In this truly disgusting British weather I think there needs to be a whole separate set of etiquette...mostly involving umbrellas
So here goes, please feel welcome to fill in any gaps by emailing me at LauraKing14@hotmail.com
- Do not use umbrellas as a weapon. It is totally unacceptable to poke them at people when boarding or getting off the tube
- If you must use the huge golfing or corporate umbrellas (size matters?) then walk with them pointing down when not in use. They’re sharp and they hurt, particularly in pedestrian traffic
- Do not let your wet umbrella drip on my head. Position your umbrella on the floor where the rain water does not affect fellow commuters’ persons or belongings
- Do not overtake haphazardly on the streets with large umbrellas, banging your fellow walkers on the head or in the eyes
- When approaching someone on the street with your oversized umbrella it is not polite to speed up aiming your umbrella at theirs in the hope that they will yield. It is polite to try and move your umbrella so you can both pass each other without incident
- When waiting for a train it is unacceptable to push the person in the front of the queue out of the way to escape the rain (this applies whatever the weather but seems much more frequent in torrential rain)
- Wear sensible shoes for goodness’ sakes! Stiletto high heels are especially slippery on the wet tubes or trains and they hurt when you stumble over on your fellow passengers
- If you have a really wet coat and you want to sit down on the tube, remove coat before sitting. That way we wont sit in your damp patch and wonder whether it’s only water…and, given the tube is always hot despite the weather, it should make you more comfortable anyway
- Newspapers are, guess what, made of paper. Which means in wet weather they disintegrate or go all slimy and no one wants these pressed up against their face or body on the cramped tube. This happened to me a couple of days ago and I ended up with black smudges all over my face. Not pleasant, and not a great look when going to a meeting
I’m sure I’ve missed a ton of rain etiquette but these are the things that have personally irked me over the last few days. Having said that, despite the torrential downpours over the last few days, I’m still trying to walk whenever it is humanly possible rather than use the underground…cue frizzy hair and splashed tights. I think it’s worth it to avoid the pain of the tube however.
Laura King is the author of The Little Book of Etiquette, available in paperback at £4.99 from Waterstones, WH Smith and most online retailers.
