Perhaps it only goes down, Alice in Wonderland style.
This is the view through the doorway after the Oakland airport security screening. I encountered it while traveling this week and it gave me a chuckle. Only after I walked past the sign, halfway to the far escalator and then turned left, could I finally see an actual elevator, tucked underneath and between flanking staircases. So I guess the sign is there to reassure travelers that, yes, there will be an elevator somewhere soon.
