North Station markings teach MBTA’s unwritten rule for boarding trains

An unwritten rule for those waiting on crowded subway platforms to board crowded trains: stand off to the side, let the on-train riders get off, then make your way inside.

Trying to cram oneself through the doors as soon as the doors open can lead to human traffic jams and slow things down for everyone, most commuters know.

Fed up with people who ride the MBTA without following this bit of public transit good form?

Apparently, so is the T.

The has agency rolled out some new markings on subway platforms designed to teach commuters the right way to board, reports The Boston Globe.

Red and green arrows have appeared at the busy North Station to direct riders to stand in their proper places when the train arrives. They will be coming soon to State Street as part of a pilot program to increase efficiency on the T and speed up boarding times. They could become permanent and spread to more stations, according to The Globe.

This isn’t the first time the T has addressed subway faux pas.

Etiquette on the T has been a focus of the MBTA’s Transit Police department over the past few years, and its Twitter feed at this point is a silo of public transit no-nos, from the illegal to the discourteous to the bizarre.

In a recent example, the MBTA Transit Police tweeted a picture of a shoeless passenger lounging on two-and-a-quarter seats.

“#MBTA Etiquette: Let’s just say, this is NOT your living room,” the department tweeted.

#MBTA Etiquette: Let’s just say, this is NOT your living room !! Please 1 passenger 1 seat & try to keep shoes on.TY pic.twitter.com/PWl8W84pRa

— MBTA Transit Police (@MBTATransitPD) March 31, 2016

Back in November, the department had to remind commuters not to let their rabbits loose in the train after a picture surfaced of a bunny lounging on a seat on the Blue Line.

#MBTA Etiquette:please keep your rabbits inside their carrier while traveling on the T. Thank you ? pic.twitter.com/b2Vdda4csP

— MBTA Transit Police (@MBTATransitPD) November 7, 2015

Pictures have surfaced of riders straddling motorcycles and pedaling unicycles, lighting up cigarettes and relaxing in rolling office chairs.

Maybe the most infamous example was a photo of a commuter eating a spaghetti dinner on a folding TV tray.

“Wow lots of violations here. Where do we begin??” the department tweeted.

Other samples of in the TPD’s history of poor-form finger-wagging:

· “Please refrain from shaving your fellow passenger while traveling on the T.”

· “Really folks, seats are for humans not LOAVES of bread. Seat=human Bread=not seat.”

Of course, the list of what not to do on the T is long. It’s still necessary at rush hour for operators to shout into the intercom system to move all the way inside the train car, and not just stand there in front of the door.

Ever stood next to someone playing a YouTube video on their phone, blasting it on speaker at full volume? Or someone who insists on bringing an ice cream cone or a meatball sub along for their ride? So have we.

And it’s still unclear whether the agency has ideas to address another perennial pain: college kids who wear their backpacks on the train.

What’s your biggest MBTA pet peeve? Let me know: spencer.buell@metro.us