In Taiwan they have this metro etiquette in place. This is perhaps the first that I have seen a city implementing such metro etiquette accompanied with signs such as "Waiting Line" and lane markings. People really line up and wait for their turn. During rush hours, the lines are obviously much longer but never a chaos.
In Hong Kong and Singapore they do have the lane markings on where to wait but no real sign similar to Taipei.
In Japan where public etiquette is seen as your business card to the outside world, they however do not have this system in their subways in place. But I guess the Japanese do not need this. They do not need to be reminded to queue up properly because showing correct manners in public is already written in stone in their culture. It’s an automatic thing; a reflex.
I guess every one of us need a little bit of help then? Like a reminder. Just like what they do in Taipei.
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Like this man, standing in line.
In Singapore though I have witnessed locals lining up for the metro which was quite cool. I made a blog post about this: MRT/Metro Discipline: Only in Singapore? I didn’t really see an enforced – you have to line up here system in the metros there, and I have seen some people who don’t really follow or pay much attention to queueing up properly as well. But it is a breath of fresh air when we see people being courteous in public.
Social etiquette may be a very simple thing but it has great impact to every one of us.
Take for example when when a stranger smiles at us. What do we do? We smile back. When we do this, we release dopamine, endorphins and serotonin. These are the ‘feel good’ neurotransmitters in our bodies that gives us a light and relaxed feeling thereby lowering down our heart rate and blood pressure. Smiling is good for our health, and I am assuming, will not hasten the wrinkles forming.
But we also know that there are people though who don’t really smile at others in public but they do observe proper public etiquette. Well, at least this makes our heart rate and blood pressure stabilized compared to when someone cuts in front of us.
I have a confession to make: I am someone though who really call out a queue cutter in public, so beware, haha. It is a pet peeve of mine. I cannot tolerate it.
So maybe we all can reflect upon on how they do it in Taipei. This is really a stress saver.
Speaking of stress saver, the metro gates in Taipei have a somewhat soothing sound (can be annoying to some I guess) when you check in and out. The piano tunes! During rush hour the sounds become an unorchestrated musical piece, haha.
Here is the short video:
I was really amused by the musical sounds of the metro gates. The checking in sound is different from the checking out. Great idea!
TIP: The Taipei Metro is the best and fastest form of transportation in the city. It brings passengers in just a matter of minutes to their destination in the city centre or in nearby districts. It takes half an hour to reach the suburbs. Taking the cab would be wise though if you are with a larger group.
For tourists, it is cheaper to take the 24-hour, 48-hour or 72-hour passes. For more information go here: Taipei Metro Guide (in English). You can buy them at the stations.
Here is my photo gallery:
Ximen Station is where you get off to visit Ximending.
You can see everyone lining up before the waiting line. Each sliding door to the metro train has its own little queue.
Yup, proper meto manners in Taipei =)
I cannot help but take this advert poster in the metro. Cute, haha.
When you check in and check out of the Metro, the gates give off a piano tune.
More proper queueing in the metro =)
Travel Period: January 2017
Destination: Taipei, Taiwan
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Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)
All pictures were taken by a point and shoot pocket camera or a smartphone.
