Considerate: careful not to cause inconvenience or hurt to others.(1)
I'm continually appalled by the inconsiderate nature of people as they moved through the world.
On the sidewalk: I see scooters parked not just on the sidewalk but completely across the sidewalk as if no one else in the world is every going to use the sidewalk. Often I find them laid across the bike lanes. I think that is not just inconsideration, but deliberate.
On the bus: I often see men find the 3 seat benches to sit on, which, admittedly are more comfortable, but instead of "man spreading" on either end of the 3 seat benches allowing the possibility for at least one other person to use the space, he will sit directly in the middle, rendering all three seats occupied. For all those women who just nodded in recognition of this situation, pause for a moment and consider the woman on the bus who finds that same set of benches, also sits in the middle and set's her bags on both side of her equally guilty of "woman spreading". Your sex is not any more innocent or considerate in this case.
In public coffee shops and restaurants that have a "seat-yourself" option: I constantly see single customers come in and sit by themselves at a table made for five or six people. I saw today someone come in and begin to sit at a table for four even though there were many tables make for two, and I began to think ... how inconsiderate. To my relief, the individual looked around and found a table for two; I was relieved. As he began to settle himself in, I realize that he was just using the table for two to stage his bag then he sat astraddle that table and the table for four that was next to it. So, to my disappointment, he was actually even more inconsiderate than I originally thought.
I'm reading a book called, "Nudge" by Cass Sunstein and Richard Thaler (excellent book), and I realize that perhaps the cafe could find a different arrangement of the seats to encourage people to pick a spot that maximizes the comfort and needs of everyone. The bus system does it's best to encourage folks to at least leave the seats near the front of the bus for those that need them most, and some of the scooter companies at least force the riders to at least consider how they are leaving the scooter parked, but perhaps they could take a clue from "Nudge" and give more immediate feedback.
