Dec 02 (rocketnews24.com) - Like many countries, Japan has an unwritten rule that those who are willing to ride an escalator by standing still should keep to one side, while people in a rush who want to climb the moving steps are allowed access on the other side.
While the posters highlight the dangers of walking on escalators and the nuisance it can cause by hitting people you walk past, these groups are hoping people will appreciate that standing actually makes more people get to the top faster than the current method.
They cite London’s Holborn Station Experiment in which escalators where made to be standing only on both sides so that passenger flow could be analyzed. As a result they found that about 30 percent more people could pass through when people stood on both sides compared to having only standing people on one side.
On the surface it makes sense, by putting the majority of standing escalator riders to one side, a lot of valuable space is wasted. However, these results depend on various factors such as the size of the escalator and flow of people. In cases of shorter escalators, standing both sides can turn out to be less efficient.
Also, even though everyone is getting to the top faster when standing on both sides, those who either want or need to get to the top faster to catch a train, get to a restroom, or whatnot are greatly slowed down. This means that the people who benefit from this efficiency aren’t necessarily the ones who are looking for it.
While the posters highlight the dangers of walking on escalators and the nuisance it can cause by hitting people you walk past, these groups are hoping people will appreciate that standing actually makes more people get to the top faster than the current method.
They cite London’s Holborn Station Experiment in which escalators where made to be standing only on both sides so that passenger flow could be analyzed. As a result they found that about 30 percent more people could pass through when people stood on both sides compared to having only standing people on one side.
On the surface it makes sense, by putting the majority of standing escalator riders to one side, a lot of valuable space is wasted. However, these results depend on various factors such as the size of the escalator and flow of people. In cases of shorter escalators, standing both sides can turn out to be less efficient.
Also, even though everyone is getting to the top faster when standing on both sides, those who either want or need to get to the top faster to catch a train, get to a restroom, or whatnot are greatly slowed down. This means that the people who benefit from this efficiency aren’t necessarily the ones who are looking for it.
