Walk with me now

In my homeland, Brasil, it’s normal to stand on wherever side of the escalator we please. Actually, before leaving the country, I’ve never thought there’s a side to stand on and a side to walk on.  

But, well, I already learned that in other countries around the world, such as Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom, there’s the ‘Stand on right, walk on left’ rule, which clearly means that you should stand on the right and pass on the left (Australians stand on the left and walk on the right). 

If you ignore the rule, i.e. you’re standing on the wrong side, you’ll for sure obstruct one or more people who may be in a hurry and want to get a few steps ahead of you. When that happens, the left-traveler will say a polite “excuse me” and inch around you, but I’ve already witnessed commuters getting really anger for not being able to pass: they rolled their eyes, moaned a non-polite ‘excuse me,’ and overtook the person preventing them from taking stairs.

The rule also applies to your shopping bags, luggage etc.: place them directly in front of you to allow others to pass to the left. 

There’s also conflict when people obstruct either end of an escalator. Forget about checking your mobile or rummaging through your bag at the moment before you reach the beginning or end of the escalator because you may get distracted and therefore cause trouble too.

Curiously, I’ve observed the same behavior in moving sidewalks, where people in a rush take the left side. So, if you’re walking down a street, and spot someone on the opposite direction apparently in a hurry, leave the left side free for her/him. They’ll do the same for you.

But the custom varies depending where you are. Normally, you’ll find no formal signs on or near the escalators telling tourists about the ‘stand right/walk left’ policy, therefore it’s important to first look at how people behave before you ride up or down an escalator to discover if there’s - and what is - the standing/walking lane when visiting a new country.

It may sound crazy, but it’s just a cultural trait that should be respected, otherwise it can be regarded as an anti-social behavior. Besides, it’s always good to learn about social rules and try to follow them, even though they seem to be weird (to your won life-experience).