Advertisement

Letters | On escalators and around MTR stations, let’s be mindful of each other

Readers discuss public transport etiquette, opening up pedestrian streets on weekends, and online ideas spreading among teenagers

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
0
Commuters hold on to escalator handrails, or their phones, in Wan Chai MTR station on November 14. Photo: Sun Yeung
Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification
I refer to the letter, “Move to stop people walking on MTR escalators gets nowhere” (June 2).

Many years ago, as a young, inexperienced person on an escalator in the London Underground, I was angrily told to stand on the right so that another passenger could pass me on the left. I was shocked and upset and followed this instruction thereafter.

The protocol of standing on the right and walking on the left still seems to be generally accepted in London. In Hong Kong, however, the practice we are urged to follow has changed.
In November, the MTR Corporation said there were 430 “recorded escalator safety incidents” in the first nine months of 2024, of which 60 per cent involved “passengers who were not holding onto handrails, lost their balance while walking, were bumped by others or were carrying bulky items”.

It seems the new instructions are a response to these statistics, though they do not indicate the proportion of accidents that occurred while walking or standing.

Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2-3x faster
1.1x
220 WPM
Slow
Normal
Fast
1.1x