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Tokyo >> When a train is about to depart a station, passengers hear an announcement saying, “Please stand clear of the closing doors.”
Now, when they ride an escalator at Tokyo Station, they will get a constant reminder from East Japan Railway Co. to “Please stand on both sides of the escalator.”
In an initiative launched at Tokyo Station last month, JR East is encouraging users not to leave space on one side for hurried passengers to walk up or down the escalator, but instead to stand on both sides.
The campaign, which will run until Feb. 1, is aimed at preventing falls, as well as showing consideration for the elderly and passengers with disabilities, said Kuniyuki Takai, a JR East spokesperson.
“The overall goal of the campaign is to promote the safety of passengers,” Takai said.
The railway company has previously run campaigns reminding passengers to use handrails for safety, but this is the first time JR East has embarked on a safety promotion encouraging them to ride the escalators two-abreast.
The station has posted signs, written both in Japanese and English, on walls and above escalators urging passengers not to walk on the escalator and to take the stairs if they are in hurry.
The escalators’ handrails are also decorated with pink tape and drawings of cats saying “Don’t walk!” or “Hold!” in speech bubbles.
Railway officials wearing pink vests,which remind passengers to use both sides and hold on to the handrails, are riding the escalators with passengers as part of the effort.
According to the Japan Elevator Association, a Tokyo-based group that compiles a report on escalator accidents every five years, reported 1,475 accidents in 2013 and 2014, up from 1,200 in 2008 and 2009.
The report says 882 of those cases were due to riding improperly, which includes walking.
It’s customary in Japan to leave one side open for people not standing on the escalator.
However, Takai said the escalator is not structurally designed for walking.
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