Could you stand on the left?! (lighthearted)

[lilyb84]

I'm sure it's purely psychological but I feel like I'm getting to the tube (or out of the bloody station) quicker when I walk on the left... just can't see this working after decades of ingrained habits!

metro.co.uk/2015/11/25/the-decades-old-etiquette-of-keeping-right-on-tube-station-escalators-could-soon-be-over-5525856/

I think I'd get the rage if I had to stand. But if it genuinely improves flow through the station and therefore overall journey times I guess that will make me U...

Alice - rarely these days. Very odd.

Walking up the escalator does feel quicker than walking up the stairs though, even when there are some. You're getting carried up at the same time.

Oh god i've gone all shaky at the thought. Never. No. Oh.

Surely it will never catch on.

DH is horrified.

Standing on the right is a bit counter intuitive though since we drive on the left in Britain. Keep left unless overtaking...except on tube escalators

HeyMicky I saw on the news that it started due to the layout at the bottom of the escalator back in the early days of the tube. So it was logical then and just stuck!

This thread made me laugh at how different us northerners are! I didn't understand the thread but realised we don't stand to a side on escalators, we stand still in the middle!

hitsandmrs oh no that's even worse. You'll give me nightmares if you keep going on like that.

But what if someone wants to walk hitsandmrs? Having palpitations just thinking about it!

Nooooooo! Our escalator etiquette is the envy of the world!

Holborn is my work station and they have had posters up for days saying that they're going to experiment with different escalator techniques over the next 10 days to see what works best. Trouble is it just didn't work this morning. They had great tannoys out telling people to stand on the left as well and all that happened was that people turned their heads and stared at the high-vis-jacketed staff looking very confused. It won't work at all unless people have had their coffee first I tell you.

It is bizarre isn't it.

Sets London apart from the rest of humanity.

Brummies just stand anyhow on the escalators.

Disgraceful.

I like to sprint up the escalator at Bank. I get twitchy enough when people approach the escalator slowly before moving to the right. If they stayed on the left gasp what would I do!

On those moving thingies you have at airports - I don't know what to call them, but like a flat escalator/moving walkway - it's always a bit of a free for all. I like walking on them because I feel like I'm going very very fast, but then the standers are all over the shop and at random sides.

Recently went to London for the first time ever and the escalator etiquette made me come over all patriotic. So organised, everyone knows where to stand, there was no fuss or pushing. I loved it, they should do "stand to the right" on every escalator in the UK.

People without luggage or shopping trolleys should not stand on any escalator ever.

Keep moving, you lazy bastards! It's much quicker than normal walking. How much of a rest do you need?

Maybe we're just lazy because everyone is the same ha! I think if someone wanted to get past, instead of saying 'excuse me' they would just sigh and curse in their head.

It's like an intricate dance. I come up from the Piccadilly Line and need to get to the fourth escalator over on the right to avoid chaos at the top. I do a gentle arc through people going in all the other directions and fine myself imaginary penalty points if any clothing or bags touch. How sad am I...

I particularly enjoy the passive aggressiveness of tube escalator etiquette and don't want that taken away. I like to make a point of always walking despite being in a group of people / carrying heavy luggage / being pregnant.

hitandmrs it's all about perfecting the art of the curt, assertive, not quite rude but ever-so-slightly entitled 'excuse me'. Before the person behind you gets there first

Lol oenophilia I need to cross corridor sides to get to the dlr I never thought of giving myself penalty points!

oenophilia yes! Sounds like getting onto the Victoria line at King's Cross St Pancras when entering from Euston Road!

I lived in London for one year of my life. One year, and now I cannot stand on the left side of any escalator. Anywhere. It still boggles my mind that people stand on the left and I don't even live on the same continent any more.

London escalator etiquette is a beautiful thing.

It appears that we can add this to the short list that so far only has the NHS in it.
Things Londoners we are patriotic about.

I have moved to a country that thinks it has manners. Canada

I spend my life wanting to scream, "LEARN TO MERGE. LEARN TO WALK. LEARN TO STOP" because we have a very low population here and everyone can meander and fiddle about and pause.

If they change the fantastic system on the Tube I will never return. You have been warned...