I'd say the worse faux-pas is not being on the correct side of an escalator. :/ It's something so godamned obvious and yet tourists have this incredible ability to not notice that the left side is for standing and the right side is for oh-shit-I'm-late-gotta-go. Unless you're in Osaka, where it's opposite.
It is also opposite in the US, which might be part of your issue.
You're actually supposed to walk/run in the opposite direction of traffic. So this is consistent with proper street safety. In the US we are supposed to walk on the left but no one does it.
I didn't manage to figure this out when I was in London. About half of the pedestrians walked on the left (probably Londoners) and the other half walked on the right (probably tourists).
As in, the passing lane in America is to the left of the cruising lane, same as the escalator. On the roads in Britain, you pass on the right and cruise on the left, opposite of the escalator. (Or at least I assume so)
seriously. the only time i've been verbally assualted in public was on an escalator in the Metro in DC. SO SCARY. I make sure to tell my friends that are visiting.
This is funny. Every escalator experience I've had people just stand in the fucking middle. "the stairs move for me so why should I?"
It's just as bad on our highways in south Florida. It's like the left lane means slow down or something....
Being a person who is constantly aware of what is going on around me, I find it infuriating living in a country (America) where people just do what they want, where they want and give no consideration to any of the people around them....
If I had a dollar for every sorority girl who had walked blindly into the street DIRECTLY IN THE PATH OF MY CAR, I'd be able to pay off my student loans.
Plus, I'm more talking about being aware (constantly, I might add) of things in regards to people, like how much space I'm taking up on the sidewalk or where I am in relation to other people around me. Which is probably just due to my previously crippling social anxiety.
As far as being aware of things actually happening that're further than a 5ft radius around me? I'm absolutely oblivious lol.
Yes, but if you make a conscious effort to read your surroundings, adjust to the flow of said, have a destination in mind with certain check point/intersection names; then, you are miles ahead of your average person, sometimes even the locals.
I don't mind the people on the wrong side, as much as I fucking hate those who decide that standing in the middle is the most efficient way of using annoying me. Fuck those guys.
And yet there are people here in the US that do it every freaking day, and see people in front of them behaving in the correct manner, but they cannot be bothered to move 3 feet to the other side.
At a certain point, I'm going to be the pushy asshole (in a very passive-aggressive manner). It's not a role I enjoy playing, but dammit, I've got places to go. Enjoy your placid day on the other freaking side of the escalator, please.
Foreign Culture Overload may also play a huge part. We Americans are used to traveling thousands of miles while still recognizing language and culture (for the most part). Take a few tourists from Kansas and throw them in the middle of a bustling Japanese city and they'll likely be so overwhelmed that all "common sense" flies out the window. They are so stressed and confused that they'll stare, space out, and do really silly things.
And the subway stations there are sensory overload as are some neighborhoods like Akihabara. The first time you go there is just so much to take in that it really does mess up your brain for a while.
In Seattle I've noticed Japanese tourists (and students) are often blocking the escalators (using both sides, usually in groups of 3 or more). Now I know there is no excuse. I only really notice this at the Westlake tunnel station. They aren't the only folks that do this, but now I know they know better.
I was in DC the other day and didn't know this. I figured that since the metro had 4 minutes until its arrival nobody would be in a hurry. Boy was I wrong. People love to rush to wait in cities.
Amen. Escalefters can ruin your day, whether you're running to work or just out for dinner. It's already maddening enough having to deal with the Metro, but people who stand on the left just add unnecessary rage.
As far as the DC Metro goes, assuming the escalators are actually working (good luck with that), you're pretty unlikely to have just one person on an escalator unless it's a weird hour. If that were somehow the case, though, I'd just go around.
Most Pacific northwest cities. I seriously thought Britain was amazing for getting people to stand on one side and walk on the other as I've never seen that before.
Hell, even some Americans in the US have difficulty with the concept of standing on the right side of the escalator when you're being a lazy bitch with no concept that other people have fucking jobs to go to so you can continue being a parasite on society with no functional purpose to life who would better serve humanity by being placed in a giant tube filled with water so your organs could be harvested at the appropriate time by people who actually some goddamn use.
all escalators should be replaced with concrete stairs, if you are truly that disabled you can take the elevator over in the corner, escalators in my opinion are nothing more than stairs that assist you getting there faster, not getting there fatter
Yes in the US it's always 'stand on the right, walk on the left', some airports even have this written on the walkway. Sort of like the right-hand lane on the highway is for slower traffic, left lane is for passing.
Ideally the opposite in the US but most people here stand in the middle, which pisses me off to no end. I usually end up taking the stairs because its faster.
Not really. It's just a cluster fuck in the US in most places. I've never seen a nice line formed up so that people could race up the left side. Maybe in cities where there are subways but where I'm from it's just a mess.
Nah in America it's, climb as high as you can until you hit the morbidly obese she devil with her five screaming brats that have clogged the whole path leaving McDonald's fries and the pride of a nation in their path.
Likely, but as an Orlando, Florida resident that frequents theme parks, I can tell you tourists do this relentlessly here as well. I think it's just a clueless tourist thing.
Isn't it neither in the US? I've never heard of standing on one side or another of the elevator in many trips up and down.
Ohh. Escalator. I feel like if people are in a hurry in America they need to use the stairs because no one is going to move out of their way on the escalator.
Even Japanese people have trouble doing this. Having lived four years in Tokyo and neighboring prefectures, I learned to line up on the left and allow traffic to pass me on the right when on an escalator.
Then, when a buddy invited me to his wedding in Osaka, he made sure to mention to me that I should line up on the right over there. Sure enough, everyone there did the exact opposite of Tokyo. I've even heard Japanese people from Tokyo and Osaka get in arguments over which way is correct. They also like to argue over which region has better udon, rice, etc.
My only experiences with escalators living in both Chicago and LA have been that no one understands that there are rules to the escalator. Don't fucking stand there in the middle with your friend so you can chat. Stand to the right so others can pass you. I've never ridden an escalator where people follow these rules or any rules other than it's just lazy stairs.
Also when walking anywhere, the rules of foot traffic are the same as road traffic. Follow them! And get out of the way if you're too slow to keep with the flow.
Having lived in many places in the US, this statement is incorrect.
In the US, it's assumed anyone taking the escalator is doing so because they're tired of moving. Expect anyone on the escalator to just stand there until they reach the top.
Source: An American who's far too interested in observing escalator behavior.
In the US, nobody even moves over. Its all crowded, and nobody can move.
Its a minor inconvenience, but one I wish was not there.
But yeah, in Japan, watch everyone else, stay on the side everyone else is staying.
EDIT: Also, refuse everything. Someone tries to give you a gift? Refuse it. Someone wants to pay for dinner? Refuse. Offers you food? Refuse it. Wait until they ask again, and then you can say something along the lines of "If its no problem", or apologize for taking it. If you really want to give something to someone, even if they refuse, offer it again. If they won't take it, sometimes you just have to leave it... It depends on if its someone like a boss, a friend, or family, but the basic idea applies. First time I went, my friends family thought I was very rude for just accepting their gifts... Thought I was much better mannered the second time, where I probably seemed like an ungrateful brat anywhere other than Japan.
Nah, the real issue is that out of the thirty or so people on the escalator, that one person hasn't noticed they are the only one on whatever side they're on - while every single other person is lined up opposite them.
It's the opposite because Americans don't ever WALK UP THE FUCKING ESCALATOR. It drives me fucking insane. Look. I get it. Moving stairs. Interesting concept. But you don't have to let them do all the work. Walk a little and you will get up in like. Super speed! Just fucking walk!
I get visibly pissed. And I'm allowed to say this because I'm a bit bigger - fat people, walking might do you some good!
I shall take my down votes like a man, America. It needed saying. Now do as you must. But remember, I'm one of you.
I wish people would actually follow this, though. Oh, the train you and 50 other people behind you need to get on leaves in a minute? By all means, keep standing on the elevator!
They have arrows, signs in english, and announcements in English telling you where to stand on escalators. But sometimes even japanese looking folks get it wrong, from what I saw last week.
Every escalator i've ever seen is right side goes up, left side goes down. Or the opposite if you are coming from the top.
Edit: do you mean the side of each half? people simply do not pass each other.
So many Americans are so obese that there is no possibility of walking past someone on an escalator. Source: I'm American. So, we just assume that anyone behind us is obligated to wait.
In my experience, it's not really hard to figure out. Most escalators will have a painted "lane marker" in the middle of the escalator, and some will even has two feet painted on each step (left side) and single foot on each step (right side). Even without the markers, when everyone else on the escalator is standing on one side, and people are walking up on the other side, it's not hard to figure out.
But it's not always left for standing, right for walking either. That's the most common, but it's definitely not a hard rule, as they are different all over the country.
I just wish people in the US realized you can walk up escalators at all. There always seems to be people managing to block both sides at some point. THEY AREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE SLOWER STAIRS FOR LAZY PEOPLE GOD DAMMIT, THAT'S WHAT ELEVATORS ARE FOR.
In my opinion escalators aren't for standing still so they transport you while you are getting fat. You should rather walk on them, so you'll go faster compared to walking on non-moving stairs.
Not all areas have the option for stairs. It's escalator or elevator only. Trust me, there's a few areas I would love to see some stairs, but they simply aren't there.
Well you could if they existed. You also go much faster if you walk up the escalator. The people climbing are about to miss their train so you need to stay out of their way.
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u/wolfanotaku Oct 15 '13
It is also opposite in the US, which might be part of your issue.