Being 'polite' by standing to one side damages Metro escalators
A notice requiring passengers not to walk, lean, play or face the wrong way on escalators is installed beside an escalator in a Metro station.
One should always stand still and hold on to the handrails while taking an escalator in Metro Stations, according to a new safety notice issued by Shanghai Shentong Metro Station on Saturday.
The notice asks passengers not to walk, lean, play or face the wrong way on the escalator. Trolleys and heavy objects should not be taken on escalators either.
Many people often stand to the right of an escalator and leave the left side for others to walk. But Shanghai Metro said one should always stand still on the escalator.
“Stand right and walk left” used to be thought of as good manners when taking escalators. But it has been proved that standing on only one side of an escalator could damage the machine because of the uneven load, Shanghai Metro said.
In 2010, when Shanghai was the host of World Expo, it encouraged passengers to stand on the right side of escalators so that those in a hurry could walk up and down faster.
But Shanghai Metro said it stopped encouraging people to do so years ago.
“Many people got used to it,” said Feng Hao from Shanghai Metro. “They should never run or even walk on an escalator, it is actually dangerous.”
Shanghai Metro said the notice is not compulsory, but for the safety of others and the passengers themselves, they should consider following it.
