SMRT's month-long pilot seeks to evaluate whether dual-sided standing mitigates escalator congestion and passenger accidents during busy transit periods. Despite station signage and announcements, early observations reveal that commuters continue lining up on the left side to let hurried passengers pass. While walking up the escalator cuts individual transit time from 30 seconds to 20 seconds, the practice causes bottleneck queues exceeding 10 seconds at the entrance. Similar international trials in London previously demonstrated capacity improvements of roughly 30 percent.
Key points
Commuters remain deeply attached to the habit of keeping left to accommodate hurried indi…: Commuters remain deeply attached to the habit of keeping left to accommodate hurried individuals.
Bottlenecks persist at escalator entrances because passengers refuse to use the open righ…: Bottlenecks persist at escalator entrances because passengers refuse to use the open right side.
Overseas trials demonstrated a 30 percent boost in capacity without proving significant s…: Overseas trials demonstrated a 30 percent boost in capacity without proving significant safety improvements.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
CNA's observations at City Hall MRT station found that commuters who walked up the steps on the right took about 20 seconds to complete the ride, compared with 30 seconds for those who stood still on the left.
SINGAPORE: Transport operator SMRT is trialling a new approach to escalator use at two MRT stations, encouraging commuters to stand on either side instead of keeping to the left, but old habits may be hard to break.
All 10 commuters interviewed by CNA on Saturday (Nov 7) said they preferred the long-standing practice of keeping on the left and leaving the right side clear for those who wish to walk.
The month-long trial at City Hall and Raffles Place MRT stations marks a departure from the familiar escalator etiquette in Singapore, where commuters typically keep left to allow others to overtake on the right.
SMRT Trains president Lam Sheau Kai said that the trial, which began on Oct 29, aims to improve escalator safety and assess whether having commuters stand on both sides could make better use of capacity.
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