We've all been there and, depending on who's reading, we've probably committed the crime. There are Tumblrs dedicated to this shit.

Riding a busy underground in a major city, packed into the carriage like livestock, struggling for air over germ-infused coughs, consumed by the all-encompassing solemnity of travelling with such sad-looking strangers, could anything really make the journey worse?

Oh, here he comes. A man wants to spread his gigantic legs all the way into your personal space. Well, New York's had enough. The MTA (Metropolitan Transport Authority) is launching an awareness campaign urging passengers to close their legs and be aware that shoving your body parts around the carriage and showing off your bulge isn't exactly top of everyone's wishlist. The campaign is strangely called "something new, something fresh", which means next to nothing. The old slogan was "courtesy is contagious", which means slightly more.

The campaign launches in January and will also focus on passengers taking off their backpacks while they ride, in order to make tube journeys a slightly more acceptable ordeal. Neither the spreading of legs or the wearing of a backpack on board will be against the law in NYC, but the authorities are hoping that "something new, something fresh" will apply enough pressure to enforce change.

Should we publicly shame man spreaders on the London Underground?