Which side of the escalator do you stand on?

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Aug 4, 2019 | 7:35 pm

#46

Pickles

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Quote:

Originally Posted by mjm

The other is that riders are encouraged to stand two abreast so that a greater volume of people may be moved at the same time.

Actually the highest volume would be achieved by having both sides of the escalator to be walking. Let's encourage that instead!

Aug 4, 2019 | 7:51 pm

#47

bocastephen

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Pickles

Actually the highest volume would be achieved by having both sides of the escalator to be walking. Let's encourage that instead!

The main reason they discourage walking is due to the number of falls and accidents that were occurring.

Aug 4, 2019 | 8:18 pm

#48

Busymann

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Quote:

Originally Posted by bocastephen

True, but I personally feel it's not my place as a foreigner to be the busy body enforcing JR's new rules that from my observation last week, 95% of people are ignoring. I would just feel strange and uncomfortable doing so. With the temperature in Shinagawa Station feeling about 120, I was perfectly happy to stand on the left and move as little as possible.

Nailed it.

When I was there, I saw NO ONE standing side by side 100% of the time. I also saw no accidents either.

I read that one of the rules they want enforced also is to have a step between the next person. Well, no one really did that either.

To add to that, if folks change and keep a step in-between yet stand side by side when they didn't previously, you aren't getting more people on the escalator.

I understand this was about safety but someone mentioned more people being transported.

Eh

Aug 5, 2019 | 2:20 am

#49

mjm

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Busymann

Safety and volume of movement. Yes. Much like a double-deck elevator moves more people at the same time. As this is more fully adopted the efficacy will increase. This idea goes against long and widely established behavior so it will take time to get up to speed.

Aug 5, 2019 | 2:21 am

#50

mjm

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Pickles

Actually the highest volume would be achieved by having both sides of the escalator to be walking. Let's encourage that instead!

Everyone moving would only serve to empty the escalator faster. The same number of people can board in either case.

Aug 5, 2019 | 3:48 am

#51

hailstorm

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Busymann

When I was there, I saw NO ONE standing side by side 100% of the time. I also saw no accidents either.

You've also never seen anyone killed by a revolving door. But it happened, and that one incident was enough to forever change how they operate in Japan. Likely resulting of hundreds of thousands of hours of incrementally wasted time since, but for good reason.

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Aug 5, 2019 | 8:09 am

#52

jib71

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Last edited by jib71; Aug 5, 2019 at 8:19 am

Aug 8, 2019 | 8:16 am

#53

Taipei

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Quote:

Originally Posted by hailstorm

Bump, as JR has stepped up their efforts as of late. Big posters by the escalator entrances in multiple languages informing of the "proper" use of the escalators, and even the occasional station attendee standing by thr escalators to enforce them.

There's probably a big expanse of inaka between them where few, if any, escalators exist.

Good effort on JR to speed up the change. In general I stand, if someone does say something I remind them of the rules. In Taiwan, I have also people tell me move in different languages (Chinese, then Japanese then English if no response as I look like Japanese as I am (Mixed)) and most cases they just wait. I spend a lot of time in Kaoshiung in southern Taiwan and it seems many people just stand which bothers people/co workers from Taipei a lot.

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Mar 27, 2021 | 12:22 am

#54

hailstorm

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Yesterday an ordinance requiring people riding the escalator to stand still on the escalator regardless of which side of it they are on was voted on and approved in the Saitama Prefectural government.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/202...937541000.html

The ordinance goes in effect from October. Regardless, there will still be no penalty imposed for failing to stand still on the escalator.