# A senior's tale of going down the up escalator. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 24, 2009, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-seniors-tale-of-going-down-the-up-escalator/494241 "2009-04-24T17:47:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ILION](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9f8e36/32.png) [@ILION](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ILION)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-seniors-tale-of-going-down-the-up-escalator/494241/1 "2009-04-24T17:47:52Z")
Is there a city ordinance prohibiting an adult from using the down escalator to go up the stairs and vice versa? I was in a hurry to catch an El train at the Loyola stop and so, with no other commuters in range, catapulted down the up escalator. Two of the city’s finest were at the bottom of the landing to greet me and ask me about a dozen questions. Mind you, I am over the age of 55 and it’s like 11 a.m. on a week day. After I was grilled by the two officers and forced to produce my identification, I was issued a ticket–which they produced with great alacrity. Where is the justice? The economy has tanked. I am trying to stay connected with employment as best I can and then, in the midst of all of it all, I am cited for misuse of . . . CTA property? :smack: The fine is something like $50. Chicago Police have some nerve and thank you, too, CTA! ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-seniors-tale-of-going-down-the-up-escalator/494241/2 "2009-04-24T18:06:59Z")
Nothing to contribute. Just wondering why you didn’t catapult down the down elevator. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-seniors-tale-of-going-down-the-up-escalator/494241/3 "2009-04-24T18:10:19Z")
> [@ILION](#): > > The economy has tanked. Which tends to have an effect on things like tax revenues, parking fines, etc. - reason enough for the police to want to stay busy with what scofflaws they can find. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-seniors-tale-of-going-down-the-up-escalator/494241/4 "2009-04-24T18:32:31Z")
I’m trying to understand the reason you didn’t use the down escalator or the stairs. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-seniors-tale-of-going-down-the-up-escalator/494241/5 "2009-04-24T18:52:58Z")
How did you manage? Years ago a friend and I were at the mall, and were so busy talking, we didn’t realize we were at the wrong escalator (down, rather than up, I believe), and were thrown backwards. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-seniors-tale-of-going-down-the-up-escalator/494241/6 "2009-04-24T18:58:06Z")
I thought catapults were illegal within city limits. Or is that trebuchets? Perhaps it’s one of those signal-for-every-lane-change-even-if-you-think-no-one-is-watching things. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-seniors-tale-of-going-down-the-up-escalator/494241/7 "2009-04-24T19:06:06Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Nothing to contribute. Just wondering why you didn’t catapult down the down elevator. > [@Cheesesteak](#): > > I’m trying to understand the reason you didn’t use the down escalator or the stairs. My guess would be that the down escalator had too many people on it to get past them quickly, and that there was no staircase near enough. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-seniors-tale-of-going-down-the-up-escalator/494241/8 "2009-04-24T20:14:01Z")
I’m not familiar with that area, but I’d guess that the top of the “down” escalator was farther away. ---
**Author:** ![ILION](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9f8e36/32.png) [@ILION](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ILION)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-seniors-tale-of-going-down-the-up-escalator/494241/9 "2009-04-24T20:41:14Z")
I did not fly down the down escalator because it was not the shortest distance from point A to point B. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-seniors-tale-of-going-down-the-up-escalator/494241/10 "2009-04-24T21:10:17Z")
Well, what did the ticket say? There must be some sort of regulation stated on the ticket. I imagine even if there was no one on the escalator when you started down if someone appeared and started up there could be a nasty collision. It may seem unlikely to you but you’re getting into judgment calls but that’s why the obvious rules (don’t go up the down escalator and vice versa) are in place. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-seniors-tale-of-going-down-the-up-escalator/494241/11 "2009-04-24T21:30:12Z")
How come you didn’t slide down the middle? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-seniors-tale-of-going-down-the-up-escalator/494241/12 "2009-04-24T21:54:57Z")
I’m sure there’s a long history of teenagers, pranksters, and other idiots playing “look at me” with the escalators, slamming into people, and hurting them. What happens if you’re halfway down, can’t stop, and a parent with a small child steps on, not having looked up because they wouldn’t think they needed to? And if I’m in the police your catapulting down an up escalator would immediately make me think that you’re fleeing some authority at the top. I’m glad you got stopped and that you got a ticket. Stupidity is rarely punished so promptly. Or at all. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-seniors-tale-of-going-down-the-up-escalator/494241/13 "2009-04-24T22:00:49Z")
> [@ILION](#): > > I did not fly down the down escalator because it was not the shortest distance from point A to point B. This doesn’t make any sense. The escalators are usually pretty close to each other, unless it was one of those set-ups where they criss-cross and the entrance to the down escalator was completely on the other side. But if you are going against the direction of the moving escalator, you are traveling a much greater distance than you would have going in the same direction as the escalator. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Poster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Happy\_Poster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Poster)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-seniors-tale-of-going-down-the-up-escalator/494241/14 "2009-04-24T22:32:07Z")
I thought America was the land of the free! I would contest the ticket. That is not misuse of the property. I cannot give you legal advice, I am not remotely qualified to do so, but I very much doubt that your actions were illegal. In fact I would complain about the police wasting your time. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Poster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Happy\_Poster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Poster)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-seniors-tale-of-going-down-the-up-escalator/494241/15 "2009-04-24T22:33:58Z")
P.S. This is how we do escalators in London: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFqQOlYE4EE](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFqQOlYE4EE) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-seniors-tale-of-going-down-the-up-escalator/494241/16 "2009-04-24T22:58:17Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > I’m glad you got stopped and that you got a ticket. Stupidity is rarely punished so promptly. Or at all. [Moderator Note] Let’s try to focus on the legal aspects of the OP, rather than an evaluation of his behavior on other grounds. The OP, although in part a rant, does contain a GQ, that is whether or not there are ordinances governing this. I’m leaving it here for the time being; however, I would request posters have a crack at answering the question in the OP rather than advising the poster on what he should have done instead. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Poster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Happy\_Poster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Poster)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-seniors-tale-of-going-down-the-up-escalator/494241/17 "2009-04-24T23:02:00Z")
Can we request the OP makes a pit thread about the police in this incident? I’d make it but it would be a bit, er, silly if I did 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![HorseloverFat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e8cbc/32.png) [@HorseloverFat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HorseloverFat)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-seniors-tale-of-going-down-the-up-escalator/494241/18 "2009-04-24T23:02:37Z")
If teens were doing it you would be saying “Where are the cops??” Pay your fine. \>I am cited for misuse of . . . CTA property? You answered your own question. Yes, there’s [reckless conduct laws for the CTA](http://www.transitchicago.com/news/default.aspx?Archive=y&pg=6&All=y&ArticleId=1280). This guy got a CTA over it. This “question” belongs in the pit or elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-seniors-tale-of-going-down-the-up-escalator/494241/19 "2009-04-24T23:13:14Z")
> [@Angry Lurker](#): > > I thought America was the land of the free! > > I would contest the ticket. That is not misuse of the property. I cannot give you legal advice, I am not remotely qualified to do so, but I very much doubt that your actions were illegal. In fact I would complain about the police wasting your time. Are you free to drive on the wrong side of the road? Taking the wrong escalator is a safety hazard, and getting cited for it is a reasonable outcome. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Poster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Happy\_Poster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Poster)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-seniors-tale-of-going-down-the-up-escalator/494241/20 "2009-04-24T23:21:01Z")
I can come up with some highly bizarre situations where it may be a safety hazard, but I assure you that for a typical escalator it is no safety hazard at all. And I am free to drive on the wrong side of the road when safe, yes, and frequently do so - this makes my driving **safer** 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-seniors-tale-of-going-down-the-up-escalator/494241.md?page=2)