What is an Escalator?
An escalator is a mechanized moving stairway, common in places with a lot of foot traffic or where a conventional staircase would be very long and tiring to climb. Escalators can often be seen in shopping malls, museums, multi-story parking garages, and subway stations, for example. Escalators are often installed in pairs, with an up escalator and a down escalator adjacent to each other, while a single escalator may be changed to go up or down according to the direction of heavier traffic at different times of the day. An escalator is similar to a conveyor belt, but differs in that it is on an incline and has a surface of stairs rather than a flat belt. Most escalators also include a handrail that moves in conjunction with the stairs. To move from one end of an escalator to the other, a person may simply stand on one step until one reaches the end, or one may climb or descend the escalator like conventional stairs. Many escalators in busy areas are wide enough to accommodate two column
