Lack of escalator etiquette... (movers, home, dangerous)

[CrownVic95]

Well, now, who would have thought?

That in the upside down world of today, elevator "etiquette" is, in fact, the lack of any. But don't mind me....I'm a dinosaur from an age where men married women and escalators weren't a playground for children.

Carry on.

[CrownVic95]

Originally Posted by Irishtom29

Having been born and raised in Chicago (baptized at Lady of Sorrows in 1949, Resurrection grade school, St. Ignatius and Austin high schools) and having lived here most of my life it doesn't bother me to sound like a suburbanite, whatever the Hell that means.

It means normal person, Tom. Wear it proudly.

[A2DAC1985]

Originally Posted by CrownVic95

Well, now, who would have thought?

That in the upside down world of today, elevator "etiquette" is, in fact, the lack of any. But don't mind me....I'm a dinosaur from an age where men married women and escalators weren't a playground for children.

Carry on.

C-D allows you to quote people.

Maybe you should do that?

Because until then... What are you talking about?

I don't fart on elevators... is that what you're talking about?

[gentlearts]

I do not recall ever being on an escalator that is wide enough for two people at once. I can't imagine someone squeezing past me on the left when I'm standing still. To me, this would be invasive.

[rca215]

Originally Posted by gentlearts

I do not recall ever being on an escalator that is wide enough for two people at once. I can't imagine someone squeezing past me on the left when I'm standing still. To me, this would be invasive.

Either you don't get out much or you are a very large person.

[almost3am]

Originally Posted by gentlearts

I do not recall ever being on an escalator that is wide enough for two people at once. I can't imagine someone squeezing past me on the left when I'm standing still. To me, this would be invasive.

I walk up or down one 10 times a week. Always two streams of people, one walking, one standing...unless there is a bu&%*0le standing on the walking side.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by rca215

Either you don't get out much or you are a very large person.

Ha. My thought exactly.

I'm a wider-than-average dude and I'd say well over half of escalators are wide enough for me and another person. I always understood it to be general etiquette to stand on the right and walk on the left. I don't remember where or how I learned this, but I somehow acquired this knowledge despite growing up in a town that didn't have a single escalator that I'm aware of, so it annoys me when people don't know this.

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by Chicago76

Nope. The initial idea behind escalators was to increase the rate of "throughput" at major pedestrian choke points where stairs would otherwise be used.

Examples:
a-people leaving or entering train platforms (where there tend to be large rushes of people leaving exiting at regular intervals).
b-department stores with large floor plates and high customer capacity per floor where stairs would be a bottleneck.

The reason for the invention of the escalator was to get people through "chokepoints" more quickly thereby making them less "choky" way before designers cared about disabled individuals. The first transit system that used a modern escalator was London, the biggest city in the world at the time escalators were put into use. Not coincidentally, London is also the world's cultural capital of queuing and pretty much all forms of foot traffic ettiquete. These "rules" were all implemented to increase efficiency in crowded conditions...not to give someone's feet a rest. They stand to the right. It's practically a religion there. People have a right to stand on an escalator for whatever reason (medical, lazy, lugging something heavy), but those people don't have a right to impede the progress of others.

Common sense stuff that would make the world a better/easier place:
1-Stand to the right on escalators or moving sidewalks in airports, for example.
2-Let people off elevators/trains/buses before getting on
3-If someone needs to get off an elevator/train a floor/stop before you, and they can't get through, get off the damn elevator/train. Hold the door. Let them through. Get right back on. As long as you stand to the side and hold the door, it's not gonna leave without you.
4-If you're exiting using a revolving door, don't park yourself right outside of the door and gaze up to the heavens in the wonderment that is the universe. I'm behind you. The door is in motion and I can't stop it. If you're in the way, I've got to spin round and round like an idiot 4 year old waiting for you to move out of the way or I will need to exit by shoving you out of the way.
5-If you run into a friend on a crowded sidewalk, don't stop in the middle of it to chat. It's a sidewalk. Not a sidestand. Park yourselves off to the side to catch up.
6-If it's feasible to do so, the stop before your destination on a train or bus, follow the people exiting to an are closer to the exit so you can get off quickly. That doesn't mean push your way through 40 people in a rush to make it to a spot by the door in 4.7 seconds. Use a little finesse. Don't be pushy, and get yourself close to the door. Trains and buses would spend less time boarding and unboarding people, allowing everyone to get where they need to go more quickly.
7-For the love of God, form a single line at Walgreens so the person standing in line longest gets the next available clerk. It works at airports. It works at banks. It works at CVS. It blows to be the next person up in a particular line, only to find out the person in front of you is President of the Couponers Club of America and the requester of 4 separate price checks on cotton swabs.

In agreement with basically everything here..

[rca215]

Originally Posted by ChiNaan

I don't remember where or how I learned this

Via the very basic observational skills and sense of empathy that come with not being a total dumbass.

At least that's my guess.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by Irishtom29

I routinely lounge on commercial escalators

But you do your lounging on the right side I hope, no? If not, are you one of those people who drives slowly in the passing lane on the highway, too? I find these two things to be equally perplexing. I can never tell if the person is unaware of protocol or is intentionally being rude.