Escalator etiquette is the etiquette of using escalators. In many places, there is a convention that people should stand on a particular side to allow other people to walk on the other side. [1] Standing on the right is the most common convention, following early escalator design in London. [2] In the 21st century, there have been campaigns for standing on both sides for reasons of safety or to increase capacity. [3] [2]
The first escalators installed in the London Underground at Earl's Court station used the design patented by Charles Seeberger. These did not let the passengers dismount in the direction of travel, as currently. Instead, a diagonal partition shunted them off to one side while the stairs disappeared under the partition. The side chosen for disembarkation was the left hand side and this is the origin of their convention that riders should stand on the right, so that the walking riders would not have to cut into a standing line of people to exit. [4] [3]
A study of the London Underground published in 2013 found that 74.9% stood, while the remaining 25.1% walked. [5]
Different regions follow different conventions: London, Hong Kong, and Osaka follow the stand-right/walk-left pattern, while in Japan (except the Kansai region [6] ), Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand, riders stand on the left and walk on the right. [2]
A 2002 study of escalator capacity on the London Underground found that the proportion of passengers who walk decreases as escalator height increases, ranging from approximately 53-61% on the shortest escalators studies (7-8 meters) to 44% on the tallest (23 meters). [7] The study’s linear trend lines intersect at a height of 18.43 meters, indicating that below this height, allowing walking on one side increases capacity, while above it, the effect is predicted to reverse. [7]
In November-December 2015, Transport for London conducted a three-week trial at Holborn station to test whether encouraging passengers to stand on both sides of escalators could increase capacity during peak hours. [8] [9] [10] The trial required significant intervention, including personnel with megaphones and undercover staff physically blocking the walking side to enforce compliance. [8] The trial reported a 30% increase in throughput when comparing one escalator configured for normal use versus standing-only, though this occurred during a period when services disruptions and the reopening of a nearby station affected passenger volumes. [8] Customer behavior reverted to normal immediately after staff enforcement ended, with 13 formal complaints received from approximately 130,000 affected passengers, though staff reported widespread verbal resistance and non-compliance. [8]
A follow-up observational trial at same station was conducted in April-May 2016, which found that standing on both sides only increased capacity during the busiest periods (over 100 passengers per minute), with no significant difference at lower traffic levels. [11] [10] The maximum throughput observed was 141 passengers per minute on standing-only escalators compared to 115 passengers per minute on walk-left escalators during peak congestion. [11]
A 2016 computer simulation by Capgemini consultants, based on observations at Green Park station, estimated that requiring all passengers to stand could reduce average journey time for the majority who stand while increasing it for those who prefer to walk. [12] The simulation assumed that 40% of passengers would walk on 24-meter escalators. [12] A commenter on the blog post noted that this figure was taken from a Guardian article that attributed it to a 2002 study, but questioned whether the percentage was based on contemporary observed data or older survey responses. [12] [13]
Transport for London concluded that standing-only escalators would only be beneficial at stations with very tall escalators (over 18.5 meters) experiencing peak congestion, and that implementing such a policy would require continuous enforcement that was not operationally sustainable. [8] No permanent standing-only policy was implemented at Holborn station following the trials.
Several transit systems have attempted to discourage walking on escalators for safety reasons.
In Japan, where different cities have different conventions, there was a "No Walk" campaign in 2015 that suggested remaining stationary on both sides and leaving an empty step between riders. [2]
According to Hong Kong's MTR, 43% of accidents in a period in 2014 could be attributed to "people falling because they move, or walk along the escalator". [14] Standing-only policies implemented in 2015 were associated with a ~12% reduction in escalator accidents to the same period in 2014, with ~51% of incidents involving seniors and children. [14]
Other locations that have attempted to discourage walking on escalators include Toronto and Washington, D.C., but these campaigns have generally been unsuccessful. [15] In 2024, the Taipei Metro added announcements encouraging passengers to stand on both sides. [16]
