http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/forum-letters/story/real-meaning-reserved-seats-20131015
Recently, I saw a young man in army uniform boarding the train at Pioneer station and heading straight for a reserved seat, despite the fact that there were other empty seats around.
This is a common sight nowadays - office workers, shoppers with big shopping bags and other able-bodied people taking up reserved seats in trains.
At restaurants, diners will not insist on sitting at a table that has been reserved, then give it up when the ones who made the reservation arrive.
Similarly, drivers will not park in a space reserved for season parking ticket holders or the disabled.
A reserved seat is not one where you rest for a while until someone who needs it comes along.
Instead, it should be a seat that is left empty and readily available for those who need it, such as disabled people, elderly folk and pregnant women.
Some might say that the young army man could sit anywhere he liked as there were many other empty seats around. This misses the point.
The reserved seats are situated near the train doors to minimise walking distance. Why should those who need the seats have to take others when they already have seats reserved for them?
I hope our society will understand the real meaning of reserved seats. It is not about giving up the seat to somebody who needs it more, but about leaving it empty for those who need it.
Donovan Chee
No comments:
Post a Comment