I had never seen one of these before today. They’re great. Way better than reaching for a single pole in a crowded car and wrapping your hand around some stranger’s fingers. And If you have the whole thing to yourself you can hook your arm through it.

  • @NounsAndWords@lemmy.world
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    6525 days ago

    Well now how am I supposed to enjoy the sensation of someone else’s sweaty hand sliding down the pole to slowly touch mine while they remain oblivious of the entire situation?

      • Jesus
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        4625 days ago

        I feel like the comment above is from someone who almost never rides commuter rail.

        These trains have been designed for people to stand, walk around, and sit unbuckled. They simply don’t stop that quickly.

        • @ArcticAmphibian@lemmus.org
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          425 days ago

          I ride Atlanta’s MARTA for my daily commute. There’s a few stops that will spill inexperienced riders to the floor they’re so fast.

        • @criitz@reddthat.com
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          24 days ago

          There’s a lot of inertia when stopping on the airport trams I’ve been on with these. It could very possibly break a weak arm if one were stuck inside two metal bars.

          • Jesus
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            325 days ago

            They can take about 15-20 second to decelerate in an emergency. This is a link to some train geeks talking about it.

            In my experience being stuck on a lot of light rail, those numbers sound about right. Those things never stop like a car when the e brake gets pulled. It’s too dangerous to stop them quickly since people are standing, walking, and sitting without buckles and headrests.

              • Jesus
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                324 days ago

                Its existence is also kind of proof that emergency stops are slow enough that people can remain standing and squeezing a poll with 5 fingers will suffice for safety.

    • Ghostalmedia
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      1725 days ago

      Trains like this don’t decelerate that quickly when you pull the emergency break. If they did, you’d have injuries from standing, not being buckled, not having headrests, etc.

    • MudMan
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      1225 days ago

      I’m not sure it’d be worse than hooking your arm through a single pole. Presumably in that scenario you’re trying to stay put, right? If you’re getting shoved hard enough to break your arm by being yanked off the pole you’re getting shoved hard enough to crack your skull against one as well.

      • Ghostalmedia
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        725 days ago

        Realistically, the only way a commenter train is going to change direction or decelerate that violently is if something derails it or slams into it.

        Trains like this don’t slow down very quickly, even if you pull the emergency break. That’s why people are allowed to stand, walk, etc.

    • Jesus
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      725 days ago

      People are allowed to stand and walk around on these things. They’re not cars. They almost never come to a violent stop. Even the emergency brake takes like 15 to 20 seconds to bring one of these things to a stop.

      • Cosmo
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        525 days ago

        You say this, but I see unexpected tourists fall from stopping all the time in metro systems all around the world 😂

        • Jesus
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          625 days ago

          lol. True dat. They don’t know that you have a wide stance, perpendicular to the train’s direction. You have to ride that bitch like a skateboard.

          • @snowsuit2654
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            225 days ago

            Yup this is how you do it. I ride the train standing up without holding anything all the time. If you stand perpendicular and lean during accel/decel it’s very stable. If you are facing parallel to the trains direction you’re gonna faceplant.

        • @Wahots@pawb.social
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          325 days ago

          If this is Sea-Tac, the rails are completely walled off. Doors open onto the tram only when it arrives. Everything else is walled off, like an elevator.

          • Cosmo
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            24 days ago

            ? I mean falling/tripping onto the ground of the train when it stops, not falling onto the rails. If I was used to seeing tourists fall onto the rails… that’d be… concerning 👀 . The only place I’ve ever seen non-workers on the actual rails is NYC, because NYC.

  • Ghostalmedia
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    4925 days ago

    Yeah, they’re pretty common on newer train cars.

    Also, obligatory San Francisco BART picture.

  • @fiercekitten@lemm.ee
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    3624 days ago

    Okay I have a crazy radical idea that is going to disrupt the entire pole industry:

    4-sided poles.

  • @Maggoty@lemmy.world
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    2824 days ago

    Don’t put your arm through it. Just don’t. OSHA does not approve putting your arm between metal bars on anything moving.

  • @mrfriki@lemmy.world
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    1225 days ago

    These are pretty common where i live. You will be thankful to find a spot to hold on to on rush hour though.

    • DarkThoughts
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      225 days ago

      I can still remember the awkward accidental grabbing of hands in a crowded public bus when I came back from school.

  • MudMan
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    725 days ago

    Here’s the thing, though, I know I’ve seen them, but I couldn’t tell you where to save my life. This is gonna be killing me forever now.

    Definitely not Atlanta. Never been there.

  • @grue@lemmy.world
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    725 days ago

    Neat, I like it.

    Looks kinda expensive to fabricate (relative to a plain pole), though. I’d probably value-engineer it out if I were designing the train car, TBH.

    • kersplooshOP
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      525 days ago

      Seattle, on the tram between the main airport and the north satellite gates.

    • HEXN3T
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      325 days ago

      This seems a lot like the one I went to in Atlanta. Pretty sure it’s the busiest airport in the world!

  • Riskable
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    225 days ago

    Bonus: You should be able to put a hook around the bottom to hold your bag/umbrella. Someone measure the diameter of the pole so we can start making 3D printed hooks for this purpose!

    • DarkThoughts
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      225 days ago

      Bonus: You should be able to put a hook around the bottom to hold your bag/umbrella.

      Or yourself!

      • Riskable
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        122 days ago

        This is how you get hooked on 3D printing 👍

    • Jesus
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      225 days ago

      Subway rider here. I will always have one arm through my bag handle. People often get stuff stolen on commuter trains in a lot of cities.

      People yoink stuff and jump off the train right before the door closes.