It's been a bone of contention of mine for years, and yesterday it was brought home to me again that it really bugs me.

I was at the Willis-Knighton South complex in Shreveport yesterday for an appointment with my doctor whose office is on the 4th floor of the physicians' building.  I'm nursing a lower leg injury, so I opted to take the elevator.  (Who am I kidding?  I would have taken the elevator if I had a hangnail.)  I was reminded that people have no sense of decorum when it comes to riding elevators.

So, as a service to the community, in no particular order, I present you with the 10 Commandments Of Elevator Etiquette.

1) You only have to push the call button once.  Punching it over and over will not make the car arrive faster.

2) When a car arrives, check the arrow to make sure it's going in the same direction you are.  You don't need to take up space while you're taking a joyride up when you need to go down.

3) When a car arrives that's going in your direction, wait for those who are exiting to leave before you get on.  Barging between exiting passengers is just plain rude.

4) When getting on an elevator that is already occupied, ask the person nearest the buttons to push the one for your floor.  Don't reach over 10 people to punch in your floor number.

5) If you happen to be the one nearest the controls when the elevator stops to pick up other passengers, ask them which floor they need and punch it for them.

6) If you are the nearest to the controls, hold the door open when someone is running to catch the elevator.  Don't let it close in their face.

7) When you are riding the elevator, move to the back of the car when it stops to pick up additional riders.

8) Don't talk on your cell phone for everyone to hear.  Nobody else cares about your conversation and it can wait until you get out of the elevator.

9) Don't strike up an awkward conversation with other passengers.  You'll be with these people for like 30 seconds, and that's not even enough time to talk about the weather.  The best policy is to ride in silence

10) Above all, don't fart.

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