Escalator 101 11.03
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Escalator 101

 The TTC hopes to improve escalator etiquette among transit riders with a week-long promotion effort, reminding users to take care, and stand to the right.

With the bustle of Christmas shopping ahead, officials at a press conference at Yonge-Bloor station on Monday warned of the triple threat of escalator mishaps: big packages, small children and winter coats.

The TTC averages a relatively low 148 passenger incidents a year on escalators, and Chief Safety Officer John O’Grady believes the number can be reduced. “Many of our incidents involve elderly passengers or young children being jostled by people running for a train. There is no reason to hurry down the escalator or stairs when you hear a train entering the station.”

With a total of 276 spread across the system, the TTC is the largest escalator operator in Canada, and has a greater number in use than it does streetcars.

 Ed Drass for Metro Toronto

© Ed Drass 2008