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SEPTA to riders: Don't be jerks

A new advertising campaign will urge people to avoid rude behavior.

New SEPTA Etiquette signs
New SEPTA Etiquette signsRead more

MAYBE IT doesn't really need to be said after all these years, but Philadelphia kind of has a bad reputation.

No, it's not about the smell - that's more of a Jersey thing - but the people who call this city home are known for being rude, for having short fuses, for always being thisclose to blurting out, "No, screw YOU!"

To date, there isn't a known medical cure for this condition. But SEPTA is going to try to make a dent in the problem.

The transit agency on Tuesday launched "Dude It's Rude," an advertising campaign/gentle intervention aimed to get riders to curb knuckleheaded behavior.

"I don't know how the rest of the world functions. I don't know if everyone is as rough around the edges as we are," SEPTA Police Chief Tom Nestel, a Philly native, said of Philadelphians.

"It's not our job to teach riders manners, but it is our job to remind them of what their mothers and fathers taught them."

So posters, decals and digital ads will remind riders not to take up two seats, or curse, or leave their trash behind on buses, trolleys, trains and subways.

Blocking the aisle and jabbering loudly on a phone also will be highlighted as things that decent people should avoid doing.

You might think it's silly to believe that ads could alter the behavior of longtime city dwellers, but SEPTA said riders responded positively in the past to campaigns about the etiquette of cellphone use.

Nestel said SEPTA officials hope the campaign will lead to fewer instances of confrontations boiling over into altercations that require police attention.

"In a city with 1.5 million people who all ride SEPTA, it's close quarters, and some people can get impatient and unfriendly," he said.

"Life is tough to go through if you're miserable all the time. If a couple more people could smile on the train, or act friendly by saying, 'Here, you can have this seat,' it could make it so much better for everyone."