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Factors to consider when planning an escalator or moving walk installation
How many escalators or moving walks?
You should consider the building usage, the peak traffic times, customer turnover rate per floor in department stores, level of travelling comfort required on the unit. The capacity of an escalator depends on its width and speed and is calculated taking into account transportation of shopping and baggage carts.
Arrangement of escalators and moving walks
There are a number of possible arrangements based on the building requirements.
Single unit - used to connect two levels. Direction can be adjusted to suit traffic flow. E.g. up in the morning, down in the evening.
Continuous arrangement - one way traffic. Mainly used in department stores to link sales levels.
Interrupted arrangement - one way traffic. Separation of the upward and downward escalators means that customers have to walk past strategically placed merchandise displays.
Parallel, interrupted arrangement - two way traffic. Used mainly in department stores and public transportation buildings with heavy traffic flow.
Crisscross, continuous arrangement - two way traffic. This arrangement allows customers to travel quickly to upper floors without any waiting time.
Inclination
The international standard inclinations for escalators are 30 and 35 degrees. 30 degrees provides the highest travelling comfort for the user. 35 degrees requires less space but can be perceived as too steep if the rise exceeds 6m.
For inclined moving walks inclinations of 10, 11 and 12 degrees are the common international standards. Horizontal moving walks can be provided for inclinations between 0 and 6 degrees.
Optimal step, pallet and rubber band widths
Escalators are available with step widths of 600, 800 and 1000mm. The most popular step is 1000mm as this gives the passenger sufficient space even with baggage and shopping bags.
For inclined moving walks a width of 1000mm is generally recommended as the pallets should always be 400mm wider than the shopping trolleys.
Pallet widths of 800, 1000, 1200 and 1400mm are available for horizontal moving walks. At airports there is a tendency to use the wider pallets to allow users to step around passengers with baggage trolleys. Schindler also offer rubber belt moving walks specifically for this purpose.
If a number of escalators or moving walks are to be used in a continuous arrangement the same step, pallet or rubber band width should be used to avoid congestion.
Optimal speed
The speed impacts not only the transportation capacity of the escalators or moving walks but also the space required.
Continuous customer flow - optimal speed 0.5m/s
Intermittent passenger arrivals - optimal speed 0.6m/s or 0.65m/s
Extreme transportation capacity - optimal speed 0.75m/s
For further detail please download the planning guide for escalators and moving walks.
Planning guide for escalators and moving walks
Planning guide for escalators and moving walks
Or contact our office to speak to a Schindler representative on 01932 758100
SchindlerDraw
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