Every escalator is divided into two sides.

每條手扶梯都分成兩邊。

One side is for the standers and the other side is for the walkers.

一邊是給站立者，另一邊是步行者。

This escalator etiquette has been established in cities all over the world--Tokyo, Moscow, Washington DC.

這個搭手扶梯的禮儀都在全球多個城市建立，如東京、莫斯科、華盛頓等。

It's a delicate balance that's been struck, forced out of a battle between the walkers and the standers, that's been going on as long as escalators have been around.

這是一個微妙的平衡，被迫帶出了行走和站立者間的爭鬥，情況會跟隨著手扶梯的存在而持續。

Escalator walkers and standers have learned to accommodate or at least tolerate each other.

在手扶梯上的步行者和站立者學習互相提供行動空間，或至少可以互相容忍。

But this split isn't the best solution because it's inefficient and unsafe.

但這樣的做法不是最佳解決方法，因為根本沒效率，而且不安全。

A better way has been proven through research and recommended by escalator manufacturers and public transit officials.

根據研究指出有一個更好的方法，而手扶梯製造廠和公共運輸官員也推薦。

But changing people's escalator behavior isn't easy.

但要改變大家搭手扶梯的行為並不簡單。

Officials know because they've tried and failed.

官員很清楚是因為他們嘗試過了，但宣告失敗。

Because these two groups insist on using the escalator as they see fit.

因為這兩組的群眾都堅持使用他們認為合適的方法搭乘手扶梯。

So what's the right way to ride an escalator, and why is it so hard to get everybody to do it?

所以到底正確搭手扶梯的方法為何，以及為什麼讓大家都照做會這麼困難。

How people are supposed to use the escalator has always been a contentious topic.

到底應該要如何使用手扶梯的話題一直以來都具爭議性。

Just check out these letters to the editor from a Boston newspaper in 1946.

來看看刊登在 1946 年在波士頓的一份報章。

To the editor, why is it that Boston people have so much time?

致編輯：為什麼波士頓人都這麽閒？

As a New Yorker, I find it very irritating to ride standing all the way up the escalator because some stout Bostonian chooses to use it as a slow motion roller coaster.

身為紐約人，我覺得搭手扶梯全程站立的行為很讓人火大，因為有些強健的波士頓人把它當作慢版雲宵飛車在搭。

Whoever wrote that letter is the kind of guy that makes me sick.

寫這封信的人真的讓我覺得很噁心！

Escalators are installed so that people who cannot walk up can get to the top of the stairs without killing themselves.

手扶梯是讓行動不便的大眾不用為了爬到樓梯頂而把自己害死。

If the gentleman wants to run up, let him run up the stairs.

如果那位先生想要跑上去的話，那就去爬樓梯吧！

The original 1859 patent for revolving stairs said they could be used for standing or walking, but the first working prototypes were used as attractions at Coney Island and the World's Fair.

最初的循環式樓梯於 1859 年獲得專利，可以在上面站立或行走，但第一個原型是被用作康尼島和世界博覽會的景點。

They were rides that were meant to be ridden.

有乘載功能就是意味著可以被搭乘。

When the first commercial version was created in 1899, it was called the escalator, derived from the Latin word Scala meaning steps, meaning they were meant to be stepped on.

於 1899 年首支商業廣告出來，被稱為 escalator，是源自拉丁的文中的 scala，意思是台階，有被踩著的意思。

What wasn't up for debate was that escalators were more convenient than stairs and they were installed in department stores, hotels, and train stations.

沒有爭議的是自動扶梯比樓梯更方便，它們安裝於百貨商店、飯店和火車站。

Subway escalators could transport far more passengers than elevators but needed to be long to reach the deep subway stations that doubled as air raid and fallout shelters during the Cold War.

地鐵的手扶梯的載客量遠超於電梯，但搭乘所需的時間相對比較長才能抵達被挖深的地鐵站，這些地鐵站在冷戰時期更用作防空洞和避難所。

Most of the world's longest escalators are in former Soviet Republics.

大部分世界上最長的手扶梯都是在前蘇聯。

As cities got more crowded, people's need to get up or down the escalator became more urgent and the split became the norm.

隨著城市變得越來越擁擠，大眾在手扶梯上上下下的速度變得緊迫，而「分邊站」的行為變得普遍。

But walking on an escalator is not the same as walking on stairs.

可是，在手扶梯上行走和爬樓梯不一樣。

Escalator steps are wider and taller than stairs.

手扶梯的階梯比樓梯的還要寬和高。

They also don't have landings and are much steeper as a result.

而且也沒有平台，所以走起來也就會更陡。

Walking is the number one cause of injuries on escalators for people under the age of 65.

對於 65 歲以下的人來說，在手扶梯上行走是在搭乘中導致受傷的首要原因。

You can see why then that the majority of people would choose to stand on long escalators, but an uneven weight distribution caused by standers puts a tremendous strain on one side of the machine, increasing the risk of it breaking down.

可以看到為什麼大部分的人會選擇站在長長的手扶梯上，因站立與行走兩邊的重量分佈不均，會給一側的機器帶來極大的壓力，增加故障的風險。

Escalator breakdowns are no joke.

手扶梯故障可不是開玩笑。

Overburdened and aging escalators are common and can lead to horrific accidents.

負擔過重和老化的手扶梯的問題很普遍，可能導致可怕的事故發生。

As a result, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission as well as escalator manufacturers recommend standing in the center of the escalator and holding onto the handrail.

所以美國消費品安全委員會，以及手扶梯的製造廠提議要站在手扶梯的中間並要緊握扶手。

But that would mean giving up something critically important to commuters: the right to choose.

可是這可能代表對通勤者來說，需要放棄他們對至關重要的東西：選擇權。

Research has shown that commuters experience more stress than fighter pilots and riot police.

研究顯示有不少通勤者比戰鬥機和防暴警察有更大的壓力。

That's because people really want to feel in control of their movement.

因為人都有想要控制自己行動的想法。

We get angry when our autonomy gets taken away.

所以當我們的自主權被奪走的時候都會很生氣。

Think of road rage during rush hour.

想想在尖峰時期遇到路況不佳時的怒火。

The escalator split helps avoid that, letting everyone choose how quickly they want to move.

搭手扶梯時分邊站就可以避免這樣的狀況，讓大家自行決定行動的速度。

But the split is wrong, not just because it's unsafe but because so much escalator space goes unused.

但其實這樣做是錯的，不只是因為危險，還有因為手扶梯還有很多沒有充足利用的空間。

That's because half of the escalator is reserved for a minority of people.

只有一半的手扶梯是留了給少數人使用。

A walker takes up an average of three steps while a stander takes up just one.

步行者平均可以走到 3 個階梯，而站立者只佔 1 個階梯。

This leads to gridlock at the escalator's entrance and the longer the escalator, the more pronounced the problem gets because more people are going to choose to stand on the right.

這會導致手扶梯的入口出現堵塞，而手扶梯愈長問題就愈嚴重，因為會有更多人選擇站在右邊。

But if people stood side by side on the escalator it could fit more people. More people riding the escalator means less build up, and it's been proven to work.

倘若大眾肩並肩地站在手扶梯上，就可以容納更多人，乘載的人愈多代表後面積聚的群眾愈少，有事實證明這是有效的。

Please stand on both sides these escalators.

「請站在手扶梯的兩邊。」

In 2016, London's Holborn Metro Station designated two of its escalators--

2016 年，倫敦的霍本站有兩條指定是這樣的手扶梯。

--some of the transit system's longest--as standing-only for six months.

有的大眾運輸系統最長只維持了 6 個月。

The result? Escalator capacity was increased by 30 percent. But this only works if everyone does it, and that's a hard sell for walkers.

結果是手扶梯的載客量提高了 30%，但需要每個人都這樣做才有效，可對行走的人來說卻不買帳。

The Holborn escalators naturally went back to the split as soon as the trial was over.

在試用期間結束後，在霍本站的手扶梯就自然地恢復原來分邊站的場景。

Tokyo also tried and failed to implement a standing-only rule despite a rigorous PSA campaign.

儘管有嚴肅的宣導廣告，東京曾嘗試卻未能落實規定。

Why is it so hard to ditch the split for the common good?

為了共同利益去放棄這樣的做法，為什麼會如此困難？

Well, it isn't so much a problem of changing individual behavior but of changing a cultural norm.

嗯，這跟改變個人行為沒有太大的關係，而是要改變文化規範。

Most Westerners prefer about a foot-and-a-half of personal space around them at all times.

大部分的西方人希望可以保持約莫 45 公分距離的私人空間。

Standing on an escalator doesn't allow for that and social pressure has a powerful influence on behavior.

但站在手扶梯上就沒辦法保持這樣的距離，社會壓力對行為是有很強大的影響。

Any tourist who has been screamed at for standing on the wrong side of the escalator knows that.

對於站錯邊的旅客在被吼過以後就知道這點了。

Whoa, buddy. I'm walkin' here!

老兄，我在走這。

But the shame can work both ways.

但這種羞恥心兩邊都會有。

Several South American cities have hired mascots and mimes as crossing guards whose main job is to ridicule those who don't obey the traffic laws.

有幾個南美城市聘請了吉祥物和默劇演員當穿越馬路的守衛，而他們主要的工作是嘲笑那些不遵守交通規則的人。

They've reduced traffic fatalities by as much as 50 percent.

這做法降低了高達 50% 的交通事故死亡率。

The social pressure of the split has led to its dominance.

這樣分邊站的行為所帶來的社會壓力使它成了主導。

So it might take a couple of martyrs or mimes to take a stand on one side and start the revolution.

因此，可能需要一些烈士或默劇演員站在一邊並開始革命。

I'm sure this video has gotten a rise out of you.

我相信這段影片已經引起你的關注了。

So let us know your thoughts.

不妨讓我們知道你的想法。

Can we change escalator behavior or are we absolutely insane for trying?

你覺得我們可以改變搭手扶梯的行為習慣嗎？還是覺得這樣的嘗試很愚蠢？

Comment below and like and subscribe for more Cheddar deep dives and breakdowns, and be sure to turn on notifications so you'll know exactly when we're dropping new videos.

可以在下面留言並按讚，訂閱頻道可以看到更多影片。別忘記打開通知的鈴鐺，這樣才可以知道我們的最新影片。