Doors

What is the proper etiquette for holding doors for people who are a few steps behind you? If they're one or two steps behind, then it's certainly appropriate to hold the door for them. But what about those who are three to ten steps behind?

When I go to the train each morning, I have to cross a bridge over the train tracks that has two sets of doors. Commuters who are 10 to 15 steps ahead of me feel obligated to hold the door for me, so then I feel like I need to hasten my pace as they're just standing there waiting for me to pass through the door. It happens in my office, too, when I go to our East End that has its own set of doors. (For the record, I'm not much of a door holder...if they're not right behind me, I don't feel the need to hold the door...call me rude; I prefer to call me a time-saver).

In the morning, when I get to the elevator bank at my office building, I'm not overly anxious to "hold the door" for someone running to catch a ride on my elevator. It's not like there won't be another elevator in 13 seconds. So as to not appear rude, I most often make a move toward the elevator key pad, but instead of pushing the "open door", I push the "close door" button. If I ever get caught, I simply that I panicked and hit the wrong button.

Lest you think I'm completely rude, I do allow others to enter the revolving door at my building before I do. Of course, that's not as gallant as you may think: I like someone else to be the 'lead horse' so I don't have to push as hard on the door and I can simply "draft" on their effort. While allowing others to enter a revolving door first does cost me time, it saves me strength, which is a valuable trade off.

I'm interested in your protocol for holding doors for folks who are a few paces behind you.