'Don't stand there!' Sydneysiders urged against public transport faux pas

“It seems obvious but clearly some people have never put any thought into it, so here we are having a tiny rant”

2 min read

June 16, 2025 - 11:48AM

Lifestyle

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Public transport is full of little annoyances - it’s the sacrifice you make when you choose to travel along with everyone else in your city.

With the addition of the new Sydney Metro stations, there’s one thing in particular that Sydneysiders are officially sick of. But, it seems it's been going on long before.

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Image: Reddit.

“Dear Sydney. Don’t stand there!”

A Sydney Reddit user has taken to the platform to post a photo in one of the new Metro stations.

At many Metro stations, there are doors or gates indicating where travellers will be able to enter. But, it seems eager beavers are getting a bad rap.

“Dear Sydney. Don’t stand there,” the poster said.

“Stand to the side of the lines and let people off before attempting to board.

“It seems obvious but clearly some people have never put any thought into it so here we are having a tiny rant.”

“It’s always been like that”

Commenters on the post were in agreement, saying that the frustrating habit has been happening for a long time both at Metro stations, and on regular trains.

“Even if you mark the spot with red paint, and put the words ‘don't stand here’ you still get zombie commuters who'll ignore that and stand there. Then they have the GALL to look surprised when people need to get off and have to push through them while they try to simultaneously board,” said one person.

“I commuted on trains for over 20 years (I work from home now) and it's always been like that. Why these people can't stand 2 feet over to the side is beyond me. The train isn't going anywhere, they act like if they aren't first on the train (even before those getting off) that the train will leave without them…” another agreed.

“That looks like a perfect spot to stand still and pull out a smart phone while ignoring the surroundings,” a third said sarcastically.

“Elbows up!”

Whilst there’s no clear solution for stopping this entirely, it seems travellers getting off the train have been dealing with it in the only way possible - with a little bit of force.

“I find that direct eye contact and a loud ‘MOVE’ tends to work 9 times out of 10. People that do this shit don’t deserve to be spoken to politely, it’s so annoying,” said one person.

“I make no effort to slow down or avoid these people. CHARRRRGE!” another added.

“Elbows up,” said another.

“Just carry an umbrella horizontally as you exit,” a fourth suggested.