Cue the Elevator Music: 5 Common Elevator Riding Habits

Cue the Elevator Music: 5 Common Elevator Riding Habits
Maybe its nail biting as you sit in your car amid morning rush hour traffic. It may be twirling your hair out of boredom in an afternoon work meeting. We all have habits! Citywide Elevator Consultants has made a habit out of providing the highest quality of asset preservation, tenant safety, comfort, and liability mitigation for all our clientele. Let’s be honest, being in a confined space with strangers can get a little awkward. How do you act in a crowded elevator?

We move to the corners: When riding an elevator solo people stand in the middle. Once someone enters the elevator we go straight for a corner. As more people walk onto the elevator, each person tends to shift to their own corners in order to give each other appropriate social space.

We stare at the numbers: On an elevator you’re usually surrounded by strangers. In the hopes of avoiding awkward eye contact many of us will stare at the push buttons.

We press the close door button: Pressing the close door button will not cause the doors to close any faster. Due to the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, elevator doors must remain ajar long enough for those on crutches or in a wheelchair to get inside safely. The same goes for walk signals at many crosswalks. Pushing the button does not give you the sign to walk any sooner. Buttons like these are referred to as “placebo buttons.” They are designed to give the illusion of control.

We do not always wait for passengers: Research has shown that 30% of people have intentionally let an elevator door close even when they saw someone running for it.

We face the doors: Facing the doors allows us to watch the floor buttons as we ride the elevator. It would be difficult to know when to exit if we are face away from the doors. Only a small percentage of elevator riders will face another passenger or towards the back wall.