On Mon, 15 Nov 2010 14:31:37 -0000, "Paul Scott"
wrote:

CJB isn't the first to spot this and post about it, and probably won't be
the last. And as a regular contributor he'll have read any number of posts
about serious overcrowding at various tube stations. As you rightly point
out, the one way systems are in place for the benefit of everyone, and if
everyone ignored them the advantages to those 'regulars' who do so now would
immediately disappear.

It's analogous to queueing barriers where large numbers of people
congregate. If demand is quiet, it's quicker to go around them and
walk directly to the front than zig-zag your way around. Try it when
it is busy and you may find your decision less than acceptable to your
fellow queuers.

I guess underground stations by their nature apply the 'Disney'
variant, where the end of the line is not visible until you get round
the last corner. Maybe that's why visitors follow the signs?