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...

I'm Irish but live in the north east of England. First time I went to London with my friends we had no idea of the standing on the right rule and just crowded into the escalators in a group. We were soon put right by impatient commuters and we didn't repeat our mistake.

At the risk of being pelted with stones...

Why, in the UK, when we drive on the left and overtake on the right - why is it custom on escalators to stand on the right and undertake on the left? Wouldn't it be more intuitive to do it as we drive it?

I'm also reminded of school staircases and the frequent "Keep to the left!" Chants of teachers as kids go up and down. I know that is slightly different. But still.

Why are the Tubers such special snowflakes?

Ducks, dives under a table and calls for Iron Man to save me

It's possibly because in the early days of the tube there used to be a diagonal shaped step at the end of the escalator, so it was easier to get off right foot first. There's footage showing it in the film Underground from 1928 (which is well worth a watch in itself!).

I particularly enjoy the passive aggressiveness of tube escalator etiquette and don't want that taken away. 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.

Stop it, I'm getting all misty eyed. Tube escalator etiquette is so deeply ingrained, I even gave DD (who was four at the time) the stink eye when she tried to stand on the left.

We didn't win world wars with this kind of lackadaisical attitude to protocol. I will continue to stand on the right and walk occasionally when I can be srsed on the left.

Oenophile- I live your penalty points system, I'm going to adopt that from now on!
Just have to avoid stations with loads of tourists and stick to working areas, I reckon.

lilyb84 - Thanks for that. I'd always wondered exactly the same thing.

Really, though, I can't see this working. I always walk up the escalator if I'm in a hurry. And always down the escalator regardless of whether I'm in a hurry or not. There are few things that irritate me more than people blocking the left hand side so you can't get past. It's making me anxious just thinking about it.

In Australia they stand on the left and walk on the right. Cos it's opposites land!

In ireland we just crowd on as pp said. But I much prefer the London/Aus systems.

It's stand to the right in Leeds station, I get obsessed with making sure the dc don't block the left. Isn't it the same everywhere in all major stations?

A walker is using fewer escalator-seconds than a stander so stand-on-both-sides can only increase congestion, can't it?

The present rule shares out the space sensibly and there is no possible reason to change it.

So wrong..

A walker is using fewer escalator-seconds than a stander so stand-on-both-sides can only increase congestion, can't it?

I think it would ease the congestion at the foot of long escalators where only Mad Fuckers and those who are really late walk up. There is always a crowd of Lazy Gits at the bottom trying to bundle onto the right hand side.

I just love that the suggested answer isn't getting more people to walk, it's getting more people to stand

I always walk up even the longest escalators (Tottenham Court Road, Piccadilly Circus and Angel come to mind in particular) and often think some people might be surprised how easy it is, especially when you're in the habit. Of course people are tired, have horrible commutes or may be physically incapable of walking, but surely not as many as actually decide to stand...

Just realised walking up the long escalators makes me a Mad Fucker. Think TfL would make some badges?

:o

I used to walk up until I thought I was going to die and then slot into a free standing spot.

One year in Selfridges, security staff were begging customers to "stand on both side of the escalators". Mostly to no avail. it is even ingrained I. Tourists.

I use Holborn station a lot, fortunately not at rush hour since this experiment started. If it continues I will be forced to get off at Chancery Lane and walk the extra distance to my office.

That will show them FelicityLemon. My OH who is the mildest of men, worked in Knightsbridge for years. Meaning he had to use the Holborn interchange. The only thing that ever infuriated him was people's inability to use the escalator to his standard.

I think it will be OK. Other cities instinctively do the same.

I agree, OP, that it's good exercise to walk up the escalators. Not that hard and after a short while it's effortless.

I don't get it, are there no stairs?
Alice, there are stairs, but away to the side and really for emergency use only. They're usually spiral, so not good if you have luggage. People can and do use them, but only a real fitness fanatic, or total nutjob, would really want to at a deep station such as Holborn.

Quite a few people also use the stairs, actually, particularly at busy periods, but they are harder to climb than the escalators.

We moved out of London years ago and now live thousands of miles away on a different continent but DH was so incensed he rang me from work yesterday to tell me about it!!

I use Holborn everyday and actually, I think it could work once people understand it. Though it's been rather hit and miss this week so far.

Basically, in Holborn there are four escalators leading into a smallish hall with tunnels one side for the Piccadilly Line, and the other side for the Central Line. So exit, entrance and interchange all happens in this one hallway. In the morning, one escalator is going down, and three are going up.

During rush hour, it gets chaotic as lots of people are all squashed into this small hall, either trying to cross each other to change lines, or to get onto the escalators.

What they've been doing this week mainly involve the exit from the Central Line tunnels, which is right next to one of the escalators. So that escalator they are asking people to stand on both sides, to try and channel more people out of the Central Line tunnel quickly. There's still an option to slide past that and walk up one of the other two up escalators, which are mainly taking people from the Piccadilly Line.

So I do actually get what they are doing. And at least they are doing something, as Holborn has been insane the past few months --though if you ask me I'd make it exit and interchange only between 8.45-9.30.

Also, the downside to walking in Holborn is that they are very long escalators, and if you realise you're knackered there's no room to slide into the right and stop!