About using steps..can you explain?

Question

when we use narrow steps we get down quickly but when we use wider steps we step down slowly..i have this kind of a feeling, can you explain?

Answer 1

I know the feeling.  My guess is that it is a combination of the enclosure of narrow stairs that people don't like so they move faster or the fact you feel more secure in a smaller space from falling so you feel like you can move quicker.  It  is similar to cars that drive slowly when there are no overtaking lanes but when there are they speed up.  Why??

Answer 2

Macca is partly right.  Narrow stairways have handrails that are easy to grab.  Sometime you use both at the same time.  But you if are on the stairs to a large building, the handrails can be very far apart, so far that you don't use the handrail.  Another factor is that stairs that are wide, side to side, often have a more shallow vertical depth for aesthetic reasons.  This contrasts with the stairs in our homes or places of work that have a standard rise and run for each stair step, so we feel less comfortable when descend these non-standard stairs.