bench people" in the subway are resurgent and even expanding. They said that they have repeatedly photographed many passengers sitting on small benches crowded together during the morning rush hour on Line 9, which "not only hinders everyone's Getting on and off the vehicle also increases safety risks, so why can’t they be eliminated?”
Netizens photographed the "bench people" on Metro Line 9
There have been 76 cases in one month, so why is dissuasion useless?
"Bench riders" are not a new problem. They often appear on long subway lines from suburbs to the city center. For example, Shanghai Metro Line 11 has a total length of 82.4 kilometers and a total of 38 stations. It connects the densely populated Kunshan in Suzhou and Jiading District in Shanghai from northwest to southeast to the center of Shanghai and major scenic spots and transportation hubs. The same is true for Metro Line 9, which runs from the densely populated Songjiang District through multiple business and office districts, and then directly reaches Pudong New Area after crossing the river.
During driving, the front and rear of subway cars and the areas around doors that are rarely opened often become the "best" choices for "bench people". Some people will sit directly near the door where passengers are being picked up and dropped off, causing more inconvenience to others. "When I encounter a sudden brake, I am worried about stepping on them. Once the door opens to the other side, I have to walk around, which is also very inconvenient." Ms. Chen told reporters.
The front and rear of subway cars and the areas around doors that are rarely opened will become the best choice for "bench users".
To this end, both subway lines broadcast the voice prompt "Do not use your own benches" on the radio, and warning signs "Do not use your own benches" were also posted in the carriages. But such advice did not have enough effect. Why is this?
The station staff told reporters that when admonishing, some passengers said they did not know that they could not bring benches and felt that the line was too long and that it was too much to stand for nearly an hour. Some passengers also said that there was a heavy flow of people during the peak period and there was no place to get on the bus midway. It is better to bring one yourself; some student passengers said that bringing a seat allows them to review their homework without having to think about competing for a seat.
According to Shanghai Metro, a total of 76 incidents related to "passengers carrying small stools on board" were discovered in October this year, all of which occurred on Line 11 and Line 9. Line 9 reported more complaints in the week of October 16th to October 20th, with 13 cases. In October alone, Shanghai Metro’s official Weibo and WeChat have issued relevant reminders 7 times.
In October this year, a total of 76 incidents related to "passengers carrying small benches on board" occurred, all of which occurred on Line 11 and Line 9.
Bai Dalei from the Security Department of STO Metro Group said that since carrying small benches has not been included in the current "Shanghai Rail Transit Management Regulations" as prohibited behavior, nor has it been included in conventions such as the "Shanghai Rail Transit Passenger Code", the rail transit administration The law enforcement team does not have the corresponding power to punish, and can only increase efforts to dissuade them from the category of "uncivilized behavior".
Teng Jing, a professor at the School of Transportation Engineering at Tongji University, believes that the use of small benches in carriages will bring inconvenience to the evacuation of passengers in daily or emergency situations, and may even cause safety accidents such as stampedes. Moreover, the small bench is not a fixed seat, and there is a risk of sliding. When the train brakes, it may slip and fall, injuring passengers, and bump into surrounding passengers, which may easily cause conflicts.
In addition, there is a height difference between passengers sitting on small benches and those standing nearby, which can easily make the surrounding female groups feel embarrassed, and surrounding passengers cannot see the passengers sitting lower down, which may also lead to squeezing or stepping on them, affecting the passengers' health. Safety.
A warning sign saying "Please do not use your own small bench" was also posted inside the carriage.
He suggested that to reduce the phenomenon of carrying small benches, first of all, security checks can be strengthened when entering the station. It is not recommended to carry small benches. If a carrier is found, prompt prompts. Secondly, continue to strengthen publicity, widely publicize the risks of small benches, and broadcast them through various forms such as promotional videos. Third, for lines with crowded peak passenger flow and long passenger distances, the supply of line capacity should be strengthened and the behavior of giving up seats to vulnerable groups should be encouraged. Passengers can also supervise each other, allowing passengers to proactively safeguard their own rights and interests.
The reporter learned that in response to the problems reported by netizens, the Security Department of STO Metro Group has recently strengthened its dissuasion measures during peak periods for Line 11 and Line 9. At the same time, personnel will be dispatched in real time to communicate based on feedback from netizens. Shanghai Metro has established a collaborative management system with the public security department to carry out law enforcement in response to situations that seriously affect the order of carriages; it has also actively promoted the inclusion of uncivilized behavior by "bench racers" into laws and regulations.
