(What Does That Actually Mean?)
A train arrives on Platform 15 at Southern Cross Station.
I’m one of the passengers getting off.
Or at least I try to.
Before I can clear the doorway, new passengers surge forward. People push. People shove.
Bodies press in from every direction while people are still trying to get out. Finally, there’s only one person left attempting to disembark.
That’s me.
Invisible me.
White cane in hand.
All the while, a loud, crystal-clear announcement booms across the platform:
Please Do Not Board the Train on Platform 15
They must’ve misunderstood, because the crowd reacts as though the announcement said:
Please Board the Train on Platform 15- immediately
So naturally, the platform responded by surging forward as though the train doors were the starting gun at the Olympics.
The human magnet effect
People are naturally drawn to me, but this was ridiculous. I was trying to get off the train at Southern Cross Station, Melbourne’s busiest transport hub. That small but crucial step between arriving and continuing with your day. Instead, I found myself in the middle of what I can only describe as the human magnet effect—people streaming in while I, a legally blind person with a white cane, attempted to stream out.
I’m not asking for a red carpet. I don’t need a trumpet fanfare. I’m just wondering: what do people think ‘please do not board the train’ actually means?
I feel confident even I understand—a train that has stopped contains people who need to get out before new people get in. It’s not a riddle. There’s no trick question. It’s not a test of courage.
In its simplest terms, you can boil it down to one word:
Wait
Yet here we are, in January 2026, and as a regular Public Transport Victoria user, I’ve never experienced such pushiness, shoviness and unruliness at train doors. Is this a side effect of free weekend transport until the end of January? Has the absence of ticket inspectors also removed manners, spatial awareness, and basic human decency?
The Universal Rule
We all seem to understand the word free without any problem. Perhaps many people are trying trains for the first time. But even so, if you can see people trying to exit, the universal rule still applies.
Step aside.
Wait.
This isn’t advanced etiquette. It takes about three seconds and zero personal sacrifice.
When crowd behaviour becomes a safety issue
For people who are blind or vision impaired, crowd behaviour isn’t just frustrating – it can be dangerous. Being pushed, blocked, or funnelled sideways disrupts orientation and causes loss of momentum.
As a cane user, my cane might be telling me one thing, but when my body is suddenly shoved in another direction, I can become disoriented in a noisy, crowded, fast-moving space. That’s not just scary or uncomfortable; it’s a genuine safety risk.
The irony is that the instruction couldn’t be simpler.
A train stops.
People get off.
Then people get on.
In places like Japan, and I’ve witnessed this firsthand, passengers line up neatly and allow others to disembark before boarding. No chaos. No shoving. No blind woman being redirected into barriers by a wall of bodies.
Eventually, I did make it off the train. But the platform offered little relief. People crowded the doors as though the train might vanish forever. No one moved. I tried to make my way toward the escalators and was pushed sideways toward the barriers again.
But here’s the thing: it doesn’t have to be that way
Public transport works best when we share space with awareness and courtesy. Allowing passengers to disembark first doesn’t cost time—it saves it. It doesn’t require special knowledge—just a moment of patience and thoughtfulness.
For people who are blind or vision impaired, that moment can mean the difference between a safe journey and a dangerous one.
So next time you hear the announcement—
or see people clearly trying to exit—
try this radical idea:
Take one step to the side.
Wait a few seconds.
Then board.
We don’t need louder announcements.
Maybe we just need a little more education – and a lot more courtesy.
‘Please do not board’ simply means wait.
Featured Image – Thanks to ChaptGPT
