posted
By the way I forgot to mention - since the New Year, the position of the women's carriages has changed on the Metro here in Cairo.
It always used to be the one at the front of the train, plus the second one if it was very busy. Now they have moved to the middle of the train and there are 2 of them labelled up with a green message and red message above the carriages. I think it says something like 'women only until 9pm' but don't quote me
So if you definately want to get in those, wait in the middle of the platform not at the ends. If you are a man - don't wait in the middle!
Posts: 5593 | From: Egypt | Registered: Dec 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Male, female metro users adapt to new system
By Ahmed Maged First Published: January 22, 2008
CAIRO: Passengers that were left disoriented and angry after the Cairo Metro Authority’s decision to allocate middle cars strictly for women are starting to come around less than three weeks after putting the new system into effect.
When the decision was taken before the start of the new year to shift women’s cars from the front of the metro to the middle, many men were disgruntled, arguing that the arrangement would prove impractical since most passengers rush to the middle cars of the metro.
However, their frustration has subsided as more and more male passengers drift towards the cars in the back, leaving the front cars almost empty.
Female passengers are also adapting to the new system, and the red lines on the platform marking the entrance of the women’s cars are the busiest at every station.
“I guess that was a perfect move going by the crowd of women we see at the red line now,” one man told Daily News Egypt at the Maadi Metro Station. “The problem before was that many women found it difficult to walk all the way to the front cars. This isn’t a big deal for us; at least now we will have the chance to lose a bit of weight running to the back or front,” he joked.
Adel, 23, commutes everyday between Hadayek Helwan and Tahrir. He says young men prefer the cars in the back because they can get away with jumping in the cars at the last minute as the doors close without being fined. The rear cars carry crowds of men and a small number of women who are usually accompanied by their husbands or colleagues.
“I would be happier if all the back cars were ours,” said another male passenger. “Men never thought twice about giving their seats up for a woman, even if an old or a sick man stood nearby,” adding the decision was assured the safety of women at the expense of men’s.
The decision to reallocate the cars came after a Helwan-bound train crashed into the platform as it slowed down at the station during the Eid vacation. Investigations revealed that the driver was distracted by screams coming from the women-only car behind him, so he left the cabin to see what was going on.
With women huddled in the middle cars and men casually riding in the back, the front cars are the least congested, left available for whoever will use them.
“I don’t really know [why they are empty],” said Maha who waited for the Helwan-bound metro at Dar El Salam Station. “Apparently many men haven’t been informed about the change. I personally got to know about it only today.”
But Mamdouh, another passenger seemed to disagree. “It is an obsession with safety; after the accident some have developed a serious concern about being in the front [car].”
“By the time the break is over and students are back to schools all the vehicles will be busy again,” he added.
quote:Originally posted by Tigerlily: ... I need to try the Metro in Cairo once!!
Oh yes you must try that TL, it was nice to be in large gathering at the Metro. I really like going anywhere by Metro and walking on foot to see-sight Cairo.
Posts: 756 | From: ...be solution... | Registered: Jul 2007
| IP: Logged |
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic