Superstition? Or what caused this?

Honestly I do this kinda thing all the time. Make minor adjustments in my life to reduce risk. Like if I'm going on the subway and the escalator is stopped, I'll just walk up the normal stairs, since there is a minor chance that an escalator could collapse

In this instance, it takes nearly the exact same amount of time to go around the pole and there's no risk of it falling on you or whatever.