In England, people used to stand on the right of escalators(扶梯), allowing others to walk on the left. But there is some change to this rule. People can stand on both sides of escalators at Holborn station. As one of the busiest stations of London Underground, Holborn was the first station in the country to ask travelers to stand on both the right and left sides of escalators. A test was carried out first. The test which lasted for three weeks showed that standing on both sides actually reduced(减少)congestion by 30 percent—16 , 220 people an hour are able to travel on the escalator during rush hours compared to the usual 12 ,745 when both standing and walking are allowed.
Transport for London (TfL) hopes the new standing rule will make the most of wasted space on longer escalators, where most people choose to wait on the right. London Underground Operation director Peter McNaught said, Few customers choose to walk on longer escalators such as at Holborn, so much of the left-hand side is unused. We hope that this can lead to reduced congestion at Holborn and make journeys easier for all of our customers.”