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CTA's 'Courtesy' Campaign Hilariously Skewers Awful Train And Bus Riders

Think of your biggest public transit pet peeves... As it turns out, the Chicago Transit Authority is well aware of them, attacking each and every slight you can think of in their latest advertising campaign.

Dubbed the "Courtesy" campaign, posters for the campaign display some of public transit's biggest offenders. Those people who block the door? Litterers? People who put their bags on the seat next to them? They're all guilty of public transit faux pas, and they all appear on these posters.

"Being considerate of other riders helps ensure a pleasant commute for everyone," the CTA states in the announcement for the campaign. "Our new courtesy campaign is a friendly reminder that we're all the 'public' part of public transportation -- and we can all do our part to ensure a comfortable commute for everyone."

In one poster, a woman talks on her phone as passengers around her look frustrated and exasperated. The caption: "No one is interested in your conversation -- trust us."

In another, a man sits in a seat staring at his phone as a woman's pregnant belly butts up against his face. The caption: "Ride with heart. Won't you offer your seat?"

The sub-caption elaborates, "Please offer a pregnant passenger your seat. Remember, your mother was pregnant once."

"We've been considering this idea for a new courtesy campaign for some time now," said Catherine Hosinski, a spokeswoman told me in an email. "What you see is solely based on feedback we see regularly from riders ..."

As encompassing as the campaign is, it can only cover so much ground. After I asked if any faux pas didn't make the final cut, Hosinksi replied, "The behaviors shown in these new ads are those we hear about the most. And in the future, we may add others to the campaign."

Chicago Transit Authority

My favorite poster explains the complexity of escalators. "Stand right, walk left!" it declares as two people stand shoulder to shoulder, blocking others from walking past.

It drives me nuts when people do that...

In total, there are thirteen posters, each more poignant than the last.

You can view them all here.

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