As we enter the 21st century, the majority of us would already know the etiquette of using the escalator. If you’re not in a rush, please stand on the left side to give way to those who need to walk up or down the escalator to reach their destination sooner. However, escalators can cause injuries, especially if you accidentally took a fall on them or had a misstep, for example, when you try to make it after seeing the MRT reaching the station.
To reduce the risk of escalator injuries, a district in the northern part of Tokyo, Saitama, will be enforcing a new ordinance, which will go full force starting October, and this new rule requires train passengers to stand still on the escalator and not walk up or down. This new ordinance is prompted by the fact that from January 2018 to December 2019, there were 805 cases of injuries that occurred when passengers moved on the escalator. This discovery was shared by the Japan Elevator Association.
As reported by Asahi Shimbun, the Japan Elevator Association also explained that this new rule is needed as the escalator is not designed to anticipate sudden movements and this is why passengers need to stand still and hold the handrails whenever they are on it. Escalator companies would also be requested to always remind passengers of the safety procedures when going on an escalator. For now, there is no punishment if any user or operator breaches the rule.
Do you see the benefit of such an ordinance? And can it be implemented in Malaysia? Well for starters, we already have people standing on both sides of the escalator which will actually prevent people from walking up or down. So, it should not be hard to implement it if one day the authorities decide to do so.
Also read: People Urged Not To Walk Or Run On Escalators As It Is Dangerous & Can Cause Accidents
