I hate designated seating and I hate designated seating most on vehicles of public transit. I try to thwart designated seating as much as I can. I see this form of seating just step above the segregated seating of the South . When I ride the train I just sit in the area at the front of the car. This leaves me ample space and privacy, usually. I just feel so doofy when I have to sit in designated just because the seats are there. I am not sure but I don’t think that it is the law that the able bodied passengers must surrender these seats to people with disabilities just because the over head voice says they should. The bodiless voice makes the idea of surrendering the seats good idea, socially responsible and maybe even Christian but you make the decision.
Usually when I, or someone else using a wheelchair, boards the train the driver usually lifts up the seat then or clears passengers off the seat then lifts it up for me unless I tell him,” That’s ok I’ll just ride up front.” Usually my utterance is all that it takes, the driver grunts his approval and disappears back into his cab.
World economics is finally reaching home and beginning to vex me and my early morning train rides. Since the price of crude has become so rude I am beginning to see more and more folks riding the train and usually that is not so bad for me because more people just means more people standing if there is not ample seating available. And since I work for a living I am up and out early when any other folks with disabilities are still in the sack snoozing away; with the exception of people with disabilities going to school. I should have realized the people with disabilities will also be leaving their vehicles too and seeking financial solace with public transit. This morning when I came on boar I nearly ran headlong into a guy bout my age , wearing a vest and Dockers, clearing one of the masses, the working mass, heading to work on my train. We had to do the “crip dance” and get our vehicles adequately so the driver could close the outside door as well as be able to get back into his drivers cab. The fat cattle sitting in the designated seating did not get up as they usually do nor did the driver shoo them out of the seating as he usually does and we just sat crowded in the front of the train and avoided each other until we got further into town and the trainers started de-boarding.
I fear riding the train for me is just going to get worse as the economy worsens and more folks start riding the train and sadly for me more people with disabilities start riding too. I just hope UTA starts implementing their “low rider” trains…soon!
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