🚀 go-pugleaf

>While we are on the subject of escalators and travel time, all
>escalators in Eastern Europe run at substantially faster speeds than
>those here. It seems 2-3 times as fast, but I don't really know. Does
>anyone know what the story is on the speed of these. (You haven't
>lived you've been catapulted from the bottom of one of these
>escalators.

Escalators in North America are available in two standard speeds, 90 and 120
feet per minute, often key switchable. The higher speed is rarely used due to
concerns, right or not, about liability. Liability is also affected by the
amount of run-on and off. This can be as little as one level step or as many as
three. The longer the level section at the top and bottom of the escalators the
fewer the claims--and on many subway systems escalators and stairways are the
single largest source of incidents and claims.

In ex-USSR and Eastern Europe 180 feet per minute is the common speed. Some of
the longer escalators have attendants who can shut them down if there are
problems. These higher speeds infer that users are unlikely to sue the operator!

: Tom Parkinson P.Eng.  604 733-5430, fax 733-5437     
: Transport Consulting Limited, Vancouver, Canada