Does your bag really need a seat?

I've just got back from the big smoke, for those of you that don't know that normally refers to London. For those of you that commute to London on a daily basis or frequently this will probably not come as a shock. The train journey was to be expected, sat on the floor by the train entrance as the carriages were already full by the time I boarded. It's OK, its only 1.5 hours, I don't mind sitting by the entrance, standing up at every stop to let passengers on who indefinitely would become the person (or people in this case) sitting next to me for this journey. And you guessed it, after a few stops we were no longer able to sit but was all stood packed together like sardines in a tin! It got to the point our door would open and we all just stood there looking at these potential sardine passengers eagerly trying to cram in to the tiniest gap, even if this meant the door closing on their bag and only delaying the train further. Eagerly trying to board the sardine tin as to not be late for work on their daily dreadful commute to the capitol city.

Anyway, this I can deal with as it's kind of the 'norm' at rush hour going from Cambridge to London. I was only travelling to London Liverpool Street and to be honest, this journey isn't normally that bad and I don't have to do it that often. What I can't deal with are the passengers who insist that their bag has the right to a seat? What, really? Yes! There are some delightful people out there who couldn't possible have their bag on their lap, in the bag storage or under their seat. So to add to an already stressful commute this only added to my fuel. I then see a woman ask an old man if he would like to take HER seat (to get a vision this woman was 2 rows down on the opposite side from the guy with the bag, but facing him). The chap with the bag clearly saw this happening and did nothing. A few more stops, lots more sardines and someone finally asks the chap if they could sit next to him and he replied "The seat is taken, for my friend". This guy was already on the train when I got on, so I am unsure if he was actually with a friend. But what I do know is that from Whittlesford Park Station to London Liverpool Street his only friend was his bag! Now it is possible that his friend was on the train and lost with the many other sardines but I highly doubt it.

Are we in the day and age where we can't sit next to strangers? OK I understand this is unpleasant sometimes, under certain circumstances, and I get that some people have personal space issues but come on! I vaguely remember buses been the same when I was younger and people just value that extra space. If you value your extra space, take a taxi or drive your car!.