When riding an escalator, should you "walk left and stand right"?

Do you have to "walk left and stand right" when taking the subway escalator?

Since the opening of Nanjing Metro, passenger flow has remained high. A reporter from Modern Express learned that in the first few years after the subway was opened, when taking the subway escalator, you could always see passengers standing in the middle of the escalator, and people behind in a hurry were helpless. In order to cultivate passengers' civilized travel habits, Nanjing Metro has included "walking left and standing right" on escalators as a civilized rule.

After the implementation of the regulations, many passengers also said that the order of taking the escalators was much better. "Leave the space on the left side of the elevator for people in emergency to pass." Many passengers believe that "walking left and standing right" is a manifestation of civilization.

In fact, in 2011, Nanjing Metro canceled the "walk left and stand right" rule and instead reminded passengers to "stand firm and hold on" on the escalator and not to run on the escalator. This is because some people in the industry believed at the time that the practice of "walking left and standing right" would cause the escalator load to be unbalanced and prone to wear and tear, leading to potential safety hazards for the escalator. In addition, if you fall down while walking or running on the escalator, it is easy to cause a stampede during peak passenger flow periods.

At present, Nanjing Metro’s attitude towards “walking on the left and standing on the right” is that it does not advocate or oppose it. The most important premise is to ensure the safety of passengers.

It is said that Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Japan and other places no longer advocate and promote "walk left, stand right", and some have changed to advocate "don't walk, don't run".

However, "walking on the left and standing on the right" has long become a social norm.

Reasons for agreeing: Half standing and half walking can improve efficiency.

Modern Express reporter learned that "walking on the left and standing on the right" is the default rule out of civility and politeness in some developed countries and regions.

“This is an orderly way of riding.” A Nanjing netizen said that from an efficiency point of view, half of the people walking on the fully loaded escalator can improve the efficiency of the elevator during peak hours. Carrying capacity.

“I was in a hurry to catch the subway, so I wanted to use the escalator to pass quickly and save some time.” Xiao Liu, who works in a cultural company, said, “But the people in front were motionless and the road was blocked. "It's impossible to get through it."

As for the safety hazards of "walking on the left and standing on the right," many citizens who support "walking on the left and standing on the right" believe that civilization and safety do not conflict. "This kind of travel order can still be maintained, but we need to work on the escalator itself, for example, improving the quality of the parts."

Opponent's reason: Safety is the first priority, please take the stairs if you are in a hurry.

Some citizens believe that there are many ways for passengers to go up and down stairs in subway stations, such as stairs, escalators, and elevators.

“Generally, taking the escalator is to save effort, not to rush for time.” This citizen said that if you are in a hurry, climbing the stairs is faster than taking the escalator. He said that the steps of escalators are higher than those of stairs and are not ergonomically designed. In fact, it is unsafe to walk on escalators.

Some netizens said that he had checked the information and consulted relevant experts. "The design of the escalator is to balance the load. If it is only tilted to one side, it will have an impact on the escalator, which will lead to safety hazards."

Expert opinion: The most important thing when taking the escalator is to "stand firm" and don't move around.

Although many citizens feel that "walking left and standing right" on the escalator is civilized and saves time, however, according to elevator safety experts, "walking left and standing right" should not be promoted.

Jin Yan, director of the Elevator Department of the Nanjing Special Equipment Safety Supervision and Inspection Institute, said that from a safety perspective, the most important thing when riding an escalator is to "stand firm". Jin Yan said that many foreign cities encourage passengers to stand on the right side of escalators on the basis that the flow of people is small. However, many cities in China have a large flow of passengers. If they stand on the right side, the equipment will be damaged. Moreover, passengers can only save a few seconds by walking on the escalator. If they accidentally fall while walking quickly on the escalator during the peak period when the flow of people is large, it can easily trigger a "domino effect" and cause multiple injuries. If two people stand side by side in each elevator level, the traffic efficiency will be higher when there are many people, and the force will be balanced and safer.

It is understood that the national standard GB16899, which is the manufacturing specification for escalators, also stipulates: "Escalators cannot be used as stairs when they are not in operation." It can be understood from this that walking on escalators is even more unsafe.

Escalators are prone to wear due to uneven force for a long time

Passengers stand on one side of the elevator for a long time, and the elevator is "overwhelmed". "The current step escalators are designed according to balanced loads, that is to say, the forces on both sides of the steps are balanced." Xu Jie, deputy general manager of Nanjing Honghe Mechanical and Electrical Equipment Co., Ltd., explained that the escalator drives the step wheels along the guide rails through chains Rotation, each step is equipped with two step wheels. In order to increase flexibility and reduce friction, these step wheels are generally made of rubber material. "If passengers stand on one side for a long time, the step wheels on one side will inevitably wear seriously. It is easy to cause malfunctions."

In addition, a public report from Xizi Otis Elevator Co., Ltd. also pointed out that when "walking left and standing right" is implemented, the force on the right wheel is three times that of the left wheel. , If things go on like this, these wheels will fatigue, wear and tear until they are scrapped.

Moreover, the stairs in general buildings are about 18 to 20 centimeters per step, while escalators are generally 30 centimeters. This height is obviously not suitable for walking. There is a safety buffer platform every ten or so steps in the building stairs. Not only does the escalator not have this platform, but its design width is only wide enough for two people to stand. It is not only inconvenient to move around, but also easy to bump into others.

Suggestion: When taking the elevator, pay more attention to your surroundings.

Escalators are different from stairs. They are not designed for walking. Walking or running on escalators is not only unsafe, but can also damage the elevator. Therefore, during peak hours, "walk left and stand right" should not be implemented, and in fact it cannot be implemented. If you are in a hurry, you can take the stairs next to it. In Nanjing subway stations and other places, there are mostly stairs next to the escalators. During non-peak hours, "walk left and stand right" can be implemented. When taking an escalator, stand firmly on the handrail and look around. If you are blocking someone in a hurry, you can give way.