I view the need for instructions on shampoo bottles as a serious indictment of our school system. But the real condemnation has to be the big doh! that easily adds four minutes to my commute every morning. Any doubts were dashed this morning, when I once again had to stand rock-still in what should be the express line of the “up” escalator at 53rd and Lex.  

It’s not a hard concept to grasp: People who want to passively ride the steep ascent keep to the right. Those of us who want to walk as the escalator speeds us along stick to the left.  Yet more often than not, some dunderhead gums up the works. They stand there with a long, hostile queue behind them, hearing the pointed pleas to step aside. It’s not that tough to squeeze to the right, even if the slow riders won’t open a little space for you. But the clogger often sticks there, looking like the proverbial Sawmill deer in the SUV’s headlights.  

Amazingly, they’ll sometimes indeed clear the way—only to have some other dimwit assume the role of spoiler.  

This is why the concept of a formalized escalator express lane needs to be explored.

–PFP