If you are in a hurry, please take the stairs! It is not a good habit to walk on the left and stand on the right when taking the escalator →

Review expert: Wang Shengwei, Senior Engineer, Beijing Municipal Engineering Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd.

In daily life, when taking an escalator in the subway or shopping mall, everyone is used to standing on the right side, assuming that the left channel is reserved for people in a hurry, and this is regarded as the etiquette and rule of taking the escalator. If someone occupies the left channel, it will be considered a performance of "lack of quality".

Image source: Screenshot of Weibo hot search

Based on this, some netizens recently suggested that Chengdu Metro remind and guide passengers to "walk on the left and stand on the right" when taking escalators, but Chengdu Metro responded: This practice is not recommended! The related topic immediately became a hot search, attracting attention from all parties.

The origin of the "walk on the left, stand on the right" rule

The prototype of the modern escalator was born in New York, USA in 1900, and has a history of more than 100 years. The earliest record of "walking on the left and standing on the right" when riding an escalator can be traced back to the "please stand on the right" sign in the London Underground in 1944. Subsequently, countries around the world began to follow suit and advocated "walking on the left and standing on the right" when riding escalators. The history of "walking on the left and standing on the right" when riding escalators in China is actually not long, and "walking on the left and standing on the right" has also been widely promoted as a civilized behavior.

The "walk on the left and stand on the right" rule is gradually being changed. In recent years, the "walk on the left and stand on the right" rule is being changed both at home and abroad. According to relevant public information, Toronto, Canada has removed the "walk on the left and stand on the right" slogan on escalators because more than 100 people are injured on escalators every year; South Korea has also cancelled the "walk on the left and stand on the right" rule on all escalators in the Seoul subway; Japan is working hard to promote the "safe and correct" way to take escalators, and its theme is "Don't walk or run on escalators."

Image source: Shangguan News

In recent years, many places such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Nanjing, and Hong Kong have cancelled the "walk on the left and stand on the right" initiative. Beijing Metro has cancelled the "walk on the left and stand on the right" reminder on escalators since 2018, and has vigorously promoted and guided passengers to "stand firmly and hold on" and pay attention to the safety of their feet when riding the escalator. In 2019, Shanghai Metro released the "Latest Version of Escalator Riding Instructions", canceling the previous "walk on the left and stand on the right" advocacy and adding "no walking and running while riding escalators". In recent years, the Hong Kong Metro has also stopped advocating "walk on the left and stand on the right", and replaced it with the slogan "hold the handrail and stand still".

Why is it not recommended to walk on escalators? Let us first explain from a scientific perspective why it is not suitable to walk or run while riding an escalator:

The step height of an escalator is different from that of a staircase. According to the currently implemented national standard "Safety Specifications for the Installation of Escalators and Moving Walkways" (GB16899-2011), the maximum step height of an escalator shall not exceed 24cm. Generally, the design height of escalator steps is 13cm-18cm higher than the design height required for stairs in public places.

Image source: CCTV.com

The standard stipulates that the step depth of an escalator cannot be less than 38cm, which is much higher than the national minimum step width requirement of 22cm for ordinary stairs.

In addition, the speed of elevators in shopping malls is generally 0.5 meters per second, while the speed of elevators in subways is a little faster, about 0.65-0.7 meters per second, and are considered "high-speed elevators."

Image source: CCTV News

From the design principle of escalator, the slope of escalator is slightly higher than the height of stairs in daily building mechanism structure, and is not suitable for walking.

Therefore, if people walk on the escalator, it is easy to step on empty air or trip, and it is easy to bump into other passengers on the escalator while walking, causing accidents.

95% of escalator damage is caused by uneven force. The "left side for walking and right side for standing" will cause the escalator on the "left side" to have a relatively lighter load, while the load on the right side will be heavier, which will cause a tilt. The right side components of the escalator steps (such as rollers, step chains, etc.) will be subject to more mechanical wear, which can easily shorten the service life of the components and increase the failure rate.

Image source: Hubei Emergency Management

According to 5.3.3.2.1 and 5.3.3.3.1.1 of GB16899-2011, during the static and dynamic load tests on escalator steps, under the same load conditions, the rollers in the steps are most likely to be damaged. At the same time, after the implementation of "walking on the left and standing on the right", it is more likely to form a combined load of dynamic load and static load on the steps, which is easy to cause wear on the step rollers. According to a public report of a well-known elevator manufacturer, when the "walking on the left and standing on the right" is implemented, the force on the rollers on the right side is three times that on the rollers on the left side. In the long run, these rollers will first fatigue, wear and tear until they are scrapped.

Image source: CCTV News

According to operational data compiled by the Nanjing Metro Operating Company, long-term "walking on the left and standing on the right" practice causes great damage to elevators, and 95% of elevator damage is caused by uneven force on the elevators.

Walking on the left and standing on the right does not improve traffic efficiency. The original intention of "walking on the left and standing on the right" is to leave space for others to pass conveniently, but in actual operation, people's good intentions often result in "empty space on the left and standing on the right".

In addition, during peak hours, the passenger density on the escalator is high and the walking space is limited. If there are still a large number of passengers walking on the escalator at this time, it will cause congestion and chaos, thereby reducing traffic efficiency.

Image source: Qianku.com

In fact, as early as 2006, Assistant Professor of Architecture at City University of Hong Kong Su Tingbi wrote an article pointing out that passengers can only save a few seconds walking on escalators, which is not very helpful in increasing the capacity of elevators; calculations by London traffic engineering experts show that at London's very busy Holborn Station, if everyone stands on both sides of the escalator, it can accommodate 31 more people per minute, or 24% more passengers. Another well-known French consulting company Capgemini's research conclusion is: standing on both sides saves more time than "walking on the left and standing on the right", which benefits most passengers.

When riding an escalator, you just need to stand firmly and hold on to something. When riding an escalator, you just need to stand firmly and hold on to something . For passengers who are in a hurry and need to pass safely and quickly, the best way is to take the stairs.

In addition, these matters should also be noted:

1. Be careful when wearing Crocs:

The toe of hole shoes is much wider than that of normal shoes. In order to ensure comfort, the plastic material is thicker and the toe is higher. Therefore, the toe is much closer to the serrated part between the two steps than normal shoes, and it is easy to be caught in the gap.

2. Lift the hem of your long skirt:

If you are wearing a long skirt in summer, remember to lift the hem of your skirt when stepping onto the escalator. Do not stand close to the side of the escalator to prevent your skirt from getting caught on the escalator.

3. Choose an elevator for large luggage:

Passengers with large luggage or strollers are advised to take the elevator for safety reasons.

4. For most people with disabilities:

For most disabled people, especially those using wheelchairs and guide dogs, elevators are a better means of vertical transportation.

5. Accidents while riding an escalator:

If an accident occurs while riding an escalator, please call nearby passengers to help press the red "Emergency Stop" button and staff will come to help as soon as possible.

Image source: National Emergency Broadcasting

6. If you fall, protect your head:

If a fall occurs and people are piled on top of each other, try to curl up into a ball, cross your hands over your neck and back of your head, and protect your temples with your arms to prevent fatal injuries.

Image source: National Emergency Broadcasting