Why do escalator steps have grooves?

The escalator prototype appeared in 1896 in New York’s “Coney Island” park as a tourist attraction, although the original version was a mechanism built with smooth rubber strips and wood. Nowadays, millions of people use treadmills every day. But do you know what the grooves they have are for? Well, they are an important element of the complex mechanism.

Incrível.club discovered the “mission” of these grooved steps.

In winter and autumn, moisture builds up on the steps, and the chances of passengers slipping and falling increase dramatically. Precisely for this reason, there are vertical stripes: they improve grip between the soles of the ‘passengers’ shoes and the steps. And the gaps between these strips are necessary for draining liquids.

Sometimes food wrappers, packages and other waste fall onto the escalators. If your steps were smooth, all of this would go under the “comb” (the tape at the end, which forms a straight line). At best, it would cause the ladder to stop indefinitely, with enormous losses. But thanks to the ribbed surface of the steps, this does not happen, because all large rubbish is removed from the tape.

Over time, the discs that move the handrails wear out, and the speed of their movement is reduced. This is a sign that the escalator needs technical maintenance.

Without these details, which seem insignificant but are well thought out, we would have to use conventional stairs more often, and we could slip and fall on escalators. But luckily certain things are well thought out in every way.