Standers to the right, walkers to the left”.
It’s like driving…slow traffic keep right. I never understood why people’s legs stopped working when they stepped upon one of those devices.
This article appears in Apr 17-23, 2008.
ESCALATOR ETIQUETTE:
“Standers to the right, walkers to the left”. It’s like driving…slow traffic keep right. I never understood why people’s legs stopped working when they stepped upon one of those devices.
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I went to England for the first time recently, and got my first lesson in “Standers to the right, walkers to the left”. The friend who picked me up at the airport kept herding me to the right on the moving sidewalks and escalators, but I didn’t catch on until she actually explained it to me. It’s a good rule. Too bad it’s not common knowlege in this county.
I have always wondered why someone would get on a device that’s designed to move them more quickly than mere walking would, and then stand there. Result: they move more slowly than they would have, if they had walked.They do this not only on escalators, but on those people-moving belts at large airports. Not only is it infuriating, it’s downright lazy.
Too true. I guess people in some towns are just always in a hurry. When travelling I usually just look up the escalator now to see what others are doing. Usually in a place where it is customary to stand right, you will see everyone else doing it. I am sure Halifax is frustrating for people who are used to the “keep right” policy.
I did the same thing on a trip to the UK last year. I’m used to standing next to the person I am with, not behind them. So she kept pulling me over so people could get by. In Canada the escalator is more of a rest from shopping/walking, a time to think about what we’re doing next, or to talk to your friend as you wait for the stairs to walk for you.
Toronto is hard core about this. You so much as stand slightly on the left and they will walk right through you.
People around here don’t keep right on sidewalks either. I find myself veering left and right to get past people coming the opposite direction because everyone thinks that they have the right of way.
What we need are more hoverboards.
Oh, yes, the sidewalk thing, how could I have forgotten to bring up the sidewalk thing? I cannot figure out how, in a place where road traffic drives on the right, so many people insist on walking on the left-hand side of the sidewalk. In England, do pedestrians insist on walking on the right-hand side of the sidewalk? Or have they perhaps figured out that pedestrian traffic should logically and efficiently follow the road-traffic pattern?Here’s a tip: if you’re walking on the sidewalk, and you’re on the left side, and you’re wondering why all these people are coming right at you, glaring at you, veering around you, it’s because you’re on the wrong damn side.Keep to the right, walk when you’re on an escalator (you do know how to use stairs, right?), use your brains.
Hey Joe, are you sure the escalator is there to get people up the stairs faster, or just easier? Some people can’t climb stairs very well. Others can’t climb moving stairs. I know MOST of the people out there can, and those are usually the ones in the way…but just be aware that some are not moving because they might risk injury if they do. But I concede, they could stand on the right just as easily as in front of you. Just something to consider is all.
Fair point, Miles. But it’s safe to say, I think, that it’s easy to spot the people who stand on an escalator because they are unable to walk safely. Surely the majority of the escalator-standers are perfectly capable of walking.My feeling is that an escalator is a supplement to our legs: we walk on a traditional staircase (i.e., the unmoving kind), and there’s no reason not to walk on an escalator. There is especially no reason to stand there, blocking the escalator so others can’t walk past you (well, not you specifically: the general “you”).
What drives me nuts is when you’re on a narrow elevator (i.e. Barrington Place) and you can’t walk up, the people behind you get so fucking angry. I have severe arthritis in both knees and, believe me, if I could, I would run up them goddamn stairs. What do you want me to do???? Wear a fucking sign???? Same as crossing the fucking street. Because I’m not as quick as I’d like to be, I’ve had people yell at me from their cars: Hurry the fuck up! Thanks for the compassion, you pricks, I hope to fuck you never have mobility problems.
My personal peeve is people who insist on walking side-by-side on a narrow sidewalk, preventing anyone from getting past them in either direction. I’ve encountered people who really did expect me either to line up behind them, and walk at their pace, or go around them (which would involve squeezing myself between a building and them, or walking out into the street).I’ve tried saying “excuse me,” in the hopes that one of them will move behind the other, and let me past, but usually I was either ignored or glared at. So now I just continue on in my lane (the right hand lane, of course), until we either collide or they get the hell out of the way.
Narrow elevators are a different story, of course. When they are only wide enough for one person, and that person is unable to walk safely, then we should simply be patient.On the other hand, able-bodied people who get onto these narrow escalators, then stand there and chat amongst themselves, should stop being so damned lazy.
I guess I agree that when there is a single “lane” escalator such as in Barrington Place, people should suck it up and walk (if they’re able), if only to keep the babies behind them from erupting in furious sighs and exclamations because they are losing 20 seconds. But if there is room for standing people AND walkers, there’s no reason why people should have to feel bad about just standing. Maybe they’ve been walking around, or just on their feet, all day, or just plain old don’t feel like walking, and in that case why not take a break as long as the escalator is taking them to their destination anyway and they are not blocking people who are in more of a hurry.