Reply to: Standing on both sides of the escalator

[MrMarkyMark]

Shouldn't you stand on the left in this country? It's total chaos here just walking down the pavement - which side to overtake!?!

Just watch out for the bike hammering along the pavement, just about to mow you down, behind you.
That's what you really need to worry about.

[WTFH]

There's an outdoor escalator in a town near Vail, Colorado. It allows you to go down to Beaver Liquors without taking your ski boots off.
ISYN.

[seanraaron]

Shouldn't you stand on the left in this country? It's total chaos here just walking down the pavement - which side to overtake!?!

[LondonManc]

In the Far East, the commuters figured out for themselves that standing on both sides is actually quicker for everyone getting up than one side walking.

In experiments, they proved that both sides walking was the absolute quickest (but you cannot force people to walk).

[Lost It]

They could turn them off. People need the excercise after the xmas blow out.

[SueEllen]

Then don't give them the chance. Replace long escalators with a load of small ones....

Not going to work on parts of the Northern, Central, Bakeraloo and Piccadilly lines....

[greenlake]

Then people will start barging each other...

Then don't give them the chance. Replace long escalators with a load of small ones....

[SueEllen]

No problem, just need signs that "tutting" and "head shaking" on the escalator is NOT ALLOWED:

Then people will start barging each other...

[BlasterBates]

No problem, just need signs that "tutting" and "head shaking" on the escalator is NOT ALLOWED:

[MrMarkyMark]

[greenlake]

[barrydidit]

FLC can't help but stand on both sides of the escalator. Not sure that would speed anything up though..

[NickFitz]

TfL have got the results of this experiment now: The tube at a standstill: why TfL stopped people walking up the escalators | UK news | The Guardian

TLDR: it works, but getting people to actually do it is hard, and getting them to like it is even harder. It caused "…a great deal of non-verbal communication in the form of head-shaking"

[NickFitz]

It'll never catch on. I predict extreme tutting.

More on the science behind it: Holborn Tests Standing on Both Sides of the Escalator

However, looking at the account of the trial in 2002:

The increased capacity was more due to the walking side constantly shuffling forwards as people felt the need to walk and preferred to tut at people who stood.

[PurpleGorilla]

Standing on both sides of the escalator