In many busy train stations, airports, and shopping malls, there’s an unspoken rule: Stand on the right, walk on the left. It’s a habit built into our daily commute, seemingly designed to make escalator use faster and more efficient. But here’s the twist walking on escalators may actually slow things down for everyone.
Yes, you read that right. While it may feel productive to march up or down those moving steps, research suggests that standing still all of us could be a much smarter and safer move.
The Efficiency Illusion
Let’s start with the basic assumption: walking on escalators is faster. That’s certainly true for the individual walking, but when it comes to the system as a whole especially in crowded public places the math doesn’t hold up.
Studies in transportation and urban design have shown that designating one side for walking reduces the total number of people who can use the escalator at once. Why? Because fewer people walk than stand. When half the escalator is kept clear for walkers, it often remains underutilized while the standing side fills up, causing bottlenecks.
For example:
- A standing-only escalator can typically carry more people per minute than one split between walkers and standers.
- In peak hours, cities like London and Tokyo have experimented with no walking escalators and seen up to 30% higher throughput.
It turns out, our rush to walk might be slowing everyone else down.
Safety First: Escalators Aren’t Stairs
Escalators are designed to be ridden, not climbed. Their mechanics and structure differ significantly from stairs:
- The steps are shallower.
- The height and tread design are not meant for active use.
- There are often sudden step collapses or minor shifts as the mechanism moves.
Walking on escalators increases your risk of:
- Trips and falls, especially when carrying bags or during sudden stops.
- Accidents with elderly or disabled passengers, when one walker bumps into another.
- Missteps during transitions, where the moving stairs meet the floor.
In Japan, the city of Saitama even passed a rule in 2021 requiring people to stand still on escalators to reduce injury rates.
Real-World Case: The London Underground
Transport for London (TfL) ran an experiment at Holborn Station, one of the city’s busiest underground hubs. Instead of encouraging the classic “stand right, walk left” system, they asked everyone to stand on both sides.
The result?
- Escalator capacity increased significantly.
- People got through quicker on average.
- The overall system flowed more smoothly.
This experiment provided hard evidence that standing not walking improves efficiency and safety, especially in high traffic locations.
Energy and Wear
Walking on escalators also has mechanical consequences.
Escalators are calibrated for a steady, uniform load. When people walk on them:
- The wear and tear increases, particularly on brakes and motors.
- It becomes harder for maintenance teams to predict damage or breakdown timing.
- Sudden shifts in weight can cause unbalanced strain on internal components.
In short, walking increases both maintenance costs and the risk of escalator failures—causing delays and potential injury.
What About in Emergencies?
Of course, there are exceptions.
In emergencies—such as fire drills or evacuations escalators may be turned off and treated like stairs. In those scenarios, walking or running may be necessary. But in regular day-to-day situations, treating escalators like moving stairs is not only unnecessary it’s inefficient.
Cultural Habits vs. Practical Design
The stand right, walk left practice is culturally ingrained in many countries. It feels polite and considerate. But it was born in an era with fewer people and less crowding. Today, with urban populations surging, we need to rethink habits that no longer serve us.
Cities like Tokyo and London have started public awareness campaigns to change behavior:
- Posters show how standing together moves more people.
- Announcements explain that walking causes congestion.
- Staff encourage new habits during peak hours.
It’s a slow shift—but a necessary one for modern urban life.
What Can You Do?
Here are simple actions you can take to help:
- Stand on both sides during busy times, especially in subways or malls.
- Educate others, politely, about why standing improves traffic flow.
- Support local campaigns that promote standing only escalator use.
- Avoid walking, especially when carrying large items or traveling with children.
By rethinking your daily habits, you’re helping create a safer, more efficient public environment.
