The Ministry of the Interior and Safety will end its blanket campaign urging escalator users to stand on both sides and will instead promote three safety rules, including holding the handrail.
The ministry said on the 23rd that it is pursuing follow-up measures based on the results of a public debate on improving escalator safety culture, held on Aug. 29 at Yonsei University's Baekyang Nuri.
Drawing on public opinion gathered at the debate, the ministry decided to revise the goal set out in its first basic plan for lift (elevator and escalator) safety management from "establishing a culture of standing on both sides for safe escalator use" to "establishing a voluntary safety culture through the adoption of three safety rules and improved conditions for users." As part of that shift, the ministry will no longer pursue a blanket campaign or regulations requiring users to stand on both sides. Instead, it will work to spread three safety rules: holding the handrail, not walking or running, and staying behind the safety line. It will also improve conditions for users by installing handrail sterilizers and expanding floor markings and signage.
At the debate, experts and members of the public offered a range of views on escalator use and the causes of accidents. In surveys conducted before and after the debate, more respondents said safe use matters more than moving quickly, and a high share said comprehensive safety measures were needed rather than a uniform approach to how people line up.
"We will reflect the valuable opinions the public has given us in our policies and do our utmost to make escalators a safer and more convenient means of transport," said Park Hyung-bae, head of the ministry's Safety Prevention Policy Bureau. "We also ask the public to join us in practicing the three safety rules so that a voluntary safety culture can take root."
