Why You Shouldn’t Walk on Escalators
The question of standing versus walking flared up recently in Washington, D.C., after the general manager of the Metro, Paul Wiedefeld, said the practice of walking on the left
and standing to the right — as outlined in the Metro’s rules and manners — could damage the escalator.
However, the "time in system" — or how long it took to stand in line to reach an escalator then
ride it — dropped sharply when everyone stood, according to a blog post by the researchers.
Jeanine L. Skorinko, a professor of psychology at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass., said in an email
that people, especially Americans, like to keep more distance between themselves and strangers "and would rather take the stair below them or walk past them.
To change passengers’ behaviors and get them to stand side by side riding — not walking — during peak periods.
They found that walking up the escalator took 26 seconds compared with standing, which took 40 seconds.
The Underground campaigned to fill the available space on the escalators with people, rather than
leaving the left side of each step largely empty, except for those who chose to hike up.
