It's Just a Jump to the Left: Etiquette for Escalators and Straight Lines

What's grey, regularly crowded and is capable of putting momentary fear into the eyes of all kids - big and small?

The humble escalator can be construed as a metaphor for the road of life.

You want to get to the next level? Life's tough. There's no time for fear.
You step on. Ah, but where to stand?

Or do you, as a great Aussie band once churned, just keep walking?

In Australia, the 'keep left, unless overtaking' rule is one that is generally accepted but unfortunately
blissfully ignored on the road, on escalators, and pretty much wherever there is a straight line stretching out ahead.

Depending on where you've come from in the world, this may come as naturally as eating or sleeping - or it could feel as unnatural as riding a bicycle backwards.
The trick is to keep calm and remain courteous at all times with those who may come to our land from other countries and cultures where queues are a cue to move right.

The question of demographic division further complicates the issue.

Francis of Pyrmont recently wrote to me of an incident in which he suddenly found himself in a social stand-off almost worthy of the days of the wild, wild West.

"It was a narrow laneway - blocked even further by a construction site and these two ladies were walking towards me, side by side, with two big prams. I stopped. They stopped. They stared. And then, suddenly, one said to me, 'I think the phrase you're looking for is 'Excuse me…' Fair enough if I was on the right side of the path or trying to push my way past - but I was on the left!"

I've heard of serious scuttles caused by smaller confrontations. In this situation, as with bicycles on busy roadways, it must be said that it is quite inconsiderate to opt for the steamroller strategy - especially with all the confidence that comes with travelling in numbers.

Travelling two-or-more-abreast in any form is an option that can never be simply taken for granted in an everexpanding city such as Sydney.

 Look left, look right but most importantly, look ahead and make a conscious, community-driven decision on where you stand - not only on escalators and footpaths - but also in life.