Escalators in London are just quick, and remember the etiquette!

I just think the escalators in London are just quicker than our American counterparts. I have to wonder if the set speed standard is just higher. I have been to train stations in New York and DC, and the escalators just aren't fast enough like the ones in the London Tube.

The fastest escalator I have seen is the Bank station tube in London. It goes pretty quick taking you and from the Central Line.

The slowest I have been on was the Wheaton station on the metro red line in DC. It's like you are not moving.

Perhaps Londoners are just fast walkers. No one is complaining about the speed. But I think they should crank up the speed on the escalators in the US. The ones in the mall are pretty slow, and only the ones in the airport are pretty decent.

As for the etiquette, it's always stand to the right, walk on the left. For the touristy people, if you disobey, you will get the glare and the slight bump to move along or find a space on the right. It does make the foot traffic go a bit faster, and you just hate when a person gets on the escalator on the left side, and just stands there, and there's like 10-15 people waiting. Don't piss the Brits off when you're visiting.

In the states, I guess there's nothing you can do. In the airports, people do pay attention somewhat. Anywhere else, no one really cares. I often get stories from friends while they're in malls or train stations, and they politely ask a person standing on the left to move along, they get the finger or they just feign ignorance and just stay there. And when they quickly move around them when the escalator ends, the person actually had the gall to complain about cutting him off.