Moving Targets

Have you ever noticed how the moving handrails on escalators and moving walkways are just slightly faster than the stairs/walkways on which you tread? I know this sounds like a Jerry Seinfeld routine but I had occasion to check this out, yet again, at the American Airlines terminal at JFK a couple of weeks ago. It’s a very long trek, after going through security and reaching the gates, with several chances to take note of this phenomenon and to wonder just why this is so. If there is any extensive length between the start and end of the escalator/walkways and if you start the trip by holding on tightly to the handrail and not moving it you will more than likely fall flat on your face by the end. This doesn’t happen, of course, because you tend to adjust your grip but, hey, what’s up with this? I suppose Jerry Seinfeld could make this observation funny or, at least, slightly amusing.