I have been pondering this phenomenon for quite some time now. I was never sure if it was due to a special magnetic field around the escalator; or perhaps it was something that certain people are born with. You know, some people can roll their tongues, whereas others just can't. 'Was this the same?' I wondered to myself. Some people can walk on escalators and others just don't seem to be able to.
London fortunately has the mostly unspoken rule of 'stand to the right, and walk up the left'. Otherwise I would eventually burst a blood vessel in my brain from an accumulation of overwhelming impatience. I always thought this 'rule' was to reduce the likelihood of escalator riots between the two factions. But after a little research, I'm thinking perhaps not after all. Perhaps the immobile team just know what's good for them.
In Korea the authorities have begun to actively discourage the act of walking on escalators due to a stark increase in escalator injuries, mainly occurring when people are walking. Also, apparently an escalator dislikes a whole bunch of people standing on the right, as it wears this side down faster than the left. Maybe all these people I'm passing on my right are really just stationary out of concern for the escalator?
If you are lucky enough to live in States, you get the yearly pleasure of 'National Elevator Escalator Safety Awareness Week' which is run by none other than the National Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation. Their website contains tips on how to ride your local escalator safely, including such gems as 'Stand facing forward' and 'Don't window shop while riding'.
They also bust a few 'commonly' held myths about escalators. Apparently they actually can't 'reach out and grab you' and the stairs don't 'fall into the basement and have to be restacked every morning'. Gosh, and all these years I'd been thinking.....
But even after some research, the mystery surrounding the phenomenon remains for me. I may just have to place it in the 'curious unexplained social phenomena' file, between 'why does no one eat the last biscuit?' and 'why do I have to turn my Ipod down when I'm scratching about in my bag for my keys'.
1 comment:
Sometimes I stand and sometimes I walk. It all depends on how I'm feeling. Other times Sha & I take the stairs as it's fun to race up them and beat the people who are taking the escalators (of course, not all stations have stairs as an option).
And sometimes, just sometimes, I can't move forward because there is someone taking up both the right AND left side of the escalator...what can you do?
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