Going behind scenes of the Tube is on my bucket list

Did you hear the feature on the radio this week about words and phrases that get on people’s nerves?

It got a huge reaction and I’m not surprised. I could fill a book with words that drive me nuts.

I travel a lot and it never ceases to amaze me when announcers tell us to “alight from the train”.

Who do you know who says that? It’s like something from Victorian times. What’s wrong with “get off”?

It’s the same on planes. We get told to make sure we “stow” our luggage away. Nobody uses this word!

“Corporate speak” irks me, too. I can’t stand people going on about someone’s “bandwidth”. All they mean is they can’t concentrate. Why can’t they just say that?

And don’t get me started on “reaching out” and “circling back”. What’s wrong with “I’ll call you and then I’ll get back to you”?

My absolute pet hate, though, is saying that someone “gave 110%”.

That makes no sense whatsoever. It’s just not possible. So stop saying it! I’ve been in London all week and have used the Tube a lot, especially at rush hour.

In London you can sit in a car for an hour and might find you’ve only driven for a mile. Nothing worse than being stuck in traffic.

I like the Tube. It’s reliable and it’s absolutely brilliant for people-watching.

You get to spot all sorts of commuters: the pole-hoggers, the man-spreaders taking up two seats or spaces, and the kitchen-sinkers, who travel with all their worldly goods and create an obstacle course for everyone else.

It’s also a great physical and mental work-out.

In these tightly-packed trains, you get to exercise your balance, agility, coordination and footwork stills. You also need great anticipation and positioning in order to remain upright and to get off at the right stop.

It’s a real tactical battle! There are lots of people wearing headsets and ear-pieces. It’s like they are talking to themselves, and usually in an extra-loud voice.

That really annoys me too. I don’t want to hear one side of a conversation.

What makes people think we all want to hear every detail of their lives?

But every time I use the Tube, I marvel at how well it’s run. It fascinates me.

It’s such a huge network. How do they keep it all running smoothly, without accidents?

One of the items on my bucket list is to go to the Control Centre and see how it all works.

It keeps so much traffic and so many people off the roads that London couldn’t

cope without it.