Why Do People Rush down The Train Station Stair on Their right?

tomleonhart on 21/06/2017 - 10:58

A train full of people just disembark, and are going up/down the stair on the left to the concourse leaving the right hand stair empty.

Next thing you know, a lone commuter rushes down to make the train against the flow of people, pushing others out of the way despite a lane being reserved for them on their left, and they usually ended up not making the train as they spent all their time pushing through people. I thought it's common sense that we drive on the left therefore we walk on the LEFT too ?

I used to move to make way for them through (usually mean I'm pushing someone else out of their way). Now I just stop and stand and make them go around me. TAKE THAT WRONG LANER!

/rant

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Comments

        • noz on 23/06/2017 - 23:30

          @outlander:
          I was hoping they would apologise for blocking my lane and colliding with me.

        • secondstory on 24/06/2017 - 00:06
          -1

          @noz:

          So you saw it coming, knew you were going to hurt someone, and then hurt someone - then wanted them to apologize for it.

        • outlander on 24/06/2017 - 00:35

          @noz:
          You should try it! Throws a bit of salt in the wound. It's a great way to sort people. Nice people will accept you're apology at face value. Mean people will challenge you, and be offended that you tried to lie (while looking like the aggressor to any 3rd party observers)
          Win win :D

        • noz on 24/06/2017 - 07:20

          @Myrtacaea:
          Obviously we see things differently. The intention was not to hurt them, but simply to brace myself to prevent myself from getting hurt. If the other person is too inconsiderate to not give me space on the path then too bad for them.

        • noz on 24/06/2017 - 07:21

          @outlander:
          Now that is a fair point..

    • cameldownunder on 22/06/2017 - 16:14

      Collide !

    • kiitos on 23/06/2017 - 21:49

      I either turn slightly side on to edge past, allowing my backpack to brush the person not merging, ort stop dead and force them to merge.

      Will probably get punched out one day.

  • DarkOz on 22/06/2017 - 09:18

    Not everyone knows this rule and it's not heavily promoted by the train operators. I am starting to see some signs (round with arrow and wording to keep to the left) in some of the Sydney railway stations. It will be a long time until everyone learn the system and there will always be some who doesn't know.

  • Lastora on 22/06/2017 - 10:36
    +1

    Also, an interesting fact - in more densely populated countries where people stand to one side of the escalator, this causes the machinery to wear out faster because of the unbalanced load :)

    • dasher86 on 22/06/2017 - 11:04

      some places actively change the direction of the machinery so that the machines run the other way during peak to offset this.

    • secondstory on 24/06/2017 - 00:20

      I've seen some places only have one escalator that alternates to match peak direction. Would negate or double the damage?

  • [Deactivated] on 22/06/2017 - 11:59
    +4

    I walk through the city every morning. I walk on the left and overtake on the right. I have footpath rage… people walking side by side in groups of 3-4, smoking so I cop a face full of it every morning (I passively smoke a deck a day, trying to stop but its hard) and the worst is when they suddenly stop to do something on their phone. I've seen a girl clip her head on a passing tram, which rang its bell/held down the horn prior, but she was so focused on that she had no idea… Same premise for people running to the train. Tunnel vision

    • khell on 22/06/2017 - 12:38
      +2

      Footpath rage is real.

    • secondstory on 24/06/2017 - 00:23

      Blame pokemon

  • wanderworld on 22/06/2017 - 13:15

    People are correct walking on the right hand side of escalators. Official etiquette in Australia is to stand on the left:
    http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2011/05/04/3207497.htm

    When there are two lanes of traffic moving in the same direction, the left lane is for moving slowly, and the right lane for overtaking. So on escalators, you stand (slow) on the left and walk (overtake) on the right.

    It doesn't make sense to compare an escalator to a two way street, as traffic on an escalator is only moving in one direction. You are in the wrong if you stand on the right hand side of the escalator as this would be like stopping in the overtaking lane.

  • MisplacedGaijin on 22/06/2017 - 13:32
    +1

    In Osaka they stand on the LHS of the escalator … everywhere else they stand on the RHS.
    I asked some Japanese friends why and they just shrugged their shoulders, saying it's just Osaka-ians being different …

    • beerpara on 22/06/2017 - 14:30

      Got that the wrong way around mate. In Osaka they stand on the right and elsehwere it's the left.

      • MisplacedGaijin on 24/06/2017 - 05:44
        +1

        Oops, my bad … you're absolutely right. I was getting mixed up between my ひどり and my みぎ !

        • ItsMeAgro on 24/06/2017 - 19:15

          Isn't it hidari?

  • doridori222 on 22/06/2017 - 14:21
    +1

    When a train full of people just disembark, they always take up the entire staircase leaving no space for anyone to walk down. This is Sydney btw.

    • tomleonhart on 22/06/2017 - 14:22

      I'm in Sydney. The train I get off always leave a lane on the right in the direction of travel for people to get to the train in the opposite direction.

    • cameldownunder on 22/06/2017 - 16:16

      When I disembark, I have to plough through a horde of <profanity> that stands on front of the train doors.

      • John Kimble on 22/06/2017 - 17:06
        +1

        Yep, just plough away, they deserve it. Same with people who block you coming out of a lift.

  • thanatos350 on 22/06/2017 - 15:14
    +2

    I thought I was the only one bothered by this. I'm usually a pretty chill guy, but if you could hear the things I nutter under my breath at train stations, you would think otherwise.

    Central Station in Sydney is the worst.

    So many people lack the basic ability to move/function in crowds, and seem to lack any sense of spatial perception. You have people stopping at the top of staircases at Central, climbing down step by step and generally leading to missed trains and late arrival to your destination.

    It has gotten to the point where I have to bust my balls to get off the train quickly and to be one of the first people on the staircase so I can just run down.

    • cameldownunder on 22/06/2017 - 16:18
      +1

      You have a similar behaviour at the exit of gatherings. As soon as they are 1m away from the exit, people stop and start to talk.
      I have no hesitation in pushing those people out of my way. Then a grin, a smile and a "Sorry".

  • chanleystan on 22/06/2017 - 16:00
    +1

    To play chicken. So far I have been undefeated

  • Hamlet on 22/06/2017 - 18:13

    I think it just follows the automobile road system. And that in turns comes from the British, which comes from people being right handed, and it was the easiest to meet someone by coming from the left and shaking their hands with your right. Also shows you're not dangerous cus youre not holding a weapon (in your right dominant hand).

    I believe the opposite system in America comes from a different reason. If I remember correctly it was because of horse riding, or something. They whip the horses on the right in order to move them forward, and if you were on the left side of the road, you'd be dangerous to the incoming traffic. Something like that.

  • nikey2k27 on 22/06/2017 - 20:13

    people scare me shitless running down stair i see so many people fall before.

  • Lucky13 on 22/06/2017 - 23:29

    Yeah I noticed people overtake on the right hand side of the escalator when I started catching the train into the Melbourne CBD. Guess its got something to do with people driving on the left, overtaking on the right on the roads. Makes sense.
    EDIT: Oh wow I only read the title not the rest. Looks like youre ranting about something else. And wow you guys have stairs to the train station in Sydney, how primitive haha

  • tsu-chan on 23/06/2017 - 09:58

    Was walking down a flight of stairs in a park next to my home and was on my phone. No one was on the stairs when I started descending so for safety I walked down the middle as I knew there was overhanging tree branches if I kept left all the way down. Noticed a couple coming up the stairs, one after the other and moved to the left when we were approaching each other still not looking up from my phone. Lady passed by with no complications but the male….He took up the opposite side of the stairs but also impacted with me by taking the middle. He threw a racial and millennial slur at me and I turned back to him and said

    "In Australia, you keep left on the stairs"

  • jno on 23/06/2017 - 10:14
    +5

    Slow walkers are annoying but my pet peeve is when people STOP in the middle of everyone on the walkway and have a conversation!! MOVE TO THE SIDE AND TALK!

  • f38r1 on 23/06/2017 - 13:40

    Only in Australia ppl got pissed about other ppl walking on wrong side. When I was living in other countries, no one really cares about this.

    • [Deactivated] on 24/06/2017 - 08:31

      You've obviously never been to the UK then.

      • f38r1 on 24/06/2017 - 17:24

        True. Maybe the attitudes were brought to Australia by UK ppl?

  • AusGeno on 23/06/2017 - 14:25

    Sydney here. Stand on the left so people can overtake you on the right, just like on the roads. Same goes for the footpath.

    Basically keep left unless overtaking everywhere on everything.

  • kiitos on 24/06/2017 - 10:03

    So when the stairs are wide, and have three handrails including one down the centre of the stairs, do your consider that to be two separate "roads", with people walking both up and down on each side of the middle handrail, or do you consider it to be two lanes on the same road, and so the left half should travel one way, and the right half should travel the other way?

    I tend to treat them at two separate roads, but keep to the left on that half.

  • lysp on 27/06/2017 - 14:36

    In relation to the footpath - especially in the city the walk left overtake on right makes a whole lot of sense.

    It syncs in with the road - people walking closest to the road can see what's happening with oncoming traffic - cars turning in to driveways/car spaces, etc. People walking with their back to oncoming traffic are closer to the building and more protected.

    Similar theory in the country where it's recommended you walk on the right hand side of the road so you can see (and move out the way of) oncoming traffic.

  • icejester on 03/07/2017 - 02:05

    My experience is that when people are in a rush they make stupid decisions because they don't have time to think properly

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