Escalators. Convenient when they work, useless metal totems when they don't, and a recurring source of debate. The eternal conflict between those who stand still and those who walk seems to have been settled by an unwritten rule: Whoever doesn't want to move stands on the right. That may be effective for riders, but it is a real disaster in terms of efficiency and safety. Why? The video below explains it.
Sometimes we want to save time and make the effort to climb at a good pace. And sometimes the exact opposite happens, surrendering our will to the automatic movement. The escalator has several advantages, starting with its role as assistance for older people or those with physical problems, and the fact that it can move more people than an elevator. However, there is a truth we have ignored for decades: We are using them wrong. What's the problem?
The etiquette and safety problem
First, the so-called 'etiquette' of using a conventional escalator causes efficiency losses. If standing users stay on one side and the rest walk down the other lane, the waste of space is very significant. Second, walking on an escalator is unsafe. It even goes against the recommendations of manufacturers. The reason is simple: a 'division' between standing and walking users creates an incorrect weight distribution, increasing the risk of mechanical failure. The collapse of an escalator is not a pretty thing to see, and people have died because of it.
https://old.neoteo.com/la-mejor-publicidad-escaleras-mecanicas-galeria/The evidence and the resistance
As if that weren't enough, the general design of escalators (with higher steps, no landings, and a steeper incline) can cause injuries. The number one cause of injuries in people under 65 when using escalators is... walking on them. Around the world, different stations and establishments evaluated the performance of escalators where walking was banned. At Holborn station in London, it was confirmed (during a six-month pilot test) that the capacity of the escalators increased by 30 percent. And so we arrive at the heart of this conflict: People resist. Even in Japan, with massive safety, education, and public health campaigns, they haven't managed to convince users not to walk on escalators. In short, the most efficient way to ride escalators is to stay still and occupy the whole escalator... but we don't like it.
