The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that it will no longer pursue the uniform "standing on both sides" escalator campaign and regulations, shifting its focus toward spreading a safe usage culture centered around three core safety rules, including holding the handrail.

The Ministry stated that it will pursue follow-up measures based on the results of the "Open Discussion on Improving Escalator Safety Usage Culture," which was held with some 200 citizens and experts at Yonsei University's Baekyangnuri on August 29.


During the discussion, expert presentations and public participant debates took place under themes such as the causes of escalator accidents, usage behaviors, equipment and maintenance management, and institutional improvement measures.

Experts explained that in actual escalator usage, standing on one side and standing on both sides occur at similar rates, and that individual transit efficiency does not necessarily align with the transit efficiency of all users.

Issues were also raised that walking on escalators increases the impact delivered to the steps, which can put a strain on the equipment, and that maintenance delays can occur due to imbalances in parts supply.

Divided into 25 discussion groups, the public participant panel offered opinions such as encouraging people carrying large luggage to use elevators and building a culture of waiting rather than asking the person in front to step aside.

Suggestions were also made to improve the usage environment, including enhancing hygiene to encourage holding handrails, providing guidance on alternative transportation methods, and installing no-cell-phone signs and floor lighting.

In surveys conducted twice before and after the discussion, responses favoring "rapid movement" decreased by 13.4 percentage points (p) from 36.6% to 23.2%.

Conversely, responses favoring "safe movement" increased by the same margin from 63.4% to 76.8%.

Opinions in favor of standing on both sides increased by 14.5 percentage points from 31.4% to 45.9%, while preferences for standing on one side or flexible application according to the situation decreased from 67.6% to 52.1%.

Reflecting the discussion results, the Ministry plans to revise the item "Establishing a Culture of Standing on Both Sides for Safe Escalator Use" included in the 1st Elevator Safety Management Master Plan to "Establishing a Voluntary Safety Culture Through Internalizing Three Core Safety Rules and Improving the Usage Environment."

Accordingly, the uniform "standing on both sides" campaign and regulations will no longer be promoted.

However, public public-sector workers or volunteers will be deployed to hazardous sections with long transit distances or high user volume to support safe usage.

Centering around the "three core safety rules"—holding handrails, not walking or running, and staying behind the safety line—the Ministry will produce promotional content such as public service advertisements and short videos, while also expanding safety education targeted at children and the elderly.

Plans are also underway to improve the usage environment by installing handrail sanitizers and expanding floor markers and safety guide signs.

Park Hyung-bae, head of the Safety Policy Office at the Ministry, stated, "We will reflect the opinions provided by the public into our policies to do our utmost in making escalators a safer and more convenient mode of transportation."

(Photo provided by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Yonhap News)