Possibly? Maybe the issue is that it damages the elevator (uneven pressure on one side). Maybe people trip because they're subconsciously expecting the escalato

Possibly? Maybe the issue is that it damages the elevator (uneven pressure on one side). Maybe people trip because they're subconsciously expecting the escalator to move. Maybe they're worried it'll start moving suddenly, and people will trip. Regardless, I've observed that they cordon them off.