LONDON Underground is discarding decades of tradition in a new trial at a busy station where passengers will no longer be asked to 'stand on the right' when using two escalators.
Instead, they will be invited to stand on both sides on the Central line escalators at Holborn. Previous tests last November and December have suggested that capacity is increased by up to 30 per cent if everyone is stationary and allows the machinery to do the work.
The next challenge for London Underground will be to get the message across, changing the habits of a lifetime for many Underground users, when the six-month trial starts on 18 April.
A variety of messages, developed with the help of the behavioural science department at the London School of Economics, will be tested at different times to see which work best. These include standard instructions and ‘light’ messages that play on words about standing.
These will be communicated in various ways, including using a talking projection of a staff member, electronic versions of the triangular ‘stand on the right’ signs that passengers pass as they travel up the escalator, signs on the floors, foot prints on the escalator steps, handprints on the handrails and station announcements.
LU operations director Peter McNaught said: “It may not seem right that you can go quicker by standing still, but our experiments at Holborn have proved that it can be true. This new pilot will help us find out if we can influence customers to stand on both sides in the long term, using just signage and information. Anyone who wants to walk on the other escalators will be free to do so, but we hope that with record numbers using the Tube, customers will enjoy being part of this experiment to find the most efficient ways of getting around.”