# Forbid walking up and down escalators in Taiwan? A Japanese prefecture just did this **URL:** \ **Category:** Living in Taiwan\ **Tags:** japan\ **Created:** [April 3, 2021, 3:26am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/forbid-walking-up-and-down-escalators-in-taiwan-a-japanese-prefecture-just-did-this/204996 "2021-04-03T03:26:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DKaoshuing](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/dkaoshuing/32/127142_2.png) [@DKaoshuing](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/DKaoshuing)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 3:26am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/forbid-walking-up-and-down-escalators-in-taiwan-a-japanese-prefecture-just-did-this/204996/1 "2021-04-03T03:26:56Z")
[Saitama officially forbids walking up and down escalators - Japan Today](https://japantoday.com/category/national/saitama-officially-forbids-walking-up-and-down-escalators) I think it’s good idea! Plan your time so you do things in a safe and relaxing manner. ---
**Author:** ![ThaiJuan](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/ad7895/32.png) [@ThaiJuan](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/ThaiJuan)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 3:38am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/forbid-walking-up-and-down-escalators-in-taiwan-a-japanese-prefecture-just-did-this/204996/2 "2021-04-03T03:38:48Z")
Stand on the right, walk on the left. Everybody wins. This is one of the things I like about Taiwan. In the US people will cluelessly stand on both sides and block traffic. I’m convinced these are the same people who drive slowly in the left lane on the highway. ---
**Author:** ![lostinasia](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/lostinasia/32/60703_2.png) [@lostinasia](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/lostinasia)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 3:42am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/forbid-walking-up-and-down-escalators-in-taiwan-a-japanese-prefecture-just-did-this/204996/3 "2021-04-03T03:42:07Z")
> [@ThaiJuan](#): > > Stand on the right, walk on the left. Everybody wins. Not exactly. If it’s busy, then one “lane” walking means everybody loses - it slows the whole thing down. Better for all to stand on both sides. But yes, if the escalator is mostly empty and two people are blocking others by standing abreast, that’s annoying. > **[Why You Shouldn’t Walk on Escalators (Published 2017)](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/04/us/escalators-standing-or-walking.html)** > > If everyone stood two abreast, experts say, escalators would move more people more quickly. Good luck persuading anyone to do this. ---
**Author:** ![ThaiJuan](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/ad7895/32.png) [@ThaiJuan](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/ThaiJuan)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 3:50am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/forbid-walking-up-and-down-escalators-in-taiwan-a-japanese-prefecture-just-did-this/204996/4 "2021-04-03T03:50:17Z")
No, it slows the whole thing down when it’s clogged with people not moving. Let the people who choose to move, move, and the people who choose to stand (or need to stand), stand. One side moving is better than neither side moving. By the way, I say this as someone who chooses to stand 90% of the time. It doesn’t bother me if others are moving while I’m standing, and I sure do appreciate being able to move on those rare occasions when I am in a hurry. ---
**Author:** ![Dougie\_Fresh](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@Dougie\_Fresh](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Dougie_Fresh)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 3:58am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/forbid-walking-up-and-down-escalators-in-taiwan-a-japanese-prefecture-just-did-this/204996/5 "2021-04-03T03:58:43Z")
In the US people don’t put strollers with their kids in them on the escalator. In Taiwan they do even though signs say not to and it’s obvious why you shouldn’t. I’m convinced these are the same people who were dropped on their heads as kids. ---
**Author:** ![lostinasia](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/lostinasia/32/60703_2.png) [@lostinasia](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/lostinasia)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 3:59am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/forbid-walking-up-and-down-escalators-in-taiwan-a-japanese-prefecture-just-did-this/204996/6 "2021-04-03T03:59:50Z")
> [@ThaiJuan](#): > > No, it slows the whole thing down when it’s clogged with people not moving. Untrue, as that New York Times article and many others out there explain. In crowded situations, if everyone stands, then the flow onto and off the escalator speeds up, and that lessens crowds. There’s lots of pieces out there like the New York Times article; also a discussion on forumosa a few years ago. > [@Can this work in the Taipei MRT?](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/can-this-work-in-the-taipei-mrt/159287): > > Apparently boarding escalators two by two and standing is more efficient than the popular system of standing on one side, walking up on the other. The article mentions that this will not work in the US – people’s self-interest dominates behavior: Yeah, good luck making that happen, at least in America, experts said… “In the U.S., self-interest dominates our behavior on the road, on escalators and anywhere there is a capacity problem,” he wrote in an email. “I don’t believe Americans, any lo… ---
**Author:** ![tando](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/6f9a4e/32.png) [@tando](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/tando)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 4:40am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/forbid-walking-up-and-down-escalators-in-taiwan-a-japanese-prefecture-just-did-this/204996/7 "2021-04-03T04:40:59Z")
> **[The tube at a standstill: why TfL stopped people walking up the escalators](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jan/16/the-tube-at-a-standstill-why-tfl-stopped-people-walking-up-the-escalators)** > > It’s British lore: on escalators, you stand on the right. So why did TfL ask people to stop walking on the left? And could it help solve a looming congestion crisis? ---
**Author:** ![ThaiJuan](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/ad7895/32.png) [@ThaiJuan](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/ThaiJuan)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 4:41am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/forbid-walking-up-and-down-escalators-in-taiwan-a-japanese-prefecture-just-did-this/204996/8 "2021-04-03T04:41:44Z")
Why does it matter if you can get on the escalator more quickly if you can’t move once you’re on it? When I’m choosing to stand it means I’m not in a hurry and don’t care if it takes me longer to get on and off the escalator. When I’m choosing to walk it means I’m in a hurry and need that left side to move. The current system allows for both, and is far superior to the standing-on-both-sides thing in major American cities. I lived with both, and greatly prefer the Taiwan version. ---
**Author:** ![tando](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/6f9a4e/32.png) [@tando](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/tando)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 4:42am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/forbid-walking-up-and-down-escalators-in-taiwan-a-japanese-prefecture-just-did-this/204996/9 "2021-04-03T04:42:54Z")
Not for people with toddlers or handicapped. They should use elevators? ---
**Author:** ![DrewC](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/drewc/32/224499_2.png) [@DrewC](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/DrewC)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 4:49am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/forbid-walking-up-and-down-escalators-in-taiwan-a-japanese-prefecture-just-did-this/204996/10 "2021-04-03T04:49:49Z")
> [@DKaoshuing](#): > > I think it’s good idea! Plan your time so you do things in a safe and relaxing manner. No! Some people are slow as shit and it’s annoying when you’re in a rush to meet someone. This would make those human traffic jams even worse. The current system of stand on right, walk up/down on left isn’t perfect and ignored by some, but it’s much better than this. ---
**Author:** ![DrewC](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/drewc/32/224499_2.png) [@DrewC](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/DrewC)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 4:50am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/forbid-walking-up-and-down-escalators-in-taiwan-a-japanese-prefecture-just-did-this/204996/11 "2021-04-03T04:50:53Z")
> [@ThaiJuan](#): > > In the US people will cluelessly stand on both sides and block traffic. People do it a lot here too, especially when they’re talking to a friend or off in their own world. ---
**Author:** ![tando](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/6f9a4e/32.png) [@tando](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/tando)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 4:56am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/forbid-walking-up-and-down-escalators-in-taiwan-a-japanese-prefecture-just-did-this/204996/12 "2021-04-03T04:56:34Z")
> [@DrewC](#): > > This would make those human traffic jams even worse no, as the article I sited says. ---
**Author:** ![finley](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/57b2e6/32.png) [@finley](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/finley)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 5:03am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/forbid-walking-up-and-down-escalators-in-taiwan-a-japanese-prefecture-just-did-this/204996/13 "2021-04-03T05:03:33Z")
The implication of that article is not that standing two abreast is more efficient, but that people are so bloody lazy they can’t even be bothered to take an assisted hike up the left-hand side. I often take the stairs because the escalators are clogged with a-mas on both sides. It’s quicker. At least Taipei metro does _have_ stairs, and most stations are fairly close to surface level. ---
**Author:** ![ThaiJuan](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/ad7895/32.png) [@ThaiJuan](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/ThaiJuan)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 5:05am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/forbid-walking-up-and-down-escalators-in-taiwan-a-japanese-prefecture-just-did-this/204996/14 "2021-04-03T05:05:22Z")
Or stand if they need to stand. ---
**Author:** ![ThaiJuan](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/ad7895/32.png) [@ThaiJuan](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/ThaiJuan)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 5:07am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/forbid-walking-up-and-down-escalators-in-taiwan-a-japanese-prefecture-just-did-this/204996/15 "2021-04-03T05:07:15Z")
I see it occasionally here, but in the US it’s the norm, and the OP appears to be advocating for it to also be the norm here. Besides the highway analogy, I also compare it to moving sidewalks at the airport. Slow on the right, fast on the left. ---
**Author:** ![crusher](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/crusher/32/235005_2.png) [@crusher](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/crusher)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 5:07am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/forbid-walking-up-and-down-escalators-in-taiwan-a-japanese-prefecture-just-did-this/204996/16 "2021-04-03T05:07:34Z")
> [@ThaiJuan](#): > > No, it slows the whole thing down when it’s clogged with people not moving. Let the people who choose to move, move, and the people who choose to stand (or need to stand), stand. One side moving is better than neither side moving. > > By the way, I say this as someone who chooses to stand 90% of the time. It doesn’t bother me if others are moving while I’m standing, and I sure do appreciate being able to move on those rare occasions when I am in a hurry. You are asking people to think for themselves in something as complex as taking an escalator ?😉 ---
**Author:** ![tando](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/6f9a4e/32.png) [@tando](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/tando)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 5:08am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/forbid-walking-up-and-down-escalators-in-taiwan-a-japanese-prefecture-just-did-this/204996/17 "2021-04-03T05:08:25Z")
Is it ok standing ipn the left to hold the bar by left hand? ---
**Author:** ![jimipresley](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/jimipresley/32/102867_2.png) [@jimipresley](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/jimipresley)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 5:11am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/forbid-walking-up-and-down-escalators-in-taiwan-a-japanese-prefecture-just-did-this/204996/18 "2021-04-03T05:11:56Z")
> [@tando](#): > > Is it ok standing ipn the left to hold the bar by left hand? Wot? ---
**Author:** ![ThaiJuan](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/ad7895/32.png) [@ThaiJuan](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/ThaiJuan)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 5:13am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/forbid-walking-up-and-down-escalators-in-taiwan-a-japanese-prefecture-just-did-this/204996/19 "2021-04-03T05:13:03Z")
> [@tando](#): > > Is it ok standing ipn the left to hold the bar by left hand? Tf? ---
**Author:** ![SuiGeneris](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/suigeneris/32/246773_2.png) [@SuiGeneris](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/SuiGeneris)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 5:17am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/forbid-walking-up-and-down-escalators-in-taiwan-a-japanese-prefecture-just-did-this/204996/20 "2021-04-03T05:17:11Z")
The research saying no walking is faster is only for times when there are so many people there is an actual line waiting to get on the escalator. Think MRT during New Years after the 101 show. When there is a line, it is faster for everyone if nobody walks and they fill each step. More people on and off. But, of course, there usually are no lines here every day, so walking is faster. The other point is lining up only on one side causes uneven wear on the machine. [Next page](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/forbid-walking-up-and-down-escalators-in-taiwan-a-japanese-prefecture-just-did-this/204996.md?page=2)