Good Question
Some things simply exist in our everyday lives but we have no idea why. Take, for example, these little brushes that run along every escalator in the world. Do you know what their purpose is? No? Neither did we, not until this post anyway.
Apparently, they are a safety measure to help keep shoes, dresses, handbags, and other similar things from getting snagged in the small gap at the side. Ironically, though they’re supposed to deter people from standing at the edge, most go out of their way to brush their footwear against it. Some even think it’s a shoeshine but no, that’s not what they’re there for.