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Penn Station escalator etiquette: Head for the nearest way up (your choice if you're between two), whether stairs or escalator (stopped or going up). Defend your space: do not allow people pushing in from the sides to delay you or (horror of horrors) get ahead of you. When you get to the chokepoint, keep moving even if this means bumping everyone around you. When you get onto the escalator, if you're near the front you must walk up, until the first elderly person gets on. If it's an elderly couple, they'll block the escalator completely. If not, you must stand next to the elderly person one step below, and block it for them.
Members of the train crew going down must take a stairwell which is filled with people going up. They may not, under any circumstances, use an empty escalator headed down.
If the escalator stops while full, be sure to act dumbstruck for at least 30 seconds before you realize that you can, in fact, continue moving on a stuck escalator.
Some may disagree with me here, but my take is this> Escalators are for lazy people or people whom have conditions that prevent them from taking stairs. Now do you feel that people who refuse to run down a flight of stairs should moan and complain to those riding the escalator for not moving to the side so that they can speed up their escalator ride? If you ask me, if the person is in such a rush, why not just take the stairs? Even when the escalator is packed and theres nowhere to move, I see these same people moaning and groaning about not being able to pass. Now if there is ONLY an escalator present at a specific subway station, I can understand thier frustration.
What are your thoughts?
I don't moan or groan but out of common sense and respect people should sway to the other side. For the most part, people know the rule already. But saying excuse doesn't hurt either. However if it's crowded, I don't walk down.
Here's my view: If you have a large cart that can't fit on the escalator, don't take it. Coming home from work last week, I was taking the 145th escalator from the D train up to the turnstiles. An elderly woman is the first one on and her cart wouldn't fit. She makes it fit :/
When we get to the top, the cart's wheels are lodged on the landing just above the escalator's steps and won't move. Just because her cart is stuck doesn't mean the stairs stop moving.
Conclusion: I'm forced to fall forward, almost crushing her and about 10 people behind me end up piling over each other.
I'm just glad her cart wasn't a stroller with baby in it... (and people with strollers should NOT use escalators).
That reminds me of another rule - don't stop walking immediately after getting off the escalator. The escalator is still delivering people to right where you are.
To me, that kind of obliviousness is extreme self-centeredness.
That reminds me of another rule - don't stop walking immediately after getting off the escalator. The escalator is still delivering people to right where you are.
To me, that kind of obliviousness is extreme self-centeredness.
heh - you never know, you might just get swept away in the rush
also, this isn't just NYC .... so many places have this lack of awareness .... it generally drives me nuts when people are so deep into their own bubble that they have no recognition of what is going on around them or how they are impacting others ....... just self centered
it can happen on an escalator, it can happen get on or off the train, it can happen with an elevator, you can get a shopping cart swung into you (or my personal favorite in stores when someone puts there cart next to a free standing display and then stands right next to their cart - effectively blocking the entire width as they spend 5 minutes looking for the perfect can of soup.......), walking on the street the person who decides the middle of the street is the perfect place to suddenly stop
add in distractions and the situation just gets worse ....... so many times see people with phone to ear, vacant look in eyes, usually hand gesturing about god knows what wandering around like mr. magoo
drives me crazy and the comment above about stopping immediately when getting off the escalator is a perfect example
I agree with the OP. Escalators are for standing and being ESCALATED. Those for whom the escalators are not fast enough should take the stairs if they wish to dash, rather than having to have a path made for them on the escalator by squeezing everyone else to the right.
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