# Stand on either side of escalators? Commuters reluctant to ditch ‘keep left’ habit in SMRT trial

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/stand-on-either-side-of-escalators-commuters-reluctant-to-ditch-keep-left-habit-in-smrt-trial/
- Published: 2026-11-07T07:07:48+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-07T08:25:33+00:00
- Original publisher: CNA (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/smrt-escalator-stand-both-sides-trial-6532751
- Topics: World

## Key points

- SMRT is testing standing on both sides at two MRT stations.
- Most commuters interviewed want to keep the right side clear.
- Walking is quicker individually, but queues leave capacity unused.

## Summary

SMRT is trialling standing on both sides of escalators at City Hall and Raffles Place MRT stations, hoping to improve safety and use capacity more effectively. But the change challenges Singapore’s familiar practice of keeping left and leaving the right side clear for people who want to walk.

The month-long trial began on 29 October, and SMRT says it will study commuter behaviour and patterns. At City Hall, most people observed by CNA still stood on the left, and all 10 commuters interviewed preferred the existing practice. Walking took about 20 seconds compared with 30 seconds standing, though left-side queues sometimes lasted more than 10 seconds while the right side was relatively clear.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.