Please keep left and allow others to pass.

I've been taking the LRT alot to work lately. Partly because I'm still carless. And partly because I still dread the idea of driving.

If you ever wondered where the elbowing, toe-trampling and shoving commuters of KL's bas mini days have disappeared to, wonder no more. Take the LRT during peak hours (for a full on experience, embark Masjid Jamek or KLCC between 6-7pm) for a good dose of deja vu.

What bothered me most was the fact that some, if not many of them evidently can't read. Big signs at the escalators saying "PLEASE KEEP LEFT AND ALLOW OTHERS TO PASS" in both English AND Malay are ignored. That, or they can't tell left from right. "Excuse me"s are greeted with a slow side step as they drape over escalator railings like limp cuttlefish.

Then there's the small matter of getting into the train. Most commuters on the platform, can't seem to wait for passengers to disembark before forcing their way in. If you're lucky to squeeze in before the doors close in on you, good luck if you get a spot next to a raised armpit. And one belonging to a cancer fearing non-deodorant user at that.

I'm not complaining cos it takes the stress out of driving into the city. And it gives me the opportunity to observe people as they come and go - when I'm not zoned out staring at floor stains. I also notice that it takes an average of 2 minutes from one station to another. That people generally look away when you look back. And there usually aren't more than four conversations going on at the same time.

Eavesdropping can be a source of travel entertainment. Especially when you run out of floor stains to stare at.