04 September 2010

slowwwwwww

why can't escalators in the US haul ass, like they do in Hong Kong? i'd like to save time *and* my knees.

3 comments:

pyker said...

Seems to be a pattern: US behind on technology. Seems common elsewhere to have escalators do the energy-saving thing as well -- idle mode when no one's using them, kick into high gear as you approach. Haven't seen that much in the US.

zim said...

yes, it is part of a bigger theme of slow-to-adopt technology in certain areas, and crumbling infrastructure.

i was thinking of it also as a potential litigation issue -- the first person to fall and be injured on a faster escalator will blame the increased pace. result: all escalators will travel even more slowly.

sort of like the train crossings: each incident increases by a mile the distance at which the gates are triggered.

JustJoeP said...

too many lawyers in the US. Also, Idiocracy is happy with the status quo, as long as they get their sex, money, and name brand consumer junk.