Energy Efficient Escalators

As I was on my way to lunch today, it occurred to me that most escalators I see are lit from underneath. I began to wonder why they would do this, and the only reason that leapt to mind was that it helps show the gaps between the treads at the top and bottom of the escalator.

This seems like a waste of energy. Why don't they just paint a line on the gap between treads? This would serve the same purpose without using any energy. This got me thinking of other ways we could save energy on escalators.

1. Use "regenerative braking," so to speak, from the down escalators to provide energy to run the up escalators.
2. Only run the escalators when someone is on it. Some escalator installations already do this.

Having escalators that run all the time and have powerful lights under the tread seems like a huge waste of energy. And in many places, such as the atrium of my office building, they don't even have stairs as an alternative.