Lawyer Is Among Those Fed Up with Seat Hogging, an Offense in New York City

Fed-up commuters are using websites and Twitter posts to complain about “seat hogs” who claim two seats on commuter trains by staking out additional ground with purses, briefcases or even wet umbrellas as other passengers stand.

But New York City is doing something about it, the Washington Post reports. Police there issue disorderly conduct tickets carrying a possible $50 fine to riders who take up more than one seat.

The Post interviewed several commuters who condemn seat hogging, including 37-year-old lawyer Brooke Timmons. She said gentility was more prevalent in her hometown of Vinita, Okla., population 6,000.

"There is a self-centeredness about it,” Timmons said of the practice. It’s as if the seat hog is saying, “My space is more important than you.”