The sketches I made clearly show that passengers, during their waiting time, are focusing on and thinking about something or somewhere that is not in the “here and now”. They are also not communicating with each other, unless they are a family or are travelling together. However, when I started a conversation, most people I contacted were very happy to have a little chat with me. Unfortunately, I didn’t ask them, if they would enjoy an opportunity to pass the time having a conversation with someone. But, the bike person seemed to enjoy our conversation so much that she said so and introduced herself to me!
ideas to sweeten waiting time
At the Wellcome Collection the Friendship Bench was exhibited – a project to address mental wellbeing that was started in Zimbabwe and has now been installed in other cities. “Grandmothers”, community volunteers, trained in listening and a cognitive-behavioural approach are placed on a bench in a hospital.
This approach is a bit too formal for a transitory place such as a station. But, a variation of it might be worth a try? Jacques Salome, a sociologist and psychiatrist, suggested benches or tables could be marked as “Conversation Spaces”, maybe even be labelled with the language spoken at this table. This kind of approach has been adopted in several places. However, it needs monitoring and people are employed to oversee it and discourage misuse.
I envisage the occasional bench or small group of chairs (3?), under an umbrella. The umbrella would indicate that this space is for conversation. Maybe the umbrella could have a smiley face?
I also like the idea of bicycle stations where you can load the battery of your mobile. The bikes are arranged around a circle, so chatting while cycling is encouraged.
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