Can idiots teach us anything?

[Beebo]

No need for cans.

Simply carry a prayer book, open, on your lap. Guarantees no one will encroach on your space on even the most crowded of services. Or if they do they'll be a nice, middle-class, ordained minister with the good manners to leave you alone.

next time I'll take 20 copies of the Watch Tower

 

[Moodyman]

If it's isolation on a train you're after, then grow a beard and wear a muslim skull cap.

 

[confusedcyclist]

Sorry for the tangent. There are some relevancies in concept however:

I've always wondered if a similar technique works on trains.

In true English fashion I always choose a seat as considerately and unobtrusively as possble. However, once there I'll often get some burger chomping git, phone talker or an encroacher sitting next to me at the next stop. Ok I'll admit, in this oversubscribed country we live space is a luxury and of course I'm down with sharing. It is economy public transport after all.

It'd be fun as an experiment to carry a bag of empty Special Brew cans on a journey. Then, as the train approaches a station position them around, slump a little and adopt a glazed yet scowling expression. You're stone cold sober, but others won't know that.

Reckon you'd get a wide berth and a little more personal space ;-)

It's probably enough just to put the cans on the seat next to you, or wear them like a string of onions, less dribbling required...

 

[jarlrmai]

Seen it before, motorists will cut me up when i'm riding perfectly and beep me to hell, but Liverpool's finest scallys riding stolen MTN bikes no handed down the wrong side of the road will get nothing.

Reason, they have nothing to lose and will probably kick off a wing mirror etc if abused, whereas I'm a soft target.

They (the drivers) don't want to mess with the possibly crazy and unpredictable basically.

 

[Cyclopathic]

Sorry for the tangent. There are some relevancies in concept however:

I've always wondered if a similar technique works on trains.

In true English fashion I always choose a seat as considerately and unobtrusively as possble. However, once there I'll often get some burger chomping git, phone talker or an encroacher sitting next to me at the next stop. Ok I'll admit, in this oversubscribed country we live space is a luxury and of course I'm down with sharing. It is economy public transport after all.

It'd be fun as an experiment to carry a bag of empty Special Brew cans on a journey. Then, as the train approaches a station position them around, slump a little and adopt a glazed yet scowling expression. You're stone cold sober, but others won't know that.

Reckon you'd get a wide berth and a little more personal space ;-)

The way to avoid people sitting next to you on public transport is simple. Just maintain eye contact with everybody that approaches down the aisle. This should ensure the seat next to you will be the last to be filled and if someone does sit next to you, you've pulled. Win win.

 

[Recycle]

I could utilse some of the body language techniques for self preservation?

The more you look like you will damage their paintwork, the more space they will give you. Works on the same principle that they will generally give roadkill more space than cyclists.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

What was interesting was, despite wobbling around in the outside lane, texting, nobody close passed him. Cars patiently hung back and gave him plenty of room.

The drivers were probably worried about their paintwork.

 

[vernon]

If it's isolation on a train you're after, then grow a beard and wear a muslim skull cap.

Doesn't work for me.

 

[BrumJim]

The way to avoid people sitting next to you on public transport is simple. Just maintain eye contact with everybody that approaches down the aisle. This should ensure the seat next to you will be the last to be filled and if someone does sit next to you, you've pulled. Win win.

When I was younger, the seat next to me on the bus was always the last one to be taken. Doesn't happen any more, and I don't know why, but it did cause me great distress that apparently there was no one on the bus who was less desirable to sit next to than me .

 

[summerdays]

I've always seemed to be the person that attracts the nutters on the bus! I need to be taking some of this advice!

 

[mgarl10024]

I've always seemed to be the person that attracts the nutters on the bus! I need to be taking some of this advice!

When I first started getting the bus to work, I sat at the back of an empty bus in the hope that I would be out of the way. A few stops later and this very large chap gets on (who really needed two seats). Unbeknown to me, I was in "his" seat. He walked up the bus towards me, glared at me, turned around, and then reversed himself in the seat next to me. It was madness - the bus was empty, and I've got this very large gentleman crammed up against me, breathing heavily and spilling over into my seat.
Must admit that I got a bit bloody-minded and stood my ground - I wasn't going to be bullied. Ended up sitting next to him (well, pushing him back into his seat) for over an hour.

 

[Beebo]

Doesn't work for me.

Veron, have you taken up football management?

 

[CopperBrompton]

IME, no helmet and the odd fake wobble - cars sit back and wait.

Yep, I often deploy a tactical wobble if a car is coming up fast behind - they either slow down or pull well out.

 

[sheffgirl]

I tried wobbly riding a few days ago, swaying a bit as I went, but the road was too quiet for me to draw any conclusions as to whether it made drivers overtake with more room.
It passed the time, anyway

 

[ayceejay]

I suggest a new law.
When John McCain (ex presidential candidate) was asked how to deal with IS recently he said "Kill 'em" if the same attitude (with government backing) was adopted for these people the problem gets solved. A motorist who runs over one of these gits gets a reward. As a codicil (?) I suggest immunity for any cyclist wearing Lycra.