Escalator etiquette in Germany, or lack thereof

Can someone (preferably a German) please tell me why German have absolutely no disciple when it comes to standing on escalators. This really drives me crazy, especially after a trip to London where the discipline is clear - standers on the left, walkers on the right. Germans seem to regard the middle of the escalator as their own personal domain and perish all who perhaps would like to get by.

Rant over.

It's actually stand on the right, walk on the left, in both places.

I've not really experience any problems on Munich's escalators though - whereabouts in Germany are you?

Seems to be tourists usually who stand on the left. They don't know what they don't know. I don't have a problem here in Munich with this - people move over with a muttered "Entschuldigung".

Well here in Berlin I have this escalator problem every day... and they are not only tourists... a lot of younger people... or even businessman.

in Munich this is a constant bugbear of mine on the Ubahn. People on the platform rushing and pushing people out of the way in a huge hurry so that they can then stand still in the middle of the escalator so that nobody can pass. It is only a minority of people who do it but it drives me batty. Someone like that would be mown down in a stampede in London!

Also at Munich airport - nobody seems to realise that the travelators are there to aid quick passage to all the gates and not somewhere for lardarses to stand idly with their luggage blocking any possible transit.

And why oh why oh why to German teenagers feel the need to meet their large number of friends right bang at the top of busy escalators?

Ah, but that is a compliment to the tolerance of Germans while showing up the pushiness of Londoners.
As mentioned above, asking to be let by is the solution to what you see as a problem.

I find the school kids I meet every morning, apart from hols (a lot of Italian kids seem to go to school somewhere near Am Moosfeld), like to form groups on the escalator, chatting away happily as if they wouldn't see each other every single day at school ;-) But they will move over without any problems, if asked. Elsewhere I haven't experienced any problems so far, apart from the occasional tourist who apparently doesn't have escalators at home...

The only thing that annoys me is the escalator at Sendlinger Tor, taking you from the U2/1 platform upstairs to U3/6. People stop right at the top of the escalator, taking their time to figure out in what direction they need to go, while you can wave goodbye to the train you'd have caught if you weren't too nice to push them out of the way. Look at the maps, folks, it's not that difficult.

Just say something and they will move and let you go through. Wow, complicated problems you are facing right now.

yeah right. oxymoron if ever i heard one.

More a slam against the Brits.

You could have fooled me.

On a related topic... why can't Germans queue?

The most organised people in the world, but they haven't worked out the humble queue.

Or even the concept of making space. At my local coffee shop, there is a small counter where everyone orders their coffee. Everywhere else in the world, you step away from the counter while they make your coffee, so you can let the next person step up and place their order. Except here, everyone grimly hangs on to their spot on the counter until the coffee arrives.

Top or bottom, parents, anyone. I live by Riem Arcaden, people not caring about others on the escalators is normal esp. families but then stopping at the bottom to look around an get their bearing, oh wait what people behind us...
Also why is it when you have the narrowest part of a walkway (ie. getting past said escalators) do the locals seem to think this is the best place to talk while turning their Kinderwagen sideways on?!?

actually sara I think that the majority of Germans do observe queue and escalator etiquette just fine and dandy. But there is a very rude and mostly older generation who do not and seem to go out of their way to gum things up.

Slightly off topic: why do smokers have to light up on the escalator, thereby forcing people behind them to inhale their smoke?

Edit: I used to smoke and would always wait until I was out of the station before lighting up!