Dave Arquati:
Practically though, surely the easiest thing would be to devise
a pictorial method of indicating "stand on the right"?

Mark Brader:
That doesn't seem like an easy thing to me at all.

"Richard":
I don't know... I'm sure I've seen somewhere, a pictogram of a
cross-section of escalator with someone standing on the right.

Again, that looks as though it ought to mean to keep off the left
side altogether. You could add a walking figure on the left, but
I don't think the difference between the two figures would call
attention to itself, and even if someone noticed that, they still
wouldn't be likely to figure out that they were also supposed to
notice that the *other* key difference was which was on the left.

Unless they already knew the rule, of course -- but in that case,
they didn't need the sign, did they?

You might be able to do it with a *large* picture that had room
for motion arrows. I remember seeing signs on the Helsinki Metro
some years ago where "Wait for passengers to leave trains before
boarding" was expressed with two large pictures and no writing
except the numbers 1 and 2 -- like something out of Fahrenheit 451.
But a little pictogram that could go beside the escalator... no,
I don't believe it.
--
Mark Brader, Toronto "Just because it's correct doesn't
make it right!" -- Jonas Schlein

My text in this article is in the public domain.