# UK Dopers: Do you walk on the right or left side of an escalator? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 23, 2002, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-do-you-walk-on-the-right-or-left-side-of-an-escalator/125284 "2002-08-23T19:41:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2002, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-do-you-walk-on-the-right-or-left-side-of-an-escalator/125284/1 "2002-08-23T19:41:37Z")
Here in the Washington DC metro area, we have a pretty good rail system, called Metro. At most of the Metro stations, there are escalators that go from the platform to the main level and from the main level to the street level. Now, the general rule here - unofficial, though - is that people who are walking up or down the escalator do so on the left, while those who are standing (riding) stay to the right. This, of course, mirrors American driving conventions. So I got to wondering. If we walk on the right side and drive on the right side in America, do those who normally drive on the left side walk on the left side of an escalator, too? Don’t look at me like that! I was just wondering! 😉 [I figured I’d put this in IMHO because there might not be an actual \*\*rule\*\* or law about this in other lands; therefore different people might look at it in different ways.] ---
**Author:** ![Sparrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Sparrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparrow)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2002, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-do-you-walk-on-the-right-or-left-side-of-an-escalator/125284/2 "2002-08-23T21:17:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dantheman \* > \*\*. > > So I got to wondering. If we walk on the right side and drive on the right side in America, do those who normally drive on the left side walk on the left side of an escalator, too? > > \*\* Well, on the London Underground you are requested officially (notices at top of escalator) to stand on the right and walk up or down on the left. It’s pretty well obeyed EXCEPT by tourists who annoy the hell out of residents like me who are in a hurry and can’t get past a group of tourists taking up the whole width of the escalator! ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2002, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-do-you-walk-on-the-right-or-left-side-of-an-escalator/125284/3 "2002-08-23T21:18:00Z")
We stand on the right too, at least those of us who can read, there being numerous signs on the London Underground asking you to do so. You could say, though, that this mirrors British driving conventions, where moving traffic is on the left 😉 ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2002, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-do-you-walk-on-the-right-or-left-side-of-an-escalator/125284/4 "2002-08-23T22:58:46Z")
Ah, ok. So you basically do it like we do it - and like you, we get tons of tourists here who stand all over the place. Bleck. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2002, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-do-you-walk-on-the-right-or-left-side-of-an-escalator/125284/5 "2002-08-23T23:04:17Z")
Ah, ok. So you basically do it like we do it - and like you, we get tons of tourists here who stand all over the place. Bleck. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-do-you-walk-on-the-right-or-left-side-of-an-escalator/125284/6 "2002-08-24T20:47:18Z")
i was a tourist in the london underground… and almost every escalator had a “Stand to the Right” sign every few feet along the entire length of the escalator… so unless the tourists are from non-english countries, they’d get the message…