An experiment on ascending evacuation on a long, stationary escalator

Ascending evacuation is becoming more relevant with underground stations reaching increasing depths. Therefore there is need for better understanding of the effects of physical exertion during evacuation. An experiment was conducted in a 61 m long, stationary escalator in Stockholm (Sweden) in order to obtain data on walking speeds, resting and behavior, which consisted on measuring the walking speed and gathering data about the perceived exertion of test participants walking up the escalator. The walking speeds of 29 single individuals and a group of 21 individuals were obtained. The results showed that people decrease their walking speed with the height, and some of them need to take breaks along the climb. No clear influence of background participants’ variables was found on the results. In the group experiment, the slower people had an impact on the walking speed of others due to the reduced space between them at the beginning of the climb. However, the slower participants gradually move to the right hand of the escalator to allow overtaking on the left hand side, and the faster ones could move at their preferred speed. This behavior is similar that observed during regular use of escalators.