Are they STUPID?
2006-09-18 05:30:52 · 5 answers · asked by Jon Cope 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
The simple answer is that Tube escalators are designed to reduce congestion, in that it is possible to stand to one side while other commuters pass.
London Underground escalators carry passengers at a top speed of 145 feet per minute - close to the maximum allowed under the British Standard specification.
The trip Underground escalators take you on is also different from most others. Descending into, or rising from, the depths of the earth is not the same as gliding up and down ramps which cut their way, level by level, from bright to still brighter light.
Shop escalators, in comparison, are much more narrow and rarely built to the same exacting standards as those of the London Underground, as this tends not to be the primary focus of shopfloor layout design. Quite the contrary - the longer we're held captive in their dark caverns of greed, the better!
In answer to your question, most Londoners are not stupid, but simply recognise the different purposes of each of these machines, and adjust their behaviour accordingly.
2006-09-18 20:55:27 · answer #1 · answered by Nene 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
People stand on the right of tube escalators so that other people, who are in a rush, can run down the left side.
2006-09-18 12:42:47 · answer #2 · answered by Alex 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ask one of the Londoners!
2006-09-18 12:39:47 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe that they stand on the left.
2006-09-18 12:39:00 · answer #4 · answered by Barkley Hound 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They need those helpful tube signs to remind them.
2006-09-18 12:38:55 · answer #5 · answered by desi 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋