英国地铁新规：扶梯左右可同时站人

The rules of etiquette have been tossed out of the window yet again as people are being asked to stand on both sides of escalators at Holborn station.

在霍尔本地铁站，礼仪的规矩再遭抛弃，人们又可以站在扶梯两边了。

One of the busiest stations on London Underground, Holborn was the first station in the country to urge travellers to stand on both the right and left of upward-moving escalators during an experiment in November last year.

霍尔本地铁站是伦敦地下交通系统最繁忙的站点之一，在去年11月的一次试行中，霍尔本地铁站在英国率先允许乘客可以站在上行扶梯的左右两边。

The previous test, which lasted for three weeks, showed that standing actually reduced congestion by 30 per cent – 16,220 people an hour were able to travel on the escalator during rush hour compared to the usual 12,745 when both standing and walking are allowed.

那次试行共持续了三周，结果证明，扶梯两侧同时站人可以有效减少30%的拥堵——在高峰时段，扶梯每小时可载16220人次。但以前左行右立的时候，每小时只有12745人次通过。

Transport for London (TfL) hopes the new standing formation, which this time will be tested for six months, will make the most of wasted space on longer escalators, where most people choose to wait on the right.

此次试行时间长达六个月。伦敦交通局（TfL）希望新规能最大化地利用长扶梯上被浪费掉的空间，因为大多数人总是选择站在右边。

Many passengers had expressed concern at being forced to stand where previously they would have chosen to dash up the stairs, but TfL have addressed those fears ahead of this latest experiment.

很多乘客表达了自己的担忧，因为以前他们可以从扶梯左侧冲上去，但现在被要求站在左侧，他们有点不适应。但伦敦交通局在此次试运行前已经解决了这些担忧。

A third 'up' escalator will be available for people who wish to tackle the steps with more vigour, they said.

他们说，已给那些步伐矫健的人士另设了一架上行扶梯。

Signs and information will be displayed around the station to encourage people to participate and prevent confusion during the six-month experiment.

在六个月的试行期内，地铁站会四处张贴标语和告示，鼓励人们参与，防止发生混乱。

They will range from the creative – a talking projection of a staff member – to the more traditional – signs on the floors, footprints on the escalator steps, handprints on the handrails and station announcements.

这些措施有很新鲜的，比如车站工作人员的语音播报；也有很传统的，比如地板上的标识、扶梯台阶上的脚印、扶手上的手印和车站的告示。

LU operations director Peter McNaught said: 'I look forward to this new pilot.

伦敦地铁公司运营总监皮特•麦克诺特说：“我十分期待这项新规。”

'The etiquette on London Underground is for customers to stand on the right of escalators, allowing others to walk on the left. However, few customers choose to walk on longer escalators such as Holborn, so much of the left-hand-side is unused.

“伦敦地铁的规矩就是乘客站在扶梯右边，这样别人就可以从左边走。但是很少有乘客选择在像霍尔本这样比较长的扶梯上行走，所以左手边的很多空间都没有被利用起来。”

'We hope that this can lead to improving congestion at Holborn, making journeys easier for all of our customers.'

“我们希望这项措施有助于改善霍尔本地铁站的拥堵状况，给所有乘客带来方便快捷的出行体验。”

Holborn is one of the busiest stations on the Tube network, with more than 56 million customers each year.

霍尔本是伦敦地铁系统中最繁忙的车站之一，每年接待乘客5600多万。

The new 'standing only' escalators are 23.4 metres, and research suggests few people will wish to climb heights exceeding 18.5 metres, TfL said.

伦敦交通局称，新设立的“只可站立”扶梯有23.4米长，调查显示几乎没有人愿意爬超过18.5米的扶梯。

Vocabulary

etiquette：礼仪，规矩

escalator：扶梯