The question of escalator etiquette.

This question may seem trivial and idiotic, but it's one that digs through my very soul and itches inside me insidiously so that I cannot travel without this wonder evading my cerebrum. Anyhow, this is my issue; imagine you are walking up an escalator. Everyone is walking up the same escalator in front of you, making their way to the platform that shines above you. As the procession of humans nears the top of the moving staircase, they suddenly and abruptly stop RIGHT BEFORE they get to the top. Then, standing there, they wait until they arrive at the edge where escalator meets ground, and THEN they walk over the threshold. This is my question; why is it that people will walk up most of the escalator, yet stop suddenly before they reach the top, then walk the last foot? It makes no sense to me. Sure, the staircase is moving and the ground is not, causing a certain dichotomy between the momentum of walking on an escalator and the sudden loss of some of that momentum when you walk onto the concrete, but that can be quickly adjusted through congnitive understanding and a general slowing down of your walking pace. And the fear of getting 'caught' in the escalator is unfounded, considering most of us are adults that can fend for ourselves and we should have the mental capacity to be aware of our surroundings as we traverse the landscape of our lives. So, why do people do this? If there's an answer out there that's evading me, please send it my way. I'm desperate.

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violinkeri's picture
Volunteer for the Progressive U Alumni Association

First suggestion? Don't post the same exact blog twice, but with different titles--it may come across as obnoxious to some or annoying.

Second, here's my escalator theory. When I was growing up, my mother would tell me horror stories about how people's shoes or shoelaces would get stuck in the teeth at the top and the people would lose toes or whole feet. So ever since then, and now I know the stories are bullshit but it's a developed habit, I've felt comfortable climbing them like stairs until the very last, and then wait for the teeth to pass before taking a step again.

Therefore, I am no longer scared of getting stuck in the top, but I've been doing it since I was a child and old habits die hard.

Hug a musician, they never get to dance.

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