Letters | MTR should look into lift etiquette before enforcing escalator rule
Readers discuss the MTR’s campaign to encourage people to stop walking on escalators and green shoots in China-India relations
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MTRC’s Cheris Lee Yuen-ling called on commuters, especially older residents, to take the lift if they were holding large items or using a grocery cart. I also read reports suggesting that MTRC would mobilise ambassadors in red vests to stop people from using escalators if they are carrying large items or grocery carts because MTRC does not want them to fall or damage the escalators.
If Lee cares enough to conduct a visit in person, especially in stations such as Admiralty, Wan Chai or Fortress Hill, she will know that the MTR system’s lifts are notoriously small, few in number and located at the end of the platforms. These facilities are also often packed with passengers who are neither old nor carrying large items or grocery carts.
I am not against commuters using the lifts if they feel tired or unwell, but they should be aware that there are people with special needs queuing up for a long time just because others don’t bother to walk.
MTR executives should just get out of their office and visit cities like Taipei. Its metro system features large lifts located in the middle of the platforms, and passengers are well aware that they should stay away because those lifts are for people in need.
