Do you really 'Stand right,Walk left' when using the escalators?
By easy888
@easy888 (10405)
Australia
May 4, 2007 10:21am CST
'Yesterday when I went to a shopping center,I was at the esculators trying to go from level 1 to 2, there were few people there,I was standing on the right side and I put my hand on the handrail.Suddenly a yound kid was running from behind,he tried to pass through the 'gaps' between people and go up as quick as possible,but he nearly tripped over beside me,I held his hands so that he would not run anymore,luckily he did not get hurt.
Some people there were standing on the right and some on the left,this had blocked the aisle of the walking passengers,some are even reading a newspaper on one hand and holding a bag on the other hand,they did not hold the handrail.
How about you??Do you always stand and wait on the esculators??Or do you always move with same direction of the escalators so that you can get to the destination quicker?
Do you 'stand right' so that people can have an aisle to pass through? Do you 'walk left ' or try to pass through the people in a 'zigzag' path? Do you alwaysput your hands on the handrail?If you have children, have you always hold their hands?? I reckon it is dangerous to let the children using the escalatos alone as they always like to play there, I have ever saw some children even walking up on the escalator but in the escalator is moving down.Maye be it is better to teach them how to use the escalators properly.
Do share your thoughts:)
17 people like this
56 responses
@CopyPaper (228)
• Philippines
4 May 07
Is there any escalator etiquette? If yes, then I don't have a time to read them either. LOL. I didn't know if there's an existence of it. Maybe we need to abide the rules so there's no one gets hurt.
2 people like this
@windhair (498)
• Germany
4 May 07
Generally I prefer the stay right, there is nothing need a hurry up in shopping center. But I seldom touch the handrail, sometime I just put my hand on the side glass of wall of the escalator, since I always hate these black rubber handrail.
Anyway, I stay right, I give left wide free for the hurry people especially on the escalator in the sunway station. I do not like to child to run on escalator in the reverse direction, it is dangerous somehow.
2 people like this
@pinklilly (3443)
• Australia
4 May 07
I hate them but if I have to I will use them and usually I am pushing a pram and my 4yo son always plays around and I hate it but he just won't listen They are so dangerous... If No one is in front of me I will walk on them Quicker the better to get off it befor my son gets hurt....
When I was younger I loved running up the one coming down Not sure why but I always would do it.....
2 people like this
@mimpi1911 (25464)
• India
5 May 07
that is quite a question!! i , actually donot always stand on the right side of the escalator. i think, escalarator is a one way vehicle, i mean, its meant for up ride or downride and all the passengers together are either going up or coming down. so, it doesn't really necessary. the kid being an exceptional case.
however, while walking, i always take the left side, no matter what.
thanx
1 person likes this
@mimpi1911 (25464)
• India
5 May 07
yeah may be. but do all ppl in your country follow etiquette?? i guess not, just like mine.
1 person likes this
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
4 May 07
I wait, get on hold the rail, and dont move until I get off. I one was wearing very high slim heeled shoes and I did not know what one of my heels was jammed in to the step so when I tried to get off I was stuck. I did get my foot out of the shoe but jammed the escalator, ruined my shoe and made myself very unpopular with all the folks who had to walk up the steps. That is my reason for staying put! LOL
2 people like this
@recycledgoth (9894)
•
4 May 07
I used to live in London and used the tube trains every day. People generally stood on the right and walked up on the left but there was always the awkward so and so who would insist on standing on the left and stopping people walking up the escalator. During the school holidays the children would often be running all over the place, trying to walk down the *up* escalators and I lost count of the number of times I would see people with buggies on the escalator struggling with babies, toddlers and young children. Whenever I took my son on the tube train I would make sure that he stood still on the right with me and didn't mess about.
2 people like this
@howard96h (11640)
• New York, New York
4 May 07
When walking up and down stairs it is always on the right side so on an esculator yes, I stand on the right and people pass on the left, the majority of the people do thos where I live. Good post.
1 person likes this
@howard96h (11640)
• New York, New York
4 May 07
On stairs everyone walks on the right, whether you go up or down or are on an esculator.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63233)
• United States
5 May 07
I don't know any kid that hasn't wanted to do that, & I know I did it as a child, but only when nobody was coming & if they did, I moved out of the way. I don't try & walk on escalators anymore, I have too much trouble with stairs as it is. When I'm with the roommate & also have to help her because she can't see well enough to easily deal with them.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63233)
• United States
5 May 07
I didn't say it wasn't. But they look like such fun & when I was a kid I would try & climb the up escalator. I have also been known to grab a kid who was getting in people's way while playing on them, at least I would get out of people's way as they came down on them. Even as a kid I knew that it was one thing to do it myself, but to never get in an adult's way (good way to get punished too.)
@whyaskq (7523)
• Singapore
5 May 07
In Singapore, it is keep left always. The right is left free for people who need to rush or run up the escalator.
Most of the time, I will just stand left. However, things changed when I am taking the train. If I am lazy, I will just keep left and wait for the escalator to take me up. If I am in the mood for some exercise, or when the train is coming, I will take the right to walk up the steps while the escalator is moving.
Most Singaporeans are law-abiders and hence there is not much problem with zig-zag to move up. However, during peak hours, things changed :P
1 person likes this
@kclaret59 (587)
• Philippines
4 May 07
Actually, shameful as it may sound, I do not have any idea that those rules exist. So, I stand both sides depending on where my partner is standing..
1 person likes this
@kclaret59 (587)
• Philippines
4 May 07
And I almost forgot.. thanks for the info.. I'll remember that ALWAYS.....
2 people like this
@wondericequeen (7876)
• Hong Kong
8 Jun 07
I would say we tend to have a decent manner in using the esculators. I guess it's because we are so crowded and we are always in a hurry, we are taught to stand on the right and put our hands on the handrail (in case of a sudden "out of order" thing happen, then we won't hurt ourselves) when we are on the esculators, leaving the left path for those people who are on the run. At the same time, we have some people who are less considerate and they usually block the left path and those people usually got "excused me" at. I think it's polite and out of good manner to use the esculators properly.
1 person likes this
@ellie26 (4139)
• Malaysia
4 May 07
Hello easy888, when I am using the escalators, I dont really bother where I stand, left or right or in the middle. If I am blocking anyone's way, I just move aside. Sometimes I do hold the handrail but most of the time I prefe not to. It is for hygenic reason.
@shinjiao (1457)
• China
16 May 07
Hi,easy888!
Yes,I do stand right,and walk left when using the escalators.
Sometimes I notice some children playing and running on the escalators,that's too dangerous!And meanwhile,they bother other people. I can forgive these naughty children who playing on the escalators but I cannot stand some adults who don't observe this behavior.It seems that they have no consciousness to their wrong behaviors.Oh,that's lousy!!
@Marie2473 (8512)
• Sweden
5 May 07
Here we do not have that "rule" but people usually wait since the escalators are mostly not that long and by walking you might save a secound or 2 =) People are so stressed these days and I think that people should be able to have a "rest" in the escalator =)
1 person likes this
@robert19ph (4577)
• Philippines
5 May 07
Most of the time, I'm just stand right but if I'm running out of time I just go up a little beat if there is nobody infront of me but not to pass through others. I just go up until there is a space for me. My kids are already big so I don't need them to hold there hands. But they know the do's and don'ts already in using the escalator. It is our responsibility to teach our kids in using it for not only for their safety but also for the safety of everybody.
@charlestchan (1415)
• Malaysia
5 May 07
haha. .it depends on the situation.. if i'm in a rush.. i will walk along the direction of the escalator.. and if i have the whole time.. i will stand right to wait the escalator to bring me to my destination.. haha.. i used to rush in between people too.. when i'm in the rush.. i'll just ask them to excuse me so i can walk up.. this usually happen in busy mall.. especially in the capital of my country.. and usually. .pickpocket will take their chances as you walk pass them.. they will pretend to bang you and steal your wallet.. so .. have to be really careful when walk in between peoples =)
1 person likes this
@xandraz (4)
• Singapore
5 May 07
In Singapore, people have to stand on the right side of the escalators. Of course some people disobey, like couples, or mom with lots of children, they tend to stand on both side, blocking people all the way down there.
Usually I just follow the rules lol. I stand on the left while holding the handrail. Sometimes I also stand on the right with my friends, yeah I know I'm blocking people, but it can't be helped when the people up there above me have blocked all the route.
@di1indilin (802)
• India
5 May 07
Oh so you mean there was a rule like that. I am really sorry to say that i have not even heard of it. I mean in kerala where i live i haven't seen a single place where they have written it or anything.
@leeesa (884)
• United States
5 May 07
This was a common courtesy when I was in Germany. I think Europeans have better manners than Americans. For me, it depends on the situation. If no one else or very few people are on the escalator, I will usually walk up it and not really pay attention to which side I'm on. If it is full, then I follow the same guidelines, stand right, walk left. And I agree that we need to teach our children how to use them properly. It is quite clear this isn't happening enough!
1 person likes this
