Do we need to compromise with people in a hurry, or can the double queuing movement ensure escalator safety?

With the recent rise in escalator accidents, the double queuing movement has gained traction for safety. However, many people still prefer to stand in a single line for efficiency reasons. As the two-lane movement spreads, it’s important to ensure that escalators are well maintained to ensure both safety and efficiency.

 

I barely made it out of the crowded subway in the morning and ran for the exit. I had to catch the 9:00 shuttle bus if I didn’t want to be late for class. If I ran, I wouldn’t miss the bus. I hurriedly headed for the exit escalator, but there was a long line. I realized it was a line to get on the escalator. Yikes, I didn’t think this would be a factor. Everyone was standing in two lines, and impatiently, I kept checking my phone’s clock and tapping my foot. But to no avail. I tried to take the stairs, but there were no stairs, only escalators, so I ended up missing the shuttle bus and had to wait 15 minutes for the next one.
If you look at escalators in subway stations and other buildings, you’ll notice that most of them have a single line. Single queuing is when an escalator, which usually has two lines, leaves one line (the left) empty for people in a hurry. It’s a movement that started in 1998 when some civic organizations wanted to create a mature escalator culture ahead of the 2002 World Cup. Single file has taken off surprisingly well, and now almost everyone practices single file when using escalators. The right lane is used by people who want to take their time, while the left lane is automatically cleared for people who are in a hurry to walk or run up the escalator.
However, in recent years, accidents on escalators have become more frequent, and a new two-lane system has been created to replace the single-lane system. The Seoul Metro and the Korea Elevator Safety Authority started the two-lane campaign in September 2007. Instead of leaving a single line empty, both lines are occupied by people who stand instead of walking or running.
The movement was started for several reasons. First, it’s a safety issue. According to the Korea Elevator Safety Management Agency, there were only four escalator-related accidents in 2002, before the single-lane culture was established, but the number increased to nine in 2004, 43 in 2006, 108 in 2008, and 109 in 2010, a higher rate than the increase in escalators. Officials from Seoul Metro and other related organizations believe that the number of accidents has increased due to single lineups. People walking up the escalator are less likely to hold on to the handrail and fall, and when they do, the hem of their clothes can get caught in the escalator, leading to accidents. In addition, the step height of escalators is higher than regular stairs, so there is a greater chance of falling when walking or running. The second problem is elevator breakdowns. Seoul Metro said that standing in a single line puts more load on one side of the elevator, i.e., the right side, which causes elevator wear and tear and shortens the lifespan of the machine. When it occurs, it is expensive to inspect, and when it fails, it is expensive to replace. The industry estimates that this reduces the lifespan of escalators by at least two years, compared to 20 to 25 years.
So you can see that double queuing has an advantage over single queuing in terms of safety and cost savings. Therefore, double queuing should be more common now than the traditional single queuing movement. However, the reality is that many people are still practicing more single queuing. The double-checking campaign has been in place for five years, but the actual implementation has been weak compared to the hype. There are two reasons why double queuing hasn’t become more common: first, single queuing is considered more efficient. Especially during the early morning rush hour, people in a hurry can use the vacated left line to move up quickly, while those who are relatively free can stand in the right line. The second reason is the reaction of other people. If you stand in the left line to double-check, you’re worried about the reaction of the people behind you. In fact, there are cases where people who stand in the left line are scolded by the people behind them, or even if they don’t want to walk up, they are forced to walk up because of the people behind them.
Considering that the second reason is that people who want to go fast are forced to single file, the presence of people who want to go fast is a major reason why single file is not well enforced. So, can a safety initiative change the behavior of rushers? The reason for the rush can be urgency or personal preference. The latter can be improved once double queuing is established, but people who are in a hurry will not see a reason to enforce double queuing. Since a few seconds can mean missing a bus or subway, it is problematic to enforce unconditional double queuing on escalators.
So how should single and double queuing be enforced? From the perspective of the average user, it should be enforced as follows. First, enforce single queuing in places or times of the day when there are many people in a hurry, and double queuing otherwise. Subway stations have a higher proportion of people in a hurry than other places, especially during morning rush hours and evening rush hours, so it is better to allow people in a hurry to stand in a single line so that they can get to the station quickly, rather than unconditionally standing in two lines. At Seoul National University Station Exit 3, there are long lines of people waiting to take the upward escalator in the morning, and implementing a single line to reduce congestion inside the station would make the station less crowded, allowing people in a hurry to move as quickly as possible and people in a hurry to move at their leisure. On the other hand, during the day, when there are fewer people, two lines can be implemented.
In a typical shopping mall, most people are there for leisurely shopping, so the percentage of people in a hurry will be lower than in a subway station. In this case, enforcing two lines is probably not unreasonable.
You might argue that allowing single queuing can increase the risk of accidents, but at busy times and places, double queuing can actually make things more crowded. Considering the risk of accidents, it’s more practical to move quickly and reduce the amount of time people are crowded. However, there is a greater risk of accidents when implementing a single line, so to reduce this risk, the second thing you should do is get in the habit of holding onto the handrail of the escalator. Not many people hold onto the handrail when walking or standing on an escalator. If you don’t hold on to the handrail and the escalator stops suddenly, accidents happen. More than half of these accidents could be prevented if you made it a habit to hold on to the handrail. This applies not only to single lines, but also to double lines, and you should make it a habit to hold onto the handles of escalators to make them safer.
Third, take the stairs. If you’re really in a hurry, it’s faster and safer to take the stairs than the escalator, so if a subway station has both stairs and escalators, take the stairs to reduce the risk of an accident.
Also, organizations that install escalators should take extra care to install and maintain them safely, even if it means standing in line. Subway stations often only have escalators instead of stairs due to limited space. In these cases, crowding can increase the risk of accidents. Installing stairs instead of escalators on the downward escalator, where there are fewer people, can help alleviate the concentration of people on the escalator, and in areas of high traffic, it’s a good idea to install stairs as well, or if that’s not possible, to increase the width of the escalator to create extra space.
A long time ago, in an article dated July 11, 2012, we conducted a survey on double queuing at Seoul Station. The results showed that about 76% of people were aware of the double queuing campaign, but 42.1% said that they were not good at it. The most common reason cited was “because of memories of being criticized for not walking”. When people are busy walking, you can’t stand alone. However, 78% of people said they would be willing to adhere to double-stepping. This suggests that the double-standing movement has the potential to become as common as single-standing. Safety and efficiency are both important factors, but in our current society, is efficiency being emphasized more? If safety is prioritized in both single and double queuing, a mature escalator culture can be established that combines both safety and efficiency.