# Escalator Etiquette **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 23, 2006, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escalator-etiquette/377588 "2006-10-23T16:32:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escalator-etiquette/377588/181 "2006-10-24T01:33:44Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] I am also reasonably sure you are not Satan incarnate. šŸ˜‰ [/QUOTE] Wanna play a hand of Hold Em for your soul? šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escalator-etiquette/377588/182 "2006-10-24T02:25:03Z")
[QUOTE=Oakminster] Most people are content to merely ride the escalator as Karana intended. Those that arenā€™t are probably yankees. Bless their hearts. [/QUOTE] Yeah, hereā€™s the thing about the urban north, sugarā€¦ _we have things to do_. Places to go, people to see, lands to conquer. So do get out of our way like a sweetheart, wonā€™t you? šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![galt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@galt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galt)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escalator-etiquette/377588/183 "2006-10-24T03:20:38Z")
[QUOTE=Oakminster] on an escalator, where people are not fucking supposed to be climbing in the first damn place. [/QUOTE] So itā€™s supposed to be somehow ā€œimproperā€ to walk on an escalator? Thatā€™s the most bizarre thing Iā€™ve ever heard. How about if you go on considering it strange to walk on an escalator, and some others can go on considering it perfectly normal. Some people will stand (I usually stand unless Iā€™m feeling extra energetic or in a hurry), and some people will walk, and because weā€™re reasonable people, weā€™ll agree to just let everyone have their own opinion on which theyā€™d rather do. And certain people will decide that because they like to stand still, they should refuse to let the walkers by. And those people will have a name: assholes. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escalator-etiquette/377588/184 "2006-10-24T03:54:40Z")
Two data points, as Iā€™m just now home from the D.C. Metro: 1. Almost every Metro station has at least one set of escalators which is not accompanied by stairs. Which means that if any escalators are out of order ā€“ which, this being D.C., they invariably are ā€“ people have to use the out-of-order escalators forā€¦wait for itā€¦walking. The horror! 2. When walking up the (moving, and also ass-long) Bethesda escalator twenty minutes ago, I took especial care to note that as I passed the normal-sized gentleman standing to the right, I touched him, brushed into him, or otherwise intruded upon his personal space not at all. This is, in fact, the norm. Okey-doke, yā€™all? ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escalator-etiquette/377588/185 "2006-10-24T08:52:14Z")
[QUOTE=Oakminster] Your opinion is no better than mine. [/QUOTE] Well, apart from being correct, that is. If I can be bothered, I will take a photo of the numerous signs posted all over the escalators on my trip to work saying ā€œSTAND ON THE RIGHTā€. Maybe I will manage to include some of the people walking on the left without falling, invading sovereign nations or inadvertently challenging a Stander to a duel. Personally, I like to take the steps two at a time, flailing my arms as I go and ululating enthusiastically. Most people take me for a busker, and offer small change. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escalator-etiquette/377588/186 "2006-10-24T08:56:32Z")
Ah - [no need](http://relativity.liu.edu/steve/pix/London/tube_escalator.jpg). Note how the signs are placed approximately once every three metres. They are trying to tell us something; but what? ---
**Author:** ![galt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@galt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galt)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escalator-etiquette/377588/187 "2006-10-24T09:13:19Z")
Now someoneā€™s going to come in here and make the argument that thatā€™s all well and good, but theyā€™re still not required to have any common courtesy on escalators that donā€™t have such signsā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escalator-etiquette/377588/188 "2006-10-24T09:28:09Z")
[QUOTE=Dead Badger] Ah - [no need](http://relativity.liu.edu/steve/pix/London/tube_escalator.jpg). Note how the signs are placed approximately once every three metres. They are trying to tell us something; but what? [/QUOTE] Even better: > [@Feckin' London Underground themselves](#): > > Stand on the right on escalators - so that people in a hurry can walk on the left [http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tube/using/useful-info/etiquette.asp](http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tube/using/useful-info/etiquette.asp) ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escalator-etiquette/377588/189 "2006-10-24T09:42:10Z")
[QUOTE=galt] Now someoneā€™s going to come in here and make the argument that thatā€™s all well and good, but theyā€™re still not required to have any common courtesy on escalators that donā€™t have such signsā€¦ [/QUOTE] Iā€™ll one up you on your fear. I contend that as long as I donā€™t _see_ the sign, I donā€™t have to follow any rules. I win! ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escalator-etiquette/377588/190 "2006-10-24T09:43:53Z")
[QUOTE=Rigamarole] I contend that as long as I donā€™t _see_ the sign, I donā€™t have to follow any rules. [/QUOTE] :: scrapes **Rigmarole** off of the tube station floor :: ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escalator-etiquette/377588/191 "2006-10-24T09:52:44Z")
Iā€™m not with this OP really. Iā€™m sure there are probably supersized escalators in the US, but in the UK its pretty difficult to squeeze by even if a person isnā€™t holding shopping without nudging them. An unexpected nudge is a bit disconcerting on an escalator. Its not like those who, as noted above, walk four abreast on the footpath/sidewalk. At the end of the escalator, people usually head off in all different directions, its not like youā€™re trying for minutes to walk around them but canā€™t because of parked cars etc blocking your way. Or maybe Iā€™ve just been on really really short escalators šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escalator-etiquette/377588/192 "2006-10-24T12:43:44Z")
I hate being in escalators with Mom. No matter how many times I tell her to stand on the right, I have to say it again. Every. Time. Weā€™ve been on the escalator going up, Iā€™ve told her to stand on the right, sheā€™s said ā€œoh, ohā€ and moved to the right (still taking up a lot of space, but sheā€™s both fat and one of those expansive people whose personal space is about 3 times their physical size); then weā€™re on the escalator going downā€¦ ā€œMOM! To the right, pleaseā€ ā€œoh, oh!ā€ Mind you, itā€™s better than it was a few years backā€¦ the first time I noticed her standing on the freaking left, she stopped at the top of the elevator demanding an explanation. I had to grab her, take her out of the way of several hundred people (Barcelona subway, 6pm on a weekday) and Point To The Signs. Then I had to explain that no, being over 60 does not mean she gets to bend those rules; it gives her discounts in museums but not on fines. Sometimes I wonder which of us is the alien. ---
**Author:** ![Carlyjay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Carlyjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carlyjay)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escalator-etiquette/377588/193 "2006-10-24T13:28:30Z")
Stand right, walk left. Sorry, I agree with the pitter. As far as Iā€™m concerned, itā€™s proper etiquette to make room on the escalator for passersby. You may not be in a hurry, but others are. Be nice and be safe. Move over. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escalator-etiquette/377588/194 "2006-10-24T13:28:51Z")
[QUOTE=Fiveyearlurker] Hmm. Maybe there is some truth to that. Iā€™m urban all my life. People arenā€™t considered to be invading your space unless there is the possibility of insemination. [/QUOTE] Iā€™ve been packed on some buses and trains where Iā€™m pretty certain that has occurred. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escalator-etiquette/377588/195 "2006-10-24T13:41:02Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > Hmm. Maybe there is some truth to that. Iā€™m urban all my life. People arenā€™t considered to be invading your space unless there is the possibility of insemination. [QUOTE=D\_Odds] Iā€™ve been packed on some buses and trains where Iā€™m pretty certain that has occurred. [/QUOTE] Actual conversation on the subway this past summer: ā€œUsually when Iā€™m this close to someone, there are bodily fluids being exchanged.ā€ ā€œWell, our sweat is mingling. Does that count?ā€ ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escalator-etiquette/377588/196 "2006-10-24T14:16:15Z")
[QUOTE=Liā€™l Pluck] Non-Yankee here (but up North for longer than I care to admit), and from the way I was raised, I would expect Southernersā€“well, polite Southerners, anyway-- upon being made aware that they were impeding traffic, to be considerate enough of other people to just move the fuck over on an escalator (provided that thereā€™s room, of course) to let others pass. And apologize, to boot. Then again, polite Southerners wouldnā€™t consciously be blocking the damned thing in the first place. [/QUOTE] Thatā€™s exactly how folks in this part of the South behave. If they see theyā€™re in the way, they move. They donā€™t lecture the person about how they shouldnā€™t be in such a hurry. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escalator-etiquette/377588/197 "2006-10-24T14:27:02Z")
[QUOTE=jjimm] Have panic attacks at your leisure, [/QUOTE] Thanks so much for your concern. Next time, Iā€™ll schedule my panic attacks to coincide with your convenience, instead of my own. Lord knows they never take me by surprise. > [@](#): > > Though if you get vertigo on escalators, I recommend you take the stairs. Reread my first post, on page one. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escalator-etiquette/377588/198 "2006-10-24T14:39:08Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] Thanks so much for your concern. Next time, Iā€™ll schedule my panic attacks to coincide with your convenience, instead of my own. Lord knows they never take me by surprise. Reread my first post, on page one. [/QUOTE] As you said, [QUOTE=tdn] FWIW, such a person is unlikely to say ā€œYou wanna take it outside, buddy?ā€ [/QUOTE] You are the exception and not the rule and it really sounds like **Loopydude** ā€™s Bozo was just a pugnacious jerk, not someone that suffers panic attacks on an escalator. Every normal rule has an exception. Your panic attacks are one of the exceptions. Holding 2 bags while trying to control 2 pre-schoolers is another exception I would well understand. Large weary guy, blocking the way for no apparent reason, who will not move when requested, this I do not understand and I do not think I would want to understand. Jim {Good luck with those Panic attacks, can you do anything for them?} ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escalator-etiquette/377588/199 "2006-10-24T15:08:19Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] As you said, You are the exception and not the rule and it really sounds like **Loopydude** ā€™s Bozo was just a pugnacious jerk, not someone that suffers panic attacks on an escalator. Every normal rule has an exception. Your panic attacks are one of the exceptions. Holding 2 bags while trying to control 2 pre-schoolers is another exception I would well understand. Large weary guy, blocking the way for no apparent reason, who will not move when requested, this I do not understand and I do not think I would want to understand. Jim {Good luck with those Panic attacks, can you do anything for them?} [/QUOTE] Iā€™m only up to halfway through page 3 of this thread, but you strike me as the first ā€œmoverighterā€ to come off as reasonable so far. The thing is, if Iā€™m having a panic attack, I may well come off as a pugnacious, jerky, large weary guy, blocking the way for no apparent reason, who will not move when requested. In such a state I am in no position to explain myself to someone who I perceive wants to put my well being at risk because he cannot manage his own time. Trust me, as much as you donā€™t want to deal with me, I donā€™t want to deal with you times ten. People may have very valid reasons for not moving right, and those reasons might not be visibly obvious. The sensible thing to do is to not assume belligerence, give the person the benefit of the doubt, not shove by a person on a moving staircase, and to suck it up and wait. Although I will say that a person who wants to ā€œtake it outsideā€ is probably a belligerent jerk. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escalator-etiquette/377588/200 "2006-10-24T15:13:29Z")
I went through three stages in my assessment of this guy: Exasperated anger, remorse over my reaction, and then dismissive derision. What a fucking douchebag. I mean, after the guy offered to take me to the mat, I had little choice but escalate or fume in silence. I did the latter, of course. Later, after reading my own angry post and seeing the ā€œcalm the fuck downā€ messages, I though, yeah, I do really need some anger management now and again. But you know what? Fuck that guy with a rusty Sawzall. What a complete and utter fucking piece of shit. I did absolutely nothing wrong. I made a polite, completely normal request, and he treated me like dirt for absolutely no reason but because he could. Complete, total fucking asshole. I know exactly what kind of guy he was: A loser fuckwit bully who canā€™t excel at anything but being a giant sack of lipous manure, a petty cretin whose only talent is planting his worthless-sack-of-shit-carcass in the way of genuine human beings with lives worth living and the desire to go about doing so unimpeded. I bet his greatest sense of accomplishment is derived from winning games of ā€œchickenā€ with hapless pedestrians on city sidewalks who have no beef with this fuck, donā€™t know him, never would want to, and who simply wish to get from point A to point B without some _idiot_ playing half-wit power games with them. And to those who actually believe I was somehow inconveniencing or otherwise unjustly victimizing this dungheap: Iā€™d ask you to lick my sweaty unwiped taint, but Iā€™m too polite. Instead, Iā€™ll just hope you meet my buddy from Providence and a troop of his friends someday, no, every day, in traffic, on the sidewalk, on a stairway, elevator, movie theater, supermarket, train, plane, bus, or maybe even your own front lawn. I hope he treats you as kindly as he treated me, and I hope you get to know really well, on a very regular basis, 'till death do you part, just how it feels to be _fucked with_ for no good reason while innocently attempting to go about your normal life. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escalator-etiquette/377588.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escalator-etiquette/377588.md?page=11)