London commuters revolt against standing-only escalator as new scheme gets off to rocky start
From today, Tube users at Holborn station in central London will be asked to stand on both the right and left sides of the two upward-moving escalators
COMMUTERS in London are in open revolt after Transport for London (TFL) launched a controversial new scheme of making travellers stand on both sides of the escalator rather than walking.
Passengers are being urged to abandon standard Tube etiquette of standing just on the right side of escalators to reduce congestion at one of London Underground's busiest stations.
From today, Tube users at Holborn station in central London will be asked to stand on both the right and left sides of the two upward-moving escalators nearest the Central Line platforms.
But commuters have been left less than impressed with the new system venting their dissatisfaction on social media and flaunting their refusal to comply with the new plans.
Jacob Aron posted: "TfL's attempts to get people standing on both sides of Holborn escalators not off to a great start, everyone still matching (sic) upwards..."
User Roo wrote: "I see tfl's "stand on both sides of the escalators" experiment is not going too well at Holborn."
Fran Roberts said: "The standing only escalators at Holborn are working really well... As everyone walks up them."
Laura Waggott tweeted: "Escalator trial at Holborn is going really well this morning..No matter how loudly you shout Londoners will stand on the R & walk on the L!"
Holborn is one of the busiest stations on the Tube network, with more than 56 million customers each year.
TFL hopes the new standing formation will make the most of wasted space on longer escalators, where most people choose to wait on the right.
A third "up"' escalator will be available for people who wish to tackle the steps with more vigour, TfL said.
A previous three-week trial at Holborn in November found that standing on both sides reduced congestion by 30%.
Signs and information will be displayed around the station to encourage people to participate and prevent confusion during the six-month experiment.
They will range from the creative - a talking projection of a staff member - to the more traditional - signs on the floors, footprints on the escalator steps, handprints on the handrails and station announcements.
London Underground operations director Peter McNaught said: "I look forward to this new pilot starting today.
"The etiquette on London Underground is for customers to stand on the right of escalators, allowing others to walk on the left. However, few customers choose to walk on longer escalators such as Holborn, so much of the left-hand-side is unused.
"We hope that this can lead to improving congestion at Holborn, making journeys easier for all of our customers."
The new "standing only" escalators are 23.4 metres, and research suggests few people will wish to climb heights exceeding 18.5 metres, TfL said.