In San Francisco, Hog a Train Seat and Get a $100 Ticket

Are you the type of person who, on road trips with family, went ballistic if a sibling crossed the seat’s middle line? Then you’ll probably be thrilled to know the San Francisco Bay Area just made this microaggression a crime on BART, punishable with a $100 ticket for first-time seat hoggers.

Granted, police are supposed to first issue a verbal warning when the so-called “one ticket, one seat” ordinance goes into effect in six months. The new rule also only applies during “commute hours” (weekdays from 6-10 a.m. and 3-7 p.m.), and there are probably going to be exceptions for the disabled and those whose bodies are large enough to warrant a couple seats. But fines are looking harsh for all the other manspreaders, folks with mountains of luggage, and boors who insist on using other seats as footrests—$200 for the second offense and $500 thereafter.