Some behaviours I have observed recently:
(1) There were two large bins in the crowd area at the Christmas Festival. One was full to the point you had to force rubbish into its slot to make it stay in. The other had plenty of space. There was less than six feet between them. People continued to approach the full one and ram rubbish into it, some of which fell back out.
(2) I live in a touristy area. Not only do people often throw empty takeaway food boxes and drink bottles and cans on the ground, often they still have food and drink in them. Sometimes they are full.
(3) I went to the library. Two of the computers have scanners and about 12 don't. Both of the computers with scanners were being used by people who weren't scanning. I asked the librarian and the librarian asked them and they refused to move to other computers.
(4) People in the gym sit on a weight machine for long periods usually on their phones, sometimes chatting to their friends. Not using the machine and not letting anyone else use it. Phones are banned in the gym but the ban isn't enforced.
(5) Most people don't indicate correctly at roundabouts. You can either guess what they're probably going to do and hope you're right, or wait for them to pass and often wait unnecessarily, or risk pulling or stepping out right in front of them. Related point: I have been driving at night a bit lately and loads of people have their dipped beams set dazzlingly high.
(6) People walk side by side in their groups occupying the entire pavement. If you are coming from behind you can't get past them except by stepping into the road. If you are approaching them they can obviously see you coming but do not let you past, if you won't step into the road you have to stop and they stop then grudgingly squeeze past you. Shout out to people who stop in groups and stand and talk in doorways/on busy pavements, stopping foot traffic.
(7) You're at the railway/tube etc. station and there's a staircase. There are multiple signs saying 'KEEP LEFT', colour coded green and red on each side so there can be no misunderstanding. People walk on the right.
(8) When I used to go skiing many chairlifts had four seats. Instead of four people getting on each one, almost every lift would go with empty places because people wouldn't sit with strangers, although there were long queues. I also remember walking round and round floor after floor of a large restaurant with a group of friends and acquaintances because they wouldn't sit at the same table as a stranger.
(9) Sometimes I travel somewhere I haven't been before. I am walking along the roads and streets trying to find my destination and junction after junction has no street signs (name of street). Sometimes you can walk several blocks or several hundred yards along a road before there is a sign. Sometimes there is a sign but it hasn't been maintained for years and is unreadable due to dirt, graffiti or overgrown vegetation. Sometimes I am looking for a certain number of a street and there can be dozens of buildings side by side with no number displayed. A few times I have tried to deliver post to a building (including returning books to libraries while they're shut) and there is no letter box (I walked all round to check).
(10) People often communicate incomplete or wrong information. Someone will put up a sign, something like 'Village Fair', and there is no date, month or year. Some of these signs are there for years. Someone will print a flier that says 'ring this number for tickets', maybe the flier even says 'no tickets available on the door', and they sell tickets on the door. Once I wanted to send some documents to an institution far away (a few years ago) and the instructions were to fax them. I tried to fax them and their fax machine had no paper and no one checked it. When I contacted them they said to send them by email.
Once I went to an evening event that involved a car park being open later than usual. If you leave your car there late it gets locked in overnight and you get fined. The event organisers' website and posters did not say whether the car park was open late or not. I wrote to them and their response did not answer the question. The car park website made no mention of it being open late that night. I wrote to the car park owners and they didn't answer. I asked the bus driver in the bus to and from the car park and he didn't know. He called his supervisor and his supervisor didn't know. I was prepared to get locked in, stay in a hotel etc. and then demand they waive the fine and pay for the hotel, and sue them if they didn't, however it was open late.
Edit: technically invoice not fine, only the government can fine.
I see this kind of thing continuously. All the people involved work, marry, have children, vote and have full rights and responsibilities.
