Crowd and walkway etiquette

[Imzadi]

One more thing, when getting an elevator:

Press ONE button.

CLUE: Press the button in the direction you WANT TO GO. Don't Press BOTH the up and down buttons.
Press the button in the direction you WANT TO GO.

I can't begin to tell you how many times I've been on an elevator and people complain how slow it is, and how it stops on floors where there is no one there to get on. Because people pressed the button in the direction they DIDN'T want to go in, then it opens in that direction, and then didn't get on.

Likewise, when they are on the elevator and it stops and no one is there, it's because someone else pressed the wrong direction than what they really want. They got on when it was going in their direction. YET, the elevator still stops in the other direction because they pressed both buttons. That's WHY the elevator goes so slowly. Stopping on excess floors it doesn't need to.


I'd better stop now. I'm starting to bold everything. Next will be Bolding and YELLING.

 

[Moliphino]

One more thing, when getting an elevator:

Press ONE button.

CLUE: Press the button in the direction you WANT TO GO. Don't Press BOTH the up and down buttons.
Press the button in the direction you WANT TO GO.

I can't begin to tell you how many times I've been on an elevator and people complain how slow it is, and how it stops on floors where there is no one there to get on. Because people pressed the button in the direction they DIDN'T want to go in, then it opens in that direction, and then didn't get on.

Likewise, when they are on the elevator and it stops and no one is there, it's because someone else pressed the wrong direction than what they really want. They got on when it was going in their direction. YET, the elevator still stops in the other direction because they pressed both buttons. That's WHY the elevator goes so slowly. Stopping on excess floors it doesn't need to.


I'd better stop now. I'm starting to bold everything. Next will be Bolding and YELLING.

Also, let people get out before trying to squeeze in! This goes for elevators, subway cars, trains, buses, etc.

 

[DeeBee3]

Totally agree about sidewalks and keeping to the right. However, there are other parts of the world where they have completely different customs and social norms regarding lining up/walking in crowds, etc.

 

[Travel60]

Totally agree about sidewalks and keeping to the right. However, there are other parts of the world where they have completely different customs and social norms regarding lining up/walking in crowds, etc.

We are not in other parts of the world.

I travel internationally a LOT and always read up on customs and try to observe others. Not an excuse.

 

[sam_gordon]

There are a lot of times I miss shopping at the commissary on base. I hate going grocery shopping when carts are blocking both sides of the aisle where you can't get through. At the commissary, it was the same rules of the road and at the meat aisle, everyone left their carts in the middle and walked up to the meat without cart to make their selection. (and yes, we took our purses). Right now I am dealing with elevators and people who get off before me and just stand in the way instead of moving out of the way.

How exactly would you want this work? Maybe I'm just not picturing it right. Some people will shop left to right (through the store), others will go right to left. So you can easily end up with carts going both directions in a single aisle. Which means they could both stop, leaving the carts on the "right" side close enough that it blocks the aisle.

Personally, I think whoever stops second should either "park" their cart early or push it further down to leave space for someone to get through, but it doesn't always happen.

I stand in place on escalators 95% of the time because there seem to always be people in front of me who have settled in for the ride. I'm not going to try to pass anyone or ask them to move because I'm never in that big of a rush.

If you're never in that big of a rush, why walk up the escalators? 95% of the ones I've been on are so short you don't really gain a lot by walking them. If you want the exercise, find the stairs?

Now, at airports and transportation facilities, I have said "excuse me", "on your left", or "coming through" to get people to move over if I am in a rush.

 

[tzolkin]

If you're never in that big of a rush, why walk up the escalators? 95% of the ones I've been on are so short you don't really gain a lot by walking them. If you want the exercise, find the stairs?

I think it's just personality and preference. We tend to be "walk with a purpose" kind of people. Even if we are not in a rush, we just tend to walk much faster than most people who are casually strolling along. I wouldn't walk up an escalator specifically for the exercise; it's just that (for us) it seems like a pointless waste of time to be standing there riding when we could just continue walking if there is no one else ahead of us. Kind of the same as people I know who will circle all around the parking lot looking for a space close to the entrance when they could have already parked farther out and have walked into the store by then.

If given the choice between an escalator with people on it and stairs side by side, I would just take the stairs. But, that's not necessarily practical. The mall in our area only has one staircase in the entire mall and you have to walk through a store to get to it. The mall where we used to live only had elevators and escalators so there was no option to take the stairs.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I travel internationally a LOT and always read up on customs and try to observe others. Not an excuse.

To be fair while we tend to do quite a lot of research about our travels your comment reads the same if it's domestically. That's sorta the point of what some of the comments related to specific areas of the U.S. it's not necessarily possible to know all the local customs of any given area. It's also not like you're as easily able to find that in DC you'll need to step to the right on an escalator and let others pass but in many other transit areas this isn't really as prevalent. It's kinda like learning the driving patterns of a given area.

These types of norms you'll often discover while you're there. Certainly once you see patterns probably best to follow them (well safely if we're talking about driving patterns).

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

One more thing, when getting an elevator:

Press ONE button.

CLUE: Press the button in the direction you WANT TO GO. Don't Press BOTH the up and down buttons.
Press the button in the direction you WANT TO GO.

I can't begin to tell you how many times I've been on an elevator and people complain how slow it is, and how it stops on floors where there is no one there to get on. Because people pressed the button in the direction they DIDN'T want to go in, then it opens in that direction, and then didn't get on.

Likewise, when they are on the elevator and it stops and no one is there, it's because someone else pressed the wrong direction than what they really want. They got on when it was going in their direction. YET, the elevator still stops in the other direction because they pressed both buttons. That's WHY the elevator goes so slowly. Stopping on excess floors it doesn't need to.


I'd better stop now. I'm starting to bold everything. Next will be Bolding and YELLING.

 

[bluedolphin32]

One more thing, when getting an elevator:

Press ONE button.

CLUE: Press the button in the direction you WANT TO GO. Don't Press BOTH the up and down buttons.
Press the button in the direction you WANT TO GO.

I can't begin to tell you how many times I've been on an elevator and people complain how slow it is, and how it stops on floors where there is no one there to get on. Because people pressed the button in the direction they DIDN'T want to go in, then it opens in that direction, and then didn't get on.

All I can picture is Buddy the Elf pushing all the elevator buttons. "It looks like a Christmas Tree!!"

 

[Imzadi]

Totally agree about sidewalks and keeping to the right. However, there are other parts of the world where they have completely different customs and social norms regarding lining up/walking in crowds, etc.

It doesn't really matter what side of the sidewalk one walks on. If there are people walking 3-4 across and taking up the whole width of the sidewalk, when they come upon a person walking towards them from the opposite direction, whichever person that person lands in front of, should move to the side, either in front of or behind their fellow companions and LET THE PERSON PASS. That's common courtesy. Which is something some tourists seem to lack the concept of. (Not bolding at you.)

Likewise, if someone is coming from behind and is walking faster than one's party is, let them by.

 

[notatallmagic]

Amen to the OP.

I've tried to teach my kiddos from the time they were little about being situationally aware. All the walking things - certainly. Talking/screaming into your cell phone in a quiet place, having an Adult Conversation in the grocery check out line with kids around, cursing in front of toddlers, so many different things. Pay attention. Be aware. Don't be rude. And if you travel - do a little research before and pay attention, be aware, and don't be rude.

Common sense that is no longer common.