Metropolitan Diary: The Clumsy Commuter On my morning No. 2 train ride, crowded as usual, the oblivious man standing next to me could do no right. As he knelt to find something in his bag, he blocked off half a carriage of free space. When he stood and someone tried to walk by, he raised an elbow and whacked the unfortunate commuter in the chest. Another rider, having left the seat next to him to alight from the train, was forced to navigate his armpit. Here, I thought, is a man who has never thought about the free flow of traffic, and sorely needs a lesson in allowing New Yorkers some room to move. At Wall Street, he finally turned to leave and I saw the logo on his fleece: N.Y.C. Department of Transportation.