Woman resting bare feet on seat sparks furious debate about train travel etiquette

The internet is divided over the correct response to a fellow rail passenger resting their feet on your seat

Train travel isn’t always the scenic experience you imagine it to be (Johnny Cohen )

A woman has shared her experiences of being shocked when a “rude” train passenger took off her shoes and rested them on a seat opposite.

But her post on Mumsnet has divided opinions, as some say she should have been more forceful in taking action to curb the other traveller’s behaviour.

Posting under the username “Paulhollywoodshairgel”, the woman shared that she was “raging.”

She went on to explain: “The woman next to us spent the entire 2 hours talking loudly on speaker phone. 2 HOURS!!! Then she takes her trainers off and puts her feet across the aisle resting her feet on my husband’s seat. Am I unreasonable for being pissed off?”

While some people supported the post, saying they would also be “horrified” and “annoyed by the entitlement” of the foot-resting, others suggested that she should have spoken out about her discomfort and questioned why the husband didn’t ask for more personal space.

Instead, it came down to a conductor to ask the traveller to put her feet down, with the original poster adding: “I was about to ask her to move her feet when the train conductor asked her too as she was blocking the aisle. 10 mins later feet back up!”

Showing that everyone has different opinions on how much they talk to fellow train passengers, the thread of comments was split into those that would have also put up with it and others who would have spoken up to communicate that they were unhappy.

“That’s where your husband needed to say “take your feet off my seat please””, said another Mumsnet user. “You’re only annoying yourself by quietly fuming, these people do it because you let them.”

Another echoed this sentiment, adding: “I would have embarrassed her by loudly asking her to move her feet because they smell.”.

But others said they would be too frightened to speak up, with another user writing: “Last time l said something in a similar speaker phone situation l get threatened (by another woman!), so l would just put up with if it reoccurred. But you are right, this behaviour is wrong.”

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