Choosing Between Stairs and Escalator in Shopping Centers: The Impact of Location, Height, and Pedestrian Volume
Published online on January 29, 2014
Abstract
The study tested the hypothesis that separating stairway from escalator between pairs of origin and destination floors in a shopping center would increase the rate at which the stairway was used. The study site included 13 stairways and 12 pairs of escalators in seven connected shopping centers. A total of 33,793 pedestrians were counted ascending or descending over 35 days. Simultaneous flow rates up and down among centers correlated at r = .89. Distance between stairway and escalator accounted for 71% of variance in the ascending model and 21% in the descending model, with height between floors resulting in slightly diminished pedestrian volumes, and overall pedestrian volume accounting for less than proportional increases in stair climbing and descending. A 100% increase in distance between stair and nearest escalator yielded a 95% increase in stair climbing.