Signage encouraging commuters to stand on both sides of escalator seen at City Hall MRT station: 'Ease the flow'

In Singapore, the unspoken escalator etiquette dictates that the left side is for standing, and the right for those in a hurry to walk up quickly.

Is it time for this system to change?

At City Hall MRT station, signages are nudging commuters to stand still on both sides of the escalator, a Reddit post on Oct 29 said.

The signboards were placed near the escalators at the station exit leading to Raffles City shopping mall, reported The Straits Times on Friday (Nov 6).

"Share a step, ease the flow," read a poster printed on a life-sized standee of a cartoon station staff.

The signs are labelled with the SMRT logo.

Singapore-based netizens on Reddit supported the movement for reasons including improved efficiency, crowd control and safety.

But escalator users on Nov 6 continued to stand on the left side, according to The Straits Times.

Lam Sheau Kai, president of SMRT Trains, told AsiaOne on Nov 7 that they are trialling the signs at City Hall and Raffles Place stations.

The one-month trial began on Oct 29 and will study commuter patterns and behaviour to enhance safety on the escalators. 

"Slips, trips and falls remain a concern and through this trial, we hope to encourage safer use of escalators to reduce such incidents," Lam explained.

"We also hope to assess if this would be a more effective use of escalator capacity for commuters."

Over the past decade, various cities worldwide have similarly campaigned for people to kick the habit of standing only on one side of the escalator.

A pilot of the "standing only" arrangement at two longer escalators on the London Underground in 2015 found that it effectively reduced congestion and carried about 30 per cent more commuters.

Japan has been promoting a "stand on both sides" escalator policy in recent years although implementation remains a challenge, a government website said.

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