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Phage0070 t1_jachm9j wrote

They don't need to be two flights but they take up half the footprint that way making them much easier to fit into a design. An escalator can't make such turns so they need to be straight, making them a bit awkward to plan around.

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TehWildMan_ t1_jaci0gh wrote

> An escalator can't make such turns so they need to be straight,

Side note, curved escalators can be made, but they're very expensive (I've never seen one outside of Las Vegas) and take up a huge amount of floor space in comparison

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exmxn OP t1_jachqkk wrote

This actually makes a lot of sense hahah thank you!

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rubseb t1_jaci2o3 wrote

You could do the same thing with an escalator by having a landing in the middle, and this does happen at times.

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Phage0070 t1_jaci5kx wrote

Technically that is two escalators which increases the cost.

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rubseb t1_jacics6 wrote

Yep.

(Of course two flights of stairs are also two flights of stairs. But yeah, the cost thing.)

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cmlobue t1_jacn1lr wrote

Two flights of 10 steps are not significantly more expensive than one flight of 20 - all you're adding is the landing. Two escalators means twice the mechanical equipment.

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amor__fati___ t1_jacnes4 wrote

Not correct. If you look at how escalators work (eg 3D animations), the step height is a variable that can be completely varied through the length of the escalator. So it can start flat, go up a flight, go flat again, go up again etc very easily and still be the same escalator. It works so simply it is amazing.

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sudo_robot_destroy t1_jack1le wrote

It also seems like having two flights is safer if someone falls from the top step.

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