Practical commuting advice

Metro rail (the system here in Washington DC) trains do a combination of above ground and underground travel. They have started making these long safety speils as you ride where they clarify what to do in an emergency, how to report suspicious behavior or problems, etc. They always end it with "don't be scared, be prepared".

So I was kinda muttering to myself "yeah, carry a flashlight" and the person standing next to me looked at me and said "why"? So I pointed out to him that it was at least 2.5 miles of tunnel in either direction to reach a station and if all of the power went out that's what we'd have to walk, underground, in the dark. He pauses and says "well that makes sense, I should probably carry some sort of light too".

Then this sort of pleasant grandmother sitting next to the two of us chuckles and says "boy now I feel stupid, it never occurred to me that if all the lights went out it'd be completely dark".

We all had a good chuckle about that, but I really hope they buy flashlights and EDC them!

That's why I always EDC. I used to get weird looks from coworkers until there was a complete blackout at work. Now lots of others EDC some type of light "just in case". /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Reminds me of a radio spot this morning about the New York City subway system conducting classes for interested commuters on how to get around on foot in the tunnels, avoid the 3rd rail and help other passengers, just in case.

Few people carry flashlights, but on the up-side, almost everyone has a cell phone these days and they can put out a usable glow from the display. That might not occur to everyone in a blackout, but once one person starts using it that way in a blackout, the idea will spread quickly.

Still, it's far better to have a real flashlight handy. Riding a subway makes that even more important.

Amtrak trains have emergency lighting in the cars, those center white/blue lights you see in the center of the cars.