Escalators: Stand or Walk?

Depends on the situation. I mostly stand, but if its in a place that is SUPER crowded and most people are walking...then I walk as well. Also, its common sense that if your going to stand you stay to the right side.

If you stand on an escalator you are a bad person.

Walk whenever possible. Same as with those moving walkway things you find at airports.

@soldierg654342: Or you have health problems =P

stand left, walk right. it's universally known.

Wait, what? Is this some sort of UK/Japan thing, correlating with the way traffic's organized, that I've not heard about?

I tend to walk. I also tend to take stairs if they are there and empty.

I will never forget my first school trip to London as a kid and having someone tell me to stop standing on the 'walk' side of the escalator.

@isomeri: at least in denmark it's pretty much the norm. people don't always adhere to it, but that's what my kidney-stabbing knife is for.

edit: i don't actually have a kidney-stabbing knife.

@perilator666: I don't remember doing that in Denmark, so I've probably been in the way of someone. Apologies. But in Finland and pretty much every country I've been to people have stuck to the right side of the escalator and walked on the left side. Gosh, now I feel like I need a different poll entirely to settle this.

EDIT: Right I did some research, and according to the BBC at least the "walk on the left" method is more common globally, with Australia apparently being one of the exceptions.

Until recently i didn't know of the "rule" to stand on the left and walk on the right, so w/e. I always walk but if there's someone standing in the way i don't raise a fuss.

Also: "Elevator is temporarily out of service. Escalators are temporarily stairs. Sorry for the convenience."

When visiting new states or countries I watch what other people are doing and mimic them, by default everyone walks on the left here. I don't think its a universal thing though.

The vast majority of escalators that I've encountered only have one "lane" for each direction, so splitting it like that would rarely be applicable.

The answer to this is pretty simple: Do whatever everyone else is doing. Otherwise you're just being a jerk, whether you're blocking people who are trying to walk or pushing past people who are trying to stand. If you're alone, do whatever you want, because it literally doesn't matter at all.

There should always be a stand lane and a walk lane but I've seen some confusion about which is which. Might vary by culture.

The whole point of moving stairs is to do the moving for me

why am I on the escalator if I'm going to walk

Since when is there a 'walk' and 'stand' side of an escalator? It's barely wide enough to hold two people side to side (at least the ones I'm use to). Also, it takes just shy of 15 seconds to reach the top. Learn some freaking patience...

Escalators are the only thing in the world that give me vertigo. Even thinking about them makes my palms sweat. I still like them, and usually go out of my way to use them when given the option, and I walk despite that being even worse for the gut sinking feeling they give me. I've never been on an escalator so crowded that there was a problem. Usually if somebody is already on the escalator I let them dictate how I use it. I don't walk up behind somebody riding the escalator and tap my foot because I'm not socially broken.

I prefer to sit.

@kiibee: I'm holding in the temptation to make some sort of "fat Americans" joke. Granted I have seen some ridiculously narrow escalators, but most of them are perfectly wide enough for two lanes.

I was super excited about the escalator etiquette upon visiting London where it seemed as though everyone adhered to the "stand on one side, walk on the other" rule. Though I do not remember which side was which, for a brief moment I felt as though we as humans were on the same team! Until of course, I returned to America, where the obliviousness of the common man is quite astounding. The escalator (and moving sidewalk) situation is a chaos-ridden mess of inconsiderate oafs who stare either at their phones or at the ceiling while remaining sedentary on both sides of the path. Leaving those in a hurry the herculean task of weaving through this Aggro-Crag of mouthbreathers. Toppling suitcases and elbowing toddlers on the way to their destination. Is the escalator etiquette just a Europe-thing?

In the UK, on London Underground, we often have instructions spaced at regular intervals to help us remember that we are not part of the universe:

@kiibee said:

When walking those 15 seconds could get you on to an earlier train, you bet I'm gonna walk!

But if you're in a shopping center or something then yeah, no need to rush.

That makes sense. I don't really have much experience with escalators outside of sears, JCPenny, or something similar. I can see train stations, airports, and etc. making a point of it, though.

I always walk and if there are stairs nearby I just take them (usually running at that.) I'm impatient and also can't stand to get stuck behind people just messing around/being ignorant of others and I like the cardio.

Stand. Believe me, I'm all for not obstructing the flow of foot traffic. (I'm talking to you, people walking three abreast down the sidewalk. And to you, group of people stopping for a chat right inside the big box store entrance.)

I'm not trying to hold you up, but when I'm on an escalator, I'll stand if I feel like it. Chances are, if I'm on an escalator, I'm not in a hurry. I'm not on my way to or from work, or squeezing in errands at the end of the day. I'm probably on vacation, or just out enjoying my weekend.

If you're looking for exercise, there are probably stairs there, right next to the escalator. If you're in a hurry, and the escalator doesn't have a clear path on the left, then either ask politely or just accept that this will cost you an extra, what, 10 seconds? If I've somehow forgotten to stand to the right, I will absolutely move over when asked.

So basically, "Why walk when you can ride?"

It would actually be (slightly) interesting to find out what sort of an escalator culture is in each country of the world - or even including local variance - for standing and walking on escalators in the form of an actual scientific study, if one has not been already made.

As isomeri pointed out, in Finland people stand on the right side and walk/bypass on the left. It's rare to see someone not adhering to this unspoken rule in this country, or at least its metropolitan area. It's curious how Denmark would be the other way around since the traffic system should be mostly the same in terms of vehicles at least. Perhaps bipedal humans not so much?

As to the topic question itself, the short answer is: depends. If I'm in a hurry, feeling lively and/or in need of a slight rise of my pulse, I'll walk the steps. On the other hand, if I'm exhausted and/or carrying something (heavy) in my hands, I will stand patiently.

this stand on the right walk on the left shit doesnt work for most esclators I know. not wide enough.

whoever invented the escalator must have been so pissed to see people standing on them.

standing on the right sounds insane to me. it's like if i'm walking on the sidewalk and someone is coming the other way i always stay on the right. don't you also overtake cars on the right? (i don't drive so i wouldn't know, but i believe that's what i've observed.)

maybe it's just how my brain works.

In DC we have signs on the trains like this.

Yes, you walk on the right side of the sidewalk because the left side is for people who are walking faster than you or walking the other way. Then again bike lanes are usually painted on the right side of the sidewalk, which then actually splits the sidewalk into four lanes (one each way for pedestrians and bikes). Cars certainly don't overtake on the right, except for in the UK, Japan and a couple other examples I can't think of right now.

I use the metro pretty much daily, often multiple times a day. Even if someone standing on the left side only costs me 10-15 seconds, it grows really annoying in high frequencies. Consider, what if every time you got in your car to go somewhere, a random person just stood in front of your car for 10 seconds before you could get a move on. Luckily, as @malibuprofen said, most people adhere to The Unspoken Rules of the Escalator quite well. If they don't I make sure to give them a little tap on the shoulder and excuse my way through.

All the escalators I've ever been on have not been wide enough for more than one person, and generally even have a sign that says something like 'only one person per step.'

Also, everybody stands. I'd say I've seen maybe 5-10% of people in total walking on escalators.

Whatever you do, just do it on the the right so people can pass you on the left if they need to.

THESE MOVING STAIRS AREN'T GETTING ME THERE FAST ENOUGH! I HAVE TO GO AT A SLIGHTLY FASTER RATE!

Stand. Life isn't going to burn down around you. Relax a bit.

I normally walk, but I don't care if people in front of me don't. If I were in a hurry I would have left earlier for wherever I have to be. If you can't take stop walking for a minute, you're living way too intense for me.

People who stand are total dicks. If you really can't use stairs, use an elevator.

I've got a connecting flight to make

I can't recall seeing any escalators big enough for someone to stand on the right while someone else walks hurriedly up the left. Even in movies, when someone's running up the escalator, it seems like the person running has to shove people aside and squeeze through.

I've also never heard this "stand on the right, walk up the left" thing. Maybe it's a big city kind of thing? I don't live in a sparse, rural area but it's certainly not a very crowded place (think Inaba from Persona 4) and the biggest city I've been to is Charlotte, NC. Sometimes people walk up escalators, but that has always seemed rude in general.

Anyway, now that I know I guess I'll try to make it a habit in case I ever go somewhere where this is a thing.

Depends on if I am in a rush or not. I'm often late so I almost always walk/jog on the escalator but on the way home I take it easy and stand. There is nothing more annoying than someone standing on the wrong side though, I want to spartan kick them down the escalator when that happens.

Stand, if you're getting your exercise from the super short bursts of walking up an assisted staircase, then maybe you check recheck your priorities. Or you know, just take the stairs.

It's not so much for the benefits of exercise, but for the feeling of stretching your legs a bit. My work commute involves a mix of metro and bus travel where I'm usually just standing or sitting for long periods of time. It's nice to get a bit of blood flowing in between. Also there are usually no stairs to the metro platform, just escalators and elevators. The same goes for shopping centers around here.

Unless there is someone behind me, I always stand. If I'm in a rush, I take the stairs.

A lot of it comes from escalators to undergrounds/metros when the journey is very much not 15 seconds long. Also lol that America, I assume, does everything huge apart from apparently escalators.

Neither. Wheelchairs don't go up escalators so well.

I've gone my whole life assuming that if you're in that much of a hurry and don't want to wait for other people, you should take the stairs. The escalator may have people on it that have some sort of disability, or otherwise can't move as quickly as you. Getting indignant when they can't seems rude at best and ridiculously entitled at worst.

This obviously doesn't apply in situations where the escalator is literally the only option available, but even then, I think people should be a little more patient and understanding of others in general.

Stand unless I have to get somewhere. I used to be shit-scared of escalators that went down. That first step came with some serious dread. Stairs are usually quicker anyway. I think I only give escalators the time of day if there's no stairs nearby or if I'm in a Metro station.

Obviously if there are people standing in front of you, then you stand. If not, then whatever. I tend to walk, just because it feels cool.

I usually just take the stairs because in 'merica nobody seems to understand the left/right rule.