[neilep (OP)]

Why Do We Travel On The Left But Stand On The Right ?


Dear Peeps With Degrees In Escalatorology,

As a sheepy I of course just luff to travel up and down escalators. Every opportunity I get I'll go for a ride up and down. All day long !!...It's all I think about really ! Escalators are my all time favourite travelling stairy type things.

Where I work we have four sets of Escalators (which is nice !).....This is what they look like !



 [ Invalid Attachment ]
Escalators Just Like This At Where I work

Nice eh ?..being delivered next Tuesday



What I would like to know is the psychology of travellating upon these escalatormobiles.

Ewe see... here in the UK (well..where I work anyway ! )...the left escalator goes up and the right escalator goes down...unless of course ewe are approachifying them from the top where then the left escalator goes down and the right comes up........In other words they kind of rotateify in a clockwise direction because here in UK land we like to travel on the left (and correctly so of course !!)....However, this is where the psychological query comes from ....Why do we like to travel on the left when it comes to escalators BUT like to stand on the right side of it ?

As ewe can plainly see from the bona fide genuine non-doctored photo above..the two travellers are standing on the right !

I would be interested to know if this phenomenon is reveresified in countries who have adopted the opposite travelling direction.

whajafink ?


Ewe see..I just do not know...I'd like know and went in search of an answer by asking people where I work utilising the medium of mime !....For some reason though no answers were forthcoming !!.....so no luck there !

Can ewe help me understand the nature of escalatormobile travellating psychology ?



Hugs and shmishes


mwah mwah mwah !


Neil
And She's Buying A Stairway To....The Next Floor !
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[LeeE]

Just habit Neilep - there's no intrinsic difference between left and right.

[Geezer]

A lady that lived on our street found out she could not travel on an escalator during her first trip to London. She was absolutely terrified of them. I don't think she had any other phobias either.

[JP]

I've noticed in Singapore it seems to be standard to stand on the left and walk on the right.  I think in the US it's generally stand on the right and walk on the left.  Based on those two data points, I can conclude that the standing side matches the driving side.  As usual, you Brits are confused on that point, but I'm sure you'll get it sorted out eventually.

A little searching turns up this, which suggests the British confusion comes from early escalator designs:
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/london_film_festival/article6883065.ece

[neilep (OP)]

Just habit Neilep - there's no intrinsic difference between left and right.

Thanks LeeE....but of course habits are born from some sort of behavioural trait ..in this case it's cultural !

[neilep (OP)]

A lady that lived on our street found out she could not travel on an escalator during her first trip to London. She was absolutely terrified of them. I don't think she had any other phobias either.

Thanks Geezer,

I guess there simply must be a name for this kind of phobia...I am sure in the past RD sourced a list of every known phobia going...perhaps RD can soutcre it again for us

[neilep (OP)]

I've noticed in Singapore it seems to be standard to stand on the left and walk on the right.  I think in the US it's generally stand on the right and walk on the left.  Based on those two data points, I can conclude that the standing side matches the driving side.  As usual, you Brits are confused on that point, but I'm sure you'll get it sorted out eventually.

A little searching turns up this, which suggests the British confusion comes from early escalator designs:
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/london_film_festival/article6883065.ece

Thanks JP..

whoa...a whole article ...fascinating and appreciated !!

[JP]

Ewe're welcome.

[Don_1]

And there I was thinking 'escalator' was a shortened Yorkshire phrase used upon arrival at Val d'Isère, or such like.

Sonny Jim, "Dad, can I go on t' slooopes now?"
Dad, "Noo son, we've t' boook in to t' hotel and have some vitals first."
Sonny Jim, "Aww but Daaaad, I want t' get on t' sloooopes."
Dad, "Eeee ski later"

[JnA]

Here's some escalator psychology

The Fun Theory
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lXh2n0aPyw

[Geezer]

Toff1: Would you an' your lady wyafe lake to join us for cocktails this hevening.

Toff2: She's not 'ere raihght now, but I'll esk 'er later.

[tommya300]

Does this Escalators ride hold true for left handed people?

I think, in the Medieval days, most people were also right handed. For the right handed, the right side dominates in strength. Knights would have their swords sheath on their left in order to draw the sword cleanly to their right. If they were approached by their foe they would be combat ready, traveling on left side a path roadway, presenting their full strength of their right. All the Villages and Towns architecture were tailored to this and the expense to change was extreme. Traveling on the left side of the road never was changed since.

Subconsciously, for the right or left handed person, will favors their associated strong side.
The safest way when walking, is to face the traffic, so you can see the proverbial beer truck coming at you. 

[tcyr414]

yeah in the us it's stand on the right and walk on the left to whoever was talking about it before. and that goes for walking ones too like at airports, i fly across those

[yor_on]

In Sweden we seems politically correct, standing a little on each side, I guess it statistically mellows out into something like 'middle of the road' maybe?

Which was a song too, I think?