“Relying on passengers to open the doors proved to be a bit of a curse.”
It’s Button Week here on Unsung, and here’s a 10-minute video by Jago Hazzard about the door opening/closing buttons on London’s tube:
We previously covered elevator buttons and the enduring myth that – at least in America – they are just “pacifiers,” disconnected from the elevator’s systems.
The door opening and closing buttons in London went a different, but no less complex route, having to do with changing expectations, dwell time, and air conditioning. The video also briefly covers how the subway trains changed, which is fun to see.