LA Metro To Crack Down On Manspreading And Seat-Hogging

LOS ANGELES, CA — Manspreaders, your days are numbered.

The MTA has begun a five-week campaign to crackdown on the obnoxious behaviors that irritate other riders, namely seat-hogging and other lesser evils such as rowdy behavior and loud music. MTA security officers have beefed up patrols all along the Blue Line this week, and officers will tackle the Purple and Gold Lines in the coming weeks.

The goal is to make the transit experience more enjoyable for all by discouraging some of the behaviors that trigger the most complaints among Metro riders, explained Dave Sotero, MTA spokesman. Chief among them is the seat hogging. We’ve all seen it: you’re on a crowded train, and some guy is sitting with his legs spread so far apart, he’s taking up two seats. He’s the manspreader. But he’s not the only culprit. There’s the lady with a separate seat for her purse, the man with the briefcase on the seat next to him and the student whose backpack is forcing you to stand from Long Beach to Downtown LA.

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK IN THE COMMENTS: What do other passengers do that irritates you the most on the train?

The officers will be in uniform, and their presence, alone, tends to be enough to discourage unruly behavior, said Sotero.

“We are hoping for voluntary compliance,” he said. “When there is visible law enforcement on the train, that does encourage voluntary compliance with our code of conduct.”

Officers have the power to boot passengers violating the Metro code of conduct from the train, but officials don’t expect to have to take it to such extremes. Dubbed Operation: Better Ride, "Metro's law enforcement and security personnel will engage passengers in a friendly manner to ensure compliance with Metro's passenger conduct rules," according to a statement from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The Blue Line is one of the busiest commuter trains in the nation, said Sotero. In February, there were 74,596 riders on the average weekday mornings. Metro increased patrols on the Metro Blue Line for those boarding and riding trains departing from 7th Street/Metro Center and Long Beach Stations to check for compliance to Metro's Code of Conduct, the agency reported.

Law enforcement personnel will also focus on reducing customer complaints in areas such as vending and soliciting, Metro reported. The operation is designed to have as little impact to "system patronage" as possible, Metro said.

"While we start our patrols on the Metro Blue Line this week, we plan to rotate an increased law enforcement presence on all our rail lines and major bus hubs throughout L.A. County," said Alex Wiggins, chief systems security and law enforcement officer at Metro. "This is just the beginning of a robust strategy to enhance customer courtesy, safety and security across our whole system," Wiggins said.

Metro plans to run the operation Monday through Saturday for five consecutive weeks. The next patrol is planned for next Monday.

Deputies provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department will board and ride Blue Line trains, traveling the same route between downtown Los Angeles and Long Beach. Sheriff's deputies or Metro security personnel will board each train set between the hours of 5:30 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. the next day. Following these operations, Metro will evaluate the results to determine future deployments throughout the transit system.

Metro periodically increases law enforcement and security staffing patrols on the Metro System. Previous surges in 2015 and 2016 have been conducted on the Metro Blue, Red, Expo and Green Lines. Last month, the agency increased its collaboration with additional law enforcement agencies, forging new contracts with the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, and Long Beach Police Department to improve incident response times for Metro customers countywide.

Anyone with safety or security concerns about the Metro can call the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department hotline at 888-950-7233.

City News Service contributed to this report. Photo: Youtube screengrab