Trolleys On Escalators... Near Disaster!

[Weho]

I arrived on a flight at the new airport, put my luggage on a trolley, which had those plastic things on the bottom, I've seen all over the world, that can go on escalators. I exit the customs area, and need to go down one level to get a public taxi. There is a DOWN escalator right there, but it just didn't look right... it was a regular looking escalator, kind of like in a department store, rather steep, and no sign FOR or AGAINST trolley usage. I waited to see if others were using it, and got impatient... I started to put the trolley on it, and some nice person RAN and screamed NOT to use that escalator with a trolley, I needed to use a different escalator, not a steep one, but one of those long, gradual ones... I found it, again, no signage FOR or AGAINST trolley usage, but there was no problem.

I imagined in my mind someone putting a child on top of some luggage, putting them on the WRONG escalator, with NO SIGNS, and the whole thing immediately tipping over, and flying down about forty feet. What kind of idiot wouldn't put a sign there? And as I indicated, the STEEP escalator was RIGHT next to the arrival exit area, that most people would immediately head for.

Awful.

[bino]

I waited to see if others were using it

Granted, the airport could use more / better signage, but;

When you saw that no one else was using it, why didn't you follow them to the correct escalator or an elevator?

[jumnien]

Thank God you didn't try taking that trolley down the staircase! They better put a sign there as well...

[madjbs]

"What kind of idiot wouldn't put a sign there?"

More to the point what type of idiot tries to take a trolley down a normal escalator. I cant help but wonder why if you have seen these all around the world why you didnt know what type of escalator to look for.

Jake

[Weho]

I waited to see if others were using it

Granted, the airport could use more / better signage, but;

When you saw that no one else was using it, why didn't you follow them to the correct escalator or an elevator?

Genius, when people arrive at the airport, from long flights, most are walking around in a daze. It really shoudln't be the arriving passenger's responsibility, at that time, to evaluate signage, trolley design equipment, placement of elevators and escalators, and evaluating if there are different types/designs/categories of escalators. And logic would tell me the escalator in the IMMEDIATE area of the arrival exit would be the one to take to go downstairs. I did find the elevator, and there was a big line of people with trolleys waiting to get into it (probably holds one trolley at a time). That's when I gave up, and walked over to the WRONG, but NEARBY escalator... you know, the one with NO SIGN, just like the OTHER one, that also had NO SIGN.

I'm not making this up. I imagine a few hundred people a day tumble down that escalator, and no one does anything about it. The steep escalator is NOT designed for the trolleys... it is VERY DANGEROUS for the trolleys to be used on it. I guess the airport design people are spending too much time figuring out how to fit in more shopping areas in the airport, rather than how to safely get people down one level with a trolley.

[singa-traz]

I tell you ... this airport is not drunk-proof. it's a shame !

[bino]

I'm not any special genius... just a long time escalator user. They have been in existence longer than I have, and simple common sense dicatates that you can't take a trolley on them. Hence, they have sesigned special escalators for this exact purpose.

More to the point what type of idiot tries to take a trolley down a normal escalator. I cant help but wonder why if you have seen these all around the world why you didnt know what type of escalator to look for.

Jake

Amen, Jake!

[TBWG]

I arrived on a flight at the new airport, put my luggage on a trolley, which had those plastic things on the bottom, I've seen all over the world, that can go on escalators. I exit the customs area, and need to go down one level to get a public taxi. There is a DOWN escalator right there, but it just didn't look right... it was a regular looking escalator, kind of like in a department store, rather steep, and no sign FOR or AGAINST trolley usage. I waited to see if others were using it, and got impatient... I started to put the trolley on it, and some nice person RAN and screamed NOT to use that escalator with a trolley, I needed to use a different escalator, not a steep one, but one of those long, gradual ones... I found it, again, no signage FOR or AGAINST trolley usage, but there was no problem.

I imagined in my mind someone putting a child on top of some luggage, putting them on the WRONG escalator, with NO SIGNS, and the whole thing immediately tipping over, and flying down about forty feet. What kind of idiot wouldn't put a sign there? And as I indicated, the STEEP escalator was RIGHT next to the arrival exit area, that most people would immediately head for.

Awful.

Hi Weho

Not sure what type of escalator you saw, but all should be wary of using any escalators at the new airport......see part of one of my previous posts....................................

Well we are all ready for arrival of my guest, who is visiting Thailand for the first time. I'm not worried about him as he is a seasoned traveller having spent many years in Uganda flogging cast off MOT failure tyre's to the locals. It appears that after the downfall of Big Idi (Amin) tyre's where hard to come by so he packed off container loads of UK rejects which where quickly snapped up by the grateful locals who where fed up using inflated goats bladders!

Not too sure about the goats bladders, but the locals managed to get another 30,000 miles out of our cast offs before the canvas vanished into the ether!!

So I'm not to concerned about him, but then I had not considered Suvarnaphum airport. He arrives safely courtesy of Etihad Airlines breezes through immigration and baggage reclaim and is making his way down the travellator to the lower level, it is now that the fickle hand of fate decides to intervene. He has trouble with the new fangled baggage trolley and just catches the person in front a glancing blow. No problem, however the German tourist following with a well loaded cart just can't stop the thing and catches my mate full square on the back of the ankles. Result exits airport in wheelchair straight to hospital for X-rays and emerges with one leg in plaster and on crutches!!

so beware!!

TBWG

[bino]

In many other countries there are HS & E rules and regs coming out of the woodwork so to protect people from their own stupidity; signs are there covering anything and everything. Here, it is still one of those countries where arriving passengers are considered to have a modicom of common sense given the fact that they completed their flight without flushing their head down the onboard toilet where there is no sign, on any airlline, advising you to refrain from doing so owing to the potential health hazard.

[Weho]

Has anybody else seen piles of passengers strewn around in that area?

Do you think common sense of an arriving passenger would be to think:

A: there's the first and closest escalator going down one level, it's very wide, I think I'll just put the trolley on it as I do in many other airports, and there's no sign telling me NOT to do that, so here goes...

or...

B: I see there's the first escalator right there, real close to the arrival area... real wide too... Even though I just arrived off a 15 hour flight, I think I'll go hunting to see if there is another escalator going down one level, cause I'm real picky about which escalator I go down... and I love to go hunting after 15 hour flights...

So, is common sense A or B?

[bino]

I'm curious Weho....

You say;

some nice person RAN and screamed NOT to use that escalator with a trolley, I needed to use a different escalator, not a steep one, but one of those long, gradual ones...

If this nice person was an airport employee or security guard wearing a uniform, I'm sure you would have identified them as such in your post instead of "nice person".

So- who was this nice person? Another tourist / bystander with common sense?

And to answer your question, I would choose option C, D, or possibly E.

C - Follow the other trolley using passengers.

D - Ask someone.

E - Take my bags off the trolley and go down the steep escalator.

[gummy]

Has anybody else seen piles of passengers strewn around in that area?

Do you think common sense of an arriving passenger would be to think:

A: there's the first and closest escalator going down one level, it's very wide, I think I'll just put the trolley on it as I do in many other airports, and there's no sign telling me NOT to do that, so here goes...

or...

B: I see there's the first escalator right there, real close to the arrival area... real wide too... Even though I just arrived off a 15 hour flight, I think I'll go hunting to see if there is another escalator going down one level, cause I'm real picky about which escalator I go down... and I love to go hunting after 15 hour flights...

So, is common sense A or B?

Perhaps you should treat escalators like walking on ice ,or better still, get 2 trolleys, push one on first and see what happens to it in case it is destroyed on its descent prior to descending yourself with your 2nd trolley. Mind you in fairness to others you must shout very loudly "watch out its coming to get you" just to warn the other travellers.

However I expect given this alarming experience of yours in future you will be suitably prepared and will travel to BKK with fulll head, body, arms and leg padding, looking much like a Michelin man, purely for your own safety. It will also provide unique recognition to the Immigration staff.

[madjbs]

I say B!

If you notice there is an escalator there then I would first assume you would look to see if it’s going up or down. If you have to see if its up or down I would also assume you might notice if its long and gradual with no steps or steep like a moving staircase. I would then assume once you see its rather steep you may want to find an elevator or perhaps a different type of escalator. I’m not sure that choosing to just go down that escalator because you’re too lazy to walk anywhere would be construed as common sense. Or perhaps im wrong or maybe I just assume too much. Just for the record I managed to navigate my way through the assault course of the new airport escalator system all by myself and after a 14 hour flight and so did a large group of SAGA OAPs behind me! Do you think I should be proud of myself?

Jake

[jumnien]

Please be careful near the emergency exit doors which also have no trolley-specific warning signs. If you should trolley out onto a cracked taxiway or, god forbid, a cracked runway, we could see an international incident. Somehow this whole thread is reminding me of that wonderful French film, Mr. Hulot's Holiday!

[gummy]

Please be careful near the emergency exit doors which also have no trolley-specific warning signs. If you should trolley out onto a cracked taxiway or, god forbid, a cracked runway, we could see an international incident. Somehow this whole thread is reminding me of that wonderful French film, Mr. Hulot's Holiday!

Or those old Britsh favourites, "Carry on down the Escalators"

[Weho]

My recollection was that in Zurich airport, the trolleys go up and down the steep escalators... not sure if they had signs of any kind or not. If I have seen trolleys go on steep escalators in other airports, like Zurich, why should I assume that Bangkok would be different? Especially since it's a newer and presumably more modern airport that Zurich... that presumably, would have the most modern, most advanced, most up to date escalators?

And if you people think it's reasonable for the airport to send travellers on hunting adventures upon arrival from flights, why haven't you proposed the airport simply remove ALL signs, of all kinds, for EVERYTHING at the airport? I mean, either there should be clearn sign for everything, or for nothing at all. Why do you think it's reasonable for them not to have reasonable signage to differentiate between different designs/purposes of escalators? Why is it reasonable for the airport designers to require arriving passengers spend time EVALUATING their escalators? Should they presume that people are trained to evaluate different escalator designs? What about things like baggage carosels... should I evaluate those for design specs and flaws too? Should that be the role of the arriving passenger, or is it reasonable to presume that with high airport FEES paid, passengers should assume some reasonable signage, especially relating to safety?

I'm not sure who the "nice person" was that warned me... I was tired, and not paying much attention to others nearby. Probably not unusual for a tired traveller. I'm guessing he was a gypsy taxi driver, standing there, getting ready to hustle people for exaggerated taxi fares.

[jumnien]

Weho, you my man are quite a piece of work. My best advice is to wear a helmet at all times and simply DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!

[gummy]

My recollection was that in Zurich airport, the trolleys go up and down the steep escalators... not sure if they had signs of any kind or not. If I have seen trolleys go on steep escalators in other airports, like Zurich, why should I assume that Bangkok would be different? Especially since it's a newer and presumably more modern airport that Zurich... that presumably, would have the most modern, most advanced, most up to date escalators?

And if you people think it's reasonable for the airport to send travellers on hunting adventures upon arrival from flights, why haven't you proposed the airport simply remove ALL signs, of all kinds, for EVERYTHING at the airport? I mean, either there should be clearn sign for everything, or for nothing at all. Why do you think it's reasonable for them not to have reasonable signage to differentiate between different designs/purposes of escalators? Why is it reasonable for the airport designers to require arriving passengers spend time EVALUATING their escalators? Should they presume that people are trained to evaluate different escalator designs? What about things like baggage carosels... should I evaluate those for design specs and flaws too? Should that be the role of the arriving passenger, or is it reasonable to presume that with high airport FEES paid, passengers should assume some reasonable signage, especially relating to safety?

I'm not sure who the "nice person" was that warned me... I was tired, and not paying much attention to others nearby. Probably not unusual for a tired traveller. I'm guessing he was a gypsy taxi driver, standing there, getting ready to hustle people for exaggerated taxi fares.

Are you sure you were not just a tad "tipsy" and in fact you were actually trying to put your trolley on the baggage carousel? Now I agree with you that would be dangerous and should have warning signs advising you against such action.

[singa-traz]

I got it ... Troll-Hey

[The Dan Sai Kid]

I guess you need to rely on old-fashioned common-sense - if there isn't a sign.

[Weho]

I guess you need to rely on old-fashioned common-sense - if there isn't a sign.

I guess we're really on our own, and should allow a few extra hours at the airport, so we can spend time evaluating equipment for safety issues. Perhaps we should request partial refunds for those outrageous airport fees they charge, since we're not getting our money's worth, as I would think a reasonable judge would agree that there should be signs for things relating to safety.

[gummy]

I guess you need to rely on old-fashioned common-sense - if there isn't a sign.

I guess we're really on our own, and should allow a few extra hours at the airport, so we can spend time evaluating equipment for safety issues. Perhaps we should request partial refunds for those outrageous airport fees they charge, since we're not getting our money's worth, as I would think a reasonable judge would agree that there should be signs for things relating to safety.

Examining that philosophy further and projecting your logic, all Thai taxis should have suitable signage warning you about the driving standards ( see yesterdays post ), the pavements would need signs everywhere owing to their trip hazard etc etc in fact there would be so many signs they would need signs to warn you not to read too many signs as you might not see where you are walking and fall down an escalator, especially at the airport. Have you tried travelling by boat instead and giving the airport a miss ?

[madjbs]

Maybe the reason these escalators have been installed is to try and keep this awful "cotton wool ball protect me from all and everything" attitude found in the west these days entering Thailand. Anyone who lives by this attitude will choose to go down this escalator even though its obviously going to result in an accident. Once they topple down the escalator they are removed via the baggage system and buried under the runways. As the OP suggested, hundreds of people each day come to this fate. This is the reason why the cracks are so extensive, this volume of "cotton wool ball protect me from all and everything" people was just not expected. However Thailand simply cant afford to have these type of people roaming around starting lawsuits at every uneven pavement owner, the courts would be clogged for centuries.

[solo siam]

I'm not making this up. I imagine a few hundred people a day tumble down that escalator, and no one does anything about it.

Just LOL

[ovenman]

My recollection was that in Zurich airport, the trolleys go up and down the steep escalators... not sure if they had signs of any kind or not.

Trolleys are put on regular escalators at (I believe) Kuala Lumpur International Airport as well. It's somewhat disconcerting the first time you do this but the trolleys themselves are of some special design so that they lock in place.

[Axel]

Yes, and so is Frankfurt. The trolley locks with the steps on the escalators and becomes freed when the steps move on the the flat part.

Max.-weight, I remember(?) is 70 kgs and common sense would be not to load too high to avoid your bags slipping of. There is a bar under which your bag(s) should fit.

Edit to add, the BKK-trolleys do not seems to fit on escalators forming stairs, but ok for me to go up and down on the flat travellators.

[PhilHarries]

I imagined in my mind someone putting a child on top of some luggage, putting them on the WRONG escalator, with NO SIGNS, and the whole thing immediately tipping over, and flying down about forty feet. What kind of idiot wouldn't put a sign there? And as I indicated, the STEEP escalator was RIGHT next to the arrival exit area, that most people would immediately head for.

Awful.

I've read through this string and can come to some sort of understanding with your position on this. At many other airports thay have posts set at the tops/bottom of escalators to absolutely prevent trolleys being taken on. Myself I always assume that the trolley can not be taken on the escalator unless there are signs to the contrary, particularly the steep ones. But then I'm a mechanical engineer not some dodgy tyre salesman (btw, your mate, he's not a member of Trotter's International Traders of Peckham is he? ).

But the thing that quite frankly scares the sh1t out of me is your suggestion that someone would put a child on top of the baggage on a trolley. I can't recall if Suvarnabhumi has any but most, if not all, airports have signs telling people NOT to let children ride on the trolleys. Notwithstanding signs or not I couldn't imagine any responsible parent sitting their child on top of the baggage on the trolley. Are you a nominee for the 2007 Darwin awards?

[bdenner]

My stupid fault but I did have a trolley issue going from the 2nd to 3rd level where I forgot to release the brake as the trolley left the mobile trolley ramp, it stopped on the landing, I was still moving and I neally went arse over it.

[ballbreaker]

I imagined in my mind someone putting a child on top of some luggage, putting them on the WRONG escalator, with NO SIGNS, and the whole thing immediately tipping over, and flying down about forty feet. What kind of idiot wouldn't put a sign there? And as I indicated, the STEEP escalator was RIGHT next to the arrival exit area, that most people would immediately head for.

Awful.

Signs would still not solve the problem because the world is full of people lacking in common sense. The only way to solve this problem is to place a pole or two in front of escalator access to block trolleys not people.

[lomatopo]

I imagined in my mind someone putting a child on top of some luggage, putting them on the WRONG escalator, with NO SIGNS, and the whole thing immediately tipping over, and flying down about forty feet. What kind of idiot wouldn't put a sign there? And as I indicated, the STEEP escalator was RIGHT next to the arrival exit area, that most people would immediately head for.

Awful.

Signs would still not solve the problem because the world is full of people lacking in common sense. The only way to solve this problem is to place a pole or two in front of escalator access to block trolleys not people.

This is how it is done in many airports, train stations, etc. I could have sworn these blocking poles were in place at BKK on the step-escalators?