Yeah... People Hate Change

If you're a frequent MRT passenger, you probably have come across the following announcement or something similar, scattered across different locations in all MRT stations recently.


I deliberately cropped it for blogging purposes. If you're interested in the full version, you can download it from here.

Surprisingly enough, the supposed "measure to ease overcrowding" resulted in this...


It took me a while to get inside and tried my best to avoid or minimize body contact. I could still remember some people commenting that the new system sucks and that they (MRT) should never have implemented it. Some even started cursing the security personnel who was trying to organize the crowd.

You don't have to be an expert in crowd control in order to realize that their "plan" was not carefully "planned" at all.

And because I don't want to criticize without sharing some constructive suggestions, here are some of my ideas...

1. Remove security checks on all entrances. Obviously, the bottlenecks are the security personnels. The rate of their "bag poking" is far lower than the rate of passengers arriving. >:)
   
2. Put walk-in metal detectors on all entrances. They DON'T have to work. They just have to look convincingly real, and beep randomly. This way we could achieve the same "sense of security" like what we currently have, minus the cost and the effort. >:)
   

And for the fun part, here are some suggestions to instill some discipline among passengers...

1. Deploy stanchions (posts), but instead of using the usual metal chains or nylon ropes, "rusted barbed wires" SHOULD be used. This way, passengers would not attempt to overtake one another or create new lines. >:)
   
2. Attach "rusted blades" or "broken glass shards" at the sides of the train doors. This way, passengers would not attempt to stop the doors from closing. >:)
   
3. An alternative for option 2 is to use "electric doors", similar to electric fences. Same effect, minus the bloody mess. >:)
   
4. Finally, hire bouncers. The can be deployed inside the trains or in the platforms. To help weak passengers in getting in and off the train. >:)

Till next time... ride safely... :)