I Just Want to Walk Home in Peace
06/06/06 02:31 PM
Some may care, most will not, but Leicester station is currently being renovated. Nothing out of the ordinary about that at all, but it wasn’t until last night that I realised the benefit of the place while the work is going on – there are no Chuggers!
My walk from the platform across town to the bus stop usually consists of having fake conversations with someone on my mobile simply to avoid being got. No word of a lie, this is the usual walk…
At the station there is usually a posse of people from AXA or suchlike offering insurance on one side (they’re even there in the morning when you’re running for the train. Like you have a minute), then some kindly looking ladies from Scope rattling their tins on the other. I mean come on; you can’t give them money every day… Just outside the station, now in the car park, there is a bloke who asks for some spare change please. On we go to the pavement outside and we bump into Mr Big Issue, crazy comedy guy that he is. Further on we reach the subway where you actually get shouted at by Mr Angry if you don’t give him change, then on Granby St there is the nice guy who is actually grateful when you give him some money. Complete the set with the odd “Can you lend (that’s right; ‘lend’) me 20 pence for the phone” ers at the bus stop and you’re done.
Now I’m not actually complaining about people asking for money here, I give what I can and have bought the Big Issue on many occasions. Woo big deal I’m such a hero I know but that’s not my point. I just think that seven complete strangers asking you for stuff in the space of just 10 minutes is quite a lot. Is that normal, or am I just being too British? Is Leicester any different to any other town or City?
So the building works have scared off the Scope and AXA chuggers and my “Yeah I’m just walking to the bus stop now” fake conversations let me escape the others. That or headphones, when I don’t feel rude because I genuinely can’t hear them. Stu wins. Or is gonna get spanked by karma big time in the near future.
Commenting is closed for this article.
On Tuesday June 6, 2006,
Steve Tucker said:
Huddersfield’s exactly the same. Theres always this bloke in a worn out baseball cap and adidas jacket who asks for 70p for the bus. Apparently inflation hits the beggers too – his demand recently rose to 80p.