The Stranger‘s David Cole isn’t too happy with Seattle’s Sound Transit System’s design that didn’t account for redundant escalators. It posits that if one escalator stops working, half the station is essentially inaccessible. Cole continued, citing an incident covered in The Seattle Times, “If more than one escalator fails, the entire station is functionally crippled, resulting in scenes like this past August, when more than 200 people were trapped inside the UW station waiting to exit.”

Cole brings up some good reasons for more escalators, which we already know are good investments when manufactured well and installed in the proper locations. He also identifies another safety issues prevalent in transit stations: emergency stairs that are “somewhat hidden.” The pic below is of the London Underground’s Canary Wharf, where one can find a good example of escalator redundancy.