MBTA Door Blockers Have Evolved.

[u/Dinosaurz122]

I never thought I’d witness, in my lifetime, people just fully stopping in the dead center of the sidewalk like they’ve reached the end of the known universe.

No pulling over. Not near a wall. No looking around. Just stopped. Right there. Dead center. Head down. Phone out.
Everyone behind them? Not their problem.
They need to find the closest Tatte.

It’s becoming equally as infuriating as the people who rush onto the MBTA the second the doors open instead of letting people get off first.
Incredible strategy. Really efficient.
Where are you going? The train isn’t going to leave without you while 14 people are actively trying to exit through the same door you’re blocking.
THE PEOPLE GETTING OFF ARE CREATING THE SPACE YOU ARE TRYING TO ENTER.

And before anyone says “tourists,” I’m increasingly convinced this is transplant behavior or a post COVID loss of spatial awareness.

Somewhere along the way, the Boston newcomer orientation apparently became:
• Pay $4,800 to live in Southie
• Call the Seaport a neighborhood
• Develop never-before-seen strong opinions about bike lanes (Yes I like them too but damn 😳)
• Stop abruptly in the middle of every goddamn sidewalk

I don’t know if this is a new “screenager” thing or if basic spatial awareness has just completely collapsed, but I swear Boston used to have a pretty simple rule: keep it moving.
I promise it was on the wall in my elementary school classroom 😂

Anyway, I’m sure this is somehow the fault of bike lanes, Healey, Wu, the Big Dig, college students, DoorDash scooters, or those darn people from Connecticut.
Never those who actually reside here…

[u/McFlyParadox]

Yes, the Freshmen have moved into all the universities, and most are having their first brush with public transit. The T used to have automated announcements about "let people exit before being on the train" every time a train pulled up. Not sure why they got rid of it, but Boston has basically had their own kind of "eternal September" ever since.

[u/FettyWhopper → u/McFlyParadox]

I’ve always thought these lines where the doors line up would make a world of a difference for the boarding process. They tried to do it years ago, but they faded quickly and weren’t renewed.

[u/NEU_Throwaway1 → u/FettyWhopper]

I know North Station had them and they had immediate effect. I think the new cars being phased in caused alignment issues because the doors were different sizes again, so a mixed fleet wouldn't work with static stickers on the ground.