Okay, I think the cart escalators in Greece must be different from here. The ones I've seen here basically grab the cart by one of the lower bars and bring it up or down - they're not people movers.

Ah. Yeah, these here are basically inclined conveyor belts. They've got handholds like escalators and the deeply-grooved treads like escalators, and the carts have special wheels that lock into the grooves (which incidentally make the carts impossible to push on a normal floor when full). In a couple stores, they are the only between-floor option so they get ped traffic also. The escalators are wide enough for a cart and a thin person, if the cart is well over to one side, so naturally half the people with carts plant them in the middle, blocking the foot traffic, and half the people on foot don't slip by easily, knocking other people over.

Now I understand why I think it's safe for Mal to ride in the cart on the cartscalator, and why it's not allowed in the States.

Now I understand why I think it's safe for Mal to ride in the cart on the cartscalator, and why it's not allowed in the States.

Yes! All is made clear!

Raq, ours are like this one here: [link]

Edit: No children! [link]

I've got no patience with folks marveling about the clean, safe, efficient public transit they aren't used to in their hometowns while trailing their rubbish through mine.

That is an issue. I cart my trash out of everywhere--like you're supposed to do at Yellowstone. I clean out my pockets (jacket/pants, etc.) and my purse/bag and it's full of cookie wrappers, foil packets, empty juice boxes, used baby wipes (NOT diaper wipes) and it's fairly gross. I've had to deal with the same in shopping carts and rented strollers and it pisses me off to no end. It's not that hard to stuff your trash in your pockets, rather than leave it around for someone else.

ours are like this one here

Yeek!

However, as a child, I would have totally begged to ride in the cart for that.

However, as a child, I would have totally begged to ride in the cart for that.

Well, sure. But now you know why some of us were (secretly?) thinking, "Hmm. She leaves Mal in the cart when she puts the cart in the escalator? ....huh."

Yes! All is made clear!

Indeed!

I clean out my pockets (jacket/pants, etc.) and my purse/bag and it's full of cookie wrappers, foil packets, empty juice boxes, used baby wipes (NOT diaper wipes) and it's fairly gross.

This is totally me. I've sometimes wondered about OCD tendacies when a corner of a scrap of a mote of paper floats out of my pocket and I simply can't leave it on the ground. It's like a physical thing. Or I'd silently beat myself up about it forever. It's just easier to clean up after myself than to deal with my innertyrant.

I daresay that the DC metro has similar rules for similar reasons and that the sole reason for the lack of trash receptacles isn't to discourage eating or drinking on the trains.

I'm fairly sure that food and drink has never been allowed on the DC metro, because of the messiness that ensues. But yeah, there used to be more trash/recycling bins in stations.

Timelies all!

Happy Birthday quester!