Things I've Learned

Escalophobia. I don’t buy that just because I saw it on urban dictionary, I’m sure though that such a fear exists. I’ve experienced it myself during my first encounters with those “creepy moving stairs” during visits to old and dirty Balkan-style malls in Athens during and early and mid ’90s. Since then, I got over my fear, started going out without my mom, Athens metro was constructed and escalators became a part of my everyday life. My perception of them was always that of a “moving staircase” rather than that of an ”open-air elavator” which means everyone should be allowed do climb up or down on it freely. It seems however that most of my fellow Athenians disagree with me by blocking the way to anyone trying to make their way up or down especially during rush hours. I think those guys will be happy to learn that in Japan, subway stations are starting to outlaw exactly that. The practice of hurrying up the moving steps.

According to Sankei/MSN, metro stations in Japan are starting to prohibit walking on escalators in order to curb a rash of escalator-related accidents. The escalator industry has identified the act of leg-powered movement on an escalator as a “dangerous action” (危険行為). As quoted in the article, the Japan Elevator Association says that escalators are not meant for walking, and people should not stand on one side to let walkers go by.

More: cnngo.com

To be honest I’ve never heard about accidents on escalators but thinking that Greeks (well, most of them) are always slow and calm while walking we won’t need to take so strict measures. Quite the opposite I’d say.

• The longest escalator in the world is the Central-Mid-Levels escalators in Hong Kong which “covers over 800 meters in distance and elevates over 135 meters from bottom to top”.
• I’m not sure about the shortest but this one in NJ, USA must be one of the shortest.