On 14/11/2015 10:26, Recliner wrote:


In any case, the old escalator was wood-panelled, which wouldn't have
affected the weight of the moving parts. They could have fitted a second
escalator in the same space, but that wouldn't help people in wheel chairs.
As it is, the able-bodied will be able to ascend using the other escalator,
but are expected to walk down the stairs when arriving at the station.

These inclined lifts are apparently much cheaper than conventional lifts,
and are a cost-effective way of providing step-free access in stations that
have multiple staircases but no convenient place for a vertical lift shaft.


I have to say that it cannot be beyond the wit of man to come up with
some kind of "carriage" that fits on an escalator that allows
wheelchairs to be conveyed up and down with minimal interruption to the
journeys of others.

You need a flat platform for the wheelchair to roll on to, some kind of
mechanism like they have on stretchers to go into ambulances but with a
graduated rather than step mechanism, some kind of braking and some self
levelling. The user and their wheelchair could be loaded on to the
carriage someway away from the top or bottom of the escalator and then
the thing could be maneuvered (or act like a roomba - a bit of vacuuming
of a lot of stations wouldn't go amiss either) onto the esclator.

I accept it may require a "helper" of some description but given the
closure of ticket offices, there are meant to be TfL employees out in
the wild who could help.

Even if such a thing cost £100k per station that's a shedload cheaper
than a new lift...