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People stand on the right-hand side of escalators while a few people walk on the left side in the Chungmuro subway station in Seoul, Monday. Seoul Metro, in charge of subway lines one to four, allows passengers to walk on the left side, while Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit, which operates subway lines five to eight, does not allow people to walk on escalators.
/ Korea Times Photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
 By Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporter
Newcomers to Seoul need to learn when using a subway: Choose the right-hand side of the escalator if you want to just stand; choose the left-hand to walk.
So usually one sees a long line only on the right side of escalators in subway stations; and a few people walking on the left.
The division on the escalator was launched right after Seoul and Tokyo hosted the 2002 World Cup. Seoul Metro, which operates subway lines one to four; and Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit (SMRT), in charge of lines five to eight, simultaneously adopted the new rule.
However, SMRT suddenly announced last Thursday that it will abolish the rule over safety concerns, while Seoul Metro said it will review the rule.
``In 2002, there were 16 accidents on escalators on subway lines five to eight, but the accident rate increased to 87 in 2006 mainly due to walking passengers on escalators,'' Kim Wan-gi, press official of SMRT told The Korea Times. ``We urge passengers not to walk on escalators because it is dangerous.''
He said that these accident statistics are the official tally that only reflects people with serious injuries who went to see a doctor. Should unofficial accidents be included the accident rate would be much higher, he said
Furthermore, Kim stressed that about 75 percent of accidents on escalators in subways happened because of people walking on escalators. Malfunctioning of escalators was only responsible for less than 10 percent of the total accidents, Kim said.
Kim explained that while walking on escalators, people can miss their step and tumble, which can lead to serious accidents.
In addition to safety concerns, the added weight caused by most people standing on the right side of escalators was damaging to them.
``More weight of passengers put on the right side of the escalators makes escalators tilt to the right and wear the right side more than the left side,'' Kim said. Korea Elevator Safety Institute (KESI) echoed the same view of Kim as it joined the campaign of ``no walking on escalators'' with SMRT.
KESI and SMRT have agreed to promote the campaign at the 148 stations of subway lines five to eight.
``We expect accidents on escalators in subways to reduce once this campaign gains popularity in the nation,'' Kim said. ``We need people's understanding and cooperation.''
Hard to Change Habit
But it is will be hard to change people's habits all at once despite the change being totally beneficial for people's safety.
People have become accustomed to standing on the right and walking on the left of escalators, not only in subways but also in other places such as train stations and department stores.
``It was very convenient for people to walk on the left side of escalators in case they were in a hurry,'' Kang Hyun-jung, 40, subway commuter, said. ``I'm opposed to the new rule by the SMRT.''
Kang said that she couldn't understand why SMRT introduced the new rule all of a sudden without asking for feedback from people.
She said that Korea is not the only country where the practice of standing on the right side and walking on the left is followed.
Kang is right as the majority of people still refuse to follow the new rule or don't even know it exists because long lines were found in many subways Monday.
Actually, the idea of dividing passengers according to whether they are in a hurry or not is rooted in the Korean mindset.
When the two subway operators introduced the division on the escalators in 2002, they said it reflected Koreans' ``fast-fast'' (ppali-ppali) lifestyle. And the timing of 2002 also reflected the operators' intention to distinguish Korea from Japan as it was just after the Korea-Japan World Cup ended.
``Koreans can't stand a situation where they are prevented from doing something fast,'' Kim said. ``That's why we introduced the division on escalators in 2002.''
Seoul Metro Hesitating
Apart from a debate on which rule is better in subway escalators, Seoul Metro, which operates subway lines one to four, is hesitating to return to the old system citing their own reasons.
``We feel we are now in an awkward position because SMRT has introduced a return to the old system while we maintain the division on escalators for busy passengers,'' an official of Seoul Metro told The Korea Times on condition of anonymity.
The official said Seoul Metro had been criticized by Seoul Metropolitan City for not introducing the new system together with SMRT.
``But we have special grounds for not changing the system right now,'' he said. ``First of all, we have almost twice the passengers of SMRT.''
About 4 million people use subway lines one to four per day, and it is very important to let passengers move in and out as quickly as possible. Otherwise, subways are too crowded with people, according to him.
If Seoul Metro forces passengers not to walk on escalators, it will aggravate the crowd, he said. And that's main reason why Seoul Metro is hesitating to implement the campaign of ``no walking on escalators'' in subways.
Another reason is that escalators on subway lines one to four are generally shorter than those on lines five to eight, making walking on them less dangerous, the official said.
Seoul Metro is examining which rule would be better and soon announce its position.
yoonwonsup@koreatimes.co.kr
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