The number of escalators used to gain access to the upper levels of shopping malls, department stores, airports and sports stadiums has shown a sharp rise, according to new figures.
The 'moving staircase', as some old fuddy-duddies still like to refer to it, has become a regular sight all across the US, and, despite the state of Wyoming having only three pairs of escalators, country-wide their numbers are on the up.
In 2017, there were a total of 28,756 escalators in the US, whereas in June of this year, there were 31,394 - a steep climb of almost 10% in two years.
The reason for the increase, and escalators' overall ascendancy over lifts, may be related to the plummeting decline in the use of the latter, whose popularity has been dropping like a stone for a number of years.
Escalators may have the advantage over elevators due to their gradually-rising motion which allows for an appreciation of the nearby scenery, as opposed to the rather more immediate up-and-downness of lifts, which can be claustrophobic, and unpleasant, especially when somebody farts.
