Depends on exactly how wide, dunnit? If I can’t reach both handrails, then, obviously, no. If I can’t reach them comfortably, then, like as not, no. Otherwise, yeah, I prefer the extra safety.
Kinda obvious, I guess…
I haven’t been there in 15 years but I’m pretty sure it’s a single story mall still. Salem and Nashua are multi-floors but still the escalators are only meant for a single person.
I’ll stand my ground. If they are a wee little thing, I’ll suck my gut in and offer to let them by, even though I hate having my personal space violated.
Most of the mall is single story but Macy’s (which I believe used to be Filene’s) has two floors, even 15 years ago. Although I can’t attest to the escalator width back then.
I walk on the left or stand on the right, depending on whether I want/need to walk or stand, and independently of any formal instructions to do so . I’ve never seen an escalator too narrow to permit this - do they actually exist?
I have seen escalators that are definitely the single-file sort. I will walk on those escalators - usually they’re pretty short - but if someone is standing in front of me I won’t go right behind them and breathe down their neck. I DO do that if there’s enough room to pass but two people are standing side by side (usually couples).
Lately the city has started this “no walking on escalators” campaign, apparently because we will all DIE HORRIBLY if someone accidentally trips or something. I found it amusing because Seoulites are the most impatient people in the world. They’d rather risk death than stand still for 30 seconds, I’m sure.
Thinking about it from an efficiency standpoint, it would seem that rather than trying to walk up an escalator at a “normal” pace, or simply standing still, the best thing to do would be to expend the same amount of effort that you would do walking, because in any physical activity, the rewards for being still are outweighed exponentially by the costs of doubling up on your speed later.
Whereas people who walk up escalators are likely tiring themselves out in a stairmaster like exertion. Probably better to walk up, but slowly.
If an escalator is singlewide, it’s almost certainly not in an area where people are typically in a hurry, and it’s almost certainly not longer than a single story. That being the case, I will stand my ground if someone is walking up/down behind me.
If it’s a long one in an area where people are trying to keep to a schedule - for example, the escalators at the Rosslyn station on the DC metro, the third longest escalators in the world - they are typically doublewide, allowing stationary users to leave room for walkers to get around them.
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You’ve never been to Porter Square.
I fucking HATE that escalator, and have often paid extra bus fare to avoid it. I don’t know what it is about it, but I get the worst vertigo ever on that nightmare ride. Not only am I standing my ground, I’m holding on for dear life.
But in the siutuation that the OP describes, I might stand my ground, but I’ll probably walk.
I think this question has different implications for those of us who most frequently deal with escalators in our commute. My daily commute involves 7 escalators, only two of which can be avoided by taking stairs. I’ll admit that I’m not terribly patient with people who block the walking side of the escalator on Metro. However, in other contexts, like malls or airports, escalator-standing is perfectly standard behavior.
Aside to MacCat: DC Metro’s official position is that you should stand on the escalators, but let’s be honest: The system was not designed to deal with the number of people that currently use it, especially during rush hour. If some passengers didn’t walk, there would be a serious gridlock issue.
I hadn’t seen this news before!!! Congratulations!! And many sympathies for having to deal with Metro while pregnant.
Whether or not I walk on an escalator is a decision I make as I get on it. If all the people above me are walking, then I’ll walk. If the elevator only has one dude halfway up who isn’t walking, then I might try to time my pace so that I catch up with him just as we’re getting off the escalator.
In the situation outlined above, though, I stand my ground like Gandalf in Moria.
I’ve never seen a single-file escalator and the idea of standing on them baffles me. I suppose I could understand if one has some mobility issue, not enough to require a cane or whatnot, and the elevator isn’t particularly convenient, but I just see so many more people standing there than seems to fit that. I usually see them at shopping malls and airports where it seems to me that the idea is to help get people around quickly and stairs are often such a place where crowds can get jammed. It’s like standing still on those treadmills at the airport too, which seem even more clearly intended to help one get through the airport quickly for those running a little late or having a brief layover and having to rush from one side of the airport to the other to connect flights. So, I will walk up escalators. However, if I am behind someone just standing there, waiting a few seconds doesn’t bother me, and I’ll stop a few steps back to leave them an appropriate amount of personal space. But for that matter, since it seems most people stand, I’ll usually just take the stairs since if it’s an option.
That said, if I were to just be standing there for some reason, I’d probably have a good reason for it, like I’m injured, have heavy or large items that would make walking up difficult or unsafe or whatever. Thus, I’d stand my ground.
I stand. I’m standing for me, why would I start walking for you?
I’ll stand or walk, as I see fit. You have no idea if I am a healthy adult, or maybe I am not, or maybe I am and am just exhausted. I try to be over to the side and when it’s rush hour I always move with the traffic, no matter how tired I am but if it’s not you can damn well wait until we get to the top of the escalator.
Just to be clear, my OP was not at all intended to address double-wide escalators where there is room to pass. I’m also a daily commuter and a huge proponent of the “walk left / stand right” concept. LA actually had that slogan posted on the walls of subway stations for a little while, which was great, but they gave up on it for reasons I don’t understand. I get angry like anyone else when people stand side-by-side in a way that prevents anybody who would like to walk from even having the option. Those escalators are set up in such a way that if everyone would use common sense, the walkers and standers should be able to co-exist.
In the situation I’m discussing, though (see photo link in post #7), it’s a single-wide, and there AREN’T any stairs to take.
My two cents is that it never occurred to me that people would fume behind me if I’m just standing there. They’re moving staircases; the whole concept is that there’s no need to walk! I thought that was the point. However, if I’m in a hurry and there’s no one in front of me, I might walk up them, but it’s a pain because they are not spaced right, or something.
But I don’t use them in a commute and we’re talking 99% of the time I’m in a department store carrying packages, not your typical high-pressure situation.
If the escalator is empty or almost, most of the time I will climb it, but never to get close behind someone ahead. Similar level of discourtesy as tailgating. They are using it the way it is meant to be used. Actually, if it’s next to or close to stairs, I will use those. I always stand to the right just as I always keep to the right on the road, except to pass or exit left.
The ratio of riser height to tread depth is very important for safe stairs and there are big liabilities for being out of code in steps and stairs. Escalators are not stairs, they are platforms to carry people between levels. Their R to T ratio is well outside the formula, affecting the elderly, infirm or very young to a much greater degree than the average person. The only problem I have with people using them as stairs is the arrogance and entitlement against those that are using them properly.
I can’t say I have ever seen a single file escalator. Where can I find any of those? That said, as MacCat pointed out escalators are simply not built for walking in them and with my weak knees even a normal staircase can be troublesome, at least going up, going down is easier.
Most escalators I have seen in shopping malls and department stores are single-wide.
I’d start walking, I’m pretty stubborn, but I don’t like to be in peoples way either.