Escalator: Where do you stand?
Having only 5 minutes to run getting some snacks to nibble at the cinema, I ran as fast as I could through the crowd in Paris Van Java Mall, Bandung, Indonesia last weekend. The supermarket is located in the UG floor, and I could only find an escalator nearby to reach it.
But, whooops, my sprint had to come to an abrupt end.
Despite the width of the escalator that would allow huge shopping carts be transported comfortably and despite that no one who were on it was actually carrying one, my path was totally blocked.
It wasn't really so crowded actually, there were fair distances between those people, -all flocking in groups of family, friends, etc-. But the people in each group were all standing occupying the whole width of the escalator.
Of course being the ever optimistic girl that I am I tried to make my way asking for permissions to pass through the groups one by one. But after 2 or 3 groups of people I gave in.
The escalator is quite lengthy since it is designed to transport shopping carts: the escalator downward angle can't be really steep. And watching the number of groups I would still have to excuse myself from just to make my way was already exhausting me.
People were standing left and right, laying to the handrails. All casually talking with each other and watching around. I felt guilty already that I would interrupt their lovely chats if I really tried to make my way further.
So, there I was standing nervously, watching at my watch, waiting for the escalator to smoothly, elegantly, and super slowly bring me the UG floor. Fantasizing if only I could just use the handrails as in those action movies to slide through that darned lengthy escalator. Wishing that somehow the escalator would just miraculously understand my hurry and increase its speed. But of course it's just in my mind.
And I remember an escalator in Munich, Germany.
Where, although the escalator was steep, half the width of that escalator in PJV, so fully packed that each step was occupied, and most of the ppl have their luggage(s) with them, there was a straight, empty path in the right hand side of the elevator for anyone who were in a rush and would like to run through it.
It's not like there was any huge sign board as those in the highway that order people to stand in the left side and leave the right side empty as a fast lane.
But everyone, dutifully and obediently as all the Germans are, would stand in the left side and only the hurried ones take the right side of the elevator.
That straight, vacant, dedicated path walled by a line of people with their luggages in the left side and the handrail on the right side which could clearly be seen even from some distance was a beauty. A sign of cumulative social awareness of each people standing there to other people needs. Even though its just about that small space in the escalator step to your left.
Well, I wouldn't blame those people I saw in PJV actually. I mean it was in a mall on Saturday afternoon. What's the hurry? Only I was being unfortunate that, as always, it was so close to the movie starting time and I still was somewhere else and haven't got any snacks to smuggle to the cinema :D
And to be fair, the escalator that I mentioned in Munich was located in a rail station. Where indeed there must be a bigger number of people in a hurry you can find than when you are in a shopping mall.
But still I have to admit, unlike those Germans, it wasn't really that automatic for me to be aware that there is such need to give way in an escalator so that its not the case that I could stand anywhere I like in an escalator :D
Kudos to you if you are like them ;)
But, whooops, my sprint had to come to an abrupt end.
Despite the width of the escalator that would allow huge shopping carts be transported comfortably and despite that no one who were on it was actually carrying one, my path was totally blocked.
It wasn't really so crowded actually, there were fair distances between those people, -all flocking in groups of family, friends, etc-. But the people in each group were all standing occupying the whole width of the escalator.
Of course being the ever optimistic girl that I am I tried to make my way asking for permissions to pass through the groups one by one. But after 2 or 3 groups of people I gave in.
The escalator is quite lengthy since it is designed to transport shopping carts: the escalator downward angle can't be really steep. And watching the number of groups I would still have to excuse myself from just to make my way was already exhausting me.
People were standing left and right, laying to the handrails. All casually talking with each other and watching around. I felt guilty already that I would interrupt their lovely chats if I really tried to make my way further.
So, there I was standing nervously, watching at my watch, waiting for the escalator to smoothly, elegantly, and super slowly bring me the UG floor. Fantasizing if only I could just use the handrails as in those action movies to slide through that darned lengthy escalator. Wishing that somehow the escalator would just miraculously understand my hurry and increase its speed. But of course it's just in my mind.
And I remember an escalator in Munich, Germany.
Where, although the escalator was steep, half the width of that escalator in PJV, so fully packed that each step was occupied, and most of the ppl have their luggage(s) with them, there was a straight, empty path in the right hand side of the elevator for anyone who were in a rush and would like to run through it.
It's not like there was any huge sign board as those in the highway that order people to stand in the left side and leave the right side empty as a fast lane.
But everyone, dutifully and obediently as all the Germans are, would stand in the left side and only the hurried ones take the right side of the elevator.
That straight, vacant, dedicated path walled by a line of people with their luggages in the left side and the handrail on the right side which could clearly be seen even from some distance was a beauty. A sign of cumulative social awareness of each people standing there to other people needs. Even though its just about that small space in the escalator step to your left.
Well, I wouldn't blame those people I saw in PJV actually. I mean it was in a mall on Saturday afternoon. What's the hurry? Only I was being unfortunate that, as always, it was so close to the movie starting time and I still was somewhere else and haven't got any snacks to smuggle to the cinema :D
And to be fair, the escalator that I mentioned in Munich was located in a rail station. Where indeed there must be a bigger number of people in a hurry you can find than when you are in a shopping mall.
But still I have to admit, unlike those Germans, it wasn't really that automatic for me to be aware that there is such need to give way in an escalator so that its not the case that I could stand anywhere I like in an escalator :D
Kudos to you if you are like them ;)
posted by lite | 5:14 PM
1 Comments:
"So, there I was standing nervously, watching at my watch, waiting for the escalator to smoothly, elegantly, and super slowly bring me the UG floor. Fantasizing if only I could just use the handrails as in those action movies to slide through that darned lengthy escalator"
--LOL--
"Social awareness"?? What's that? It's only for those whose educated enough to care about :)
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