Climate Control

The other day I was in a taxi (private hire, versus London-cabbie style) with several friends, riding to the England-USA football (soccer) match at the new Wembley Stadium. (Yes, the US lost. No, I wasn’t pleased.) Now this particular taxi was upscale – an S-class Mercedes – but even so, the temperature inside the car became warm and sticky as we zipped down the motorway. This was not comfortable. Yet, us guys endured the discomfort until at last I asked for a window to be cracked to let in some air. ‘Ah, yes, it is a bit warm in here. I thought it was just me, so thanks for saying something,’ mumbled one of the guys in the car.

When I used to ride the trains to London every day for work (not in a ‘hopping onto an empty freight-train’ sort of way; just as a commuter), I used to suffer a similar experience. It would be winter on a jam-packed train. As people warmed up after waiting on the train platform, the carriage would heat up and often get rather steamy. As the discomfort levels began to rise, everyone would glance around at each other, all eyes saying the same thing: would someone please volunteer to open a window! Yet no one moved until at last, bordering on a heat stroke or at the point of feinting, some brave soul would ask for the window to be opened.

I am not sure why we suffer poor climate control in travel situations. I’m no different. I suffer along with the rest. Why? Why?! I’ve sat in stifling conditions on trains, buses, cabs and in planes. (To be fair to marine travel, I don’t think I have ever really suffered much climate discomfort on boats, but then again, I’ve never used a boat as a mass transit mode of daily commuting.)

That is why I always inform new visitors to my car (well, people I have not driven before) that I believe in democracy for the people when it comes to climate control in cars and trains. If anyone is too hot or too cold, please just ask for more air conditioning, a window opened or for more heat, respectively. I am always happy to accommodate. As I can’t stand when everyone suffers for no real reason, I certainly don’t want to create that atmosphere in Bing-a-bell (my car.) And I also make frequent climate satisfaction checks: ‘Everybody warm enough back there? Would anyone like more heat?’ These simple gestures help ensure that everyone arrives at our destination happy and as minimally disturbed as possible by the travel.

I would also like to suggest that we, as society, make a firm commitment to break out of our reclusive shells and, when the train carriage gets too warm, or the car pool too steamy, that we take action and ask for a window to be opened. Or we could even open the window ourselves!