Good Will Blogging
How do you like them apples...

(I’m talking about elevator ranks that have two buttons to call the elevator, and one of them is marked with the handicap symbol.)

I always thought people who press both buttons were just inconsiderate, but it seems that many people don’t actually know what that button does, so this post is to enlighten anyone you know who does this.

The handicap button is a feature of elevator systems where there is more than one elevator, but not all of them have accessibility features for the handicapped (a mirror at the back, a second set of lowered buttons, etc.) Handicapped people need these features to ride the elevator, but where they are not installed in every elevator car, the special handicap elevator call button makes sure they get one.

For example, if the rank has four elevator cars, often only one of them has accessibility features. If you press the handicap call button, only that one will arrive. If you press the “normal” call button any one of the four may arrive.

But if someone presses both call buttons, depending on the timing and other factors, two elevator cars may arrive, one after the other. One of them will be the handicap car. The offending button-pusher will get in the first one, and not see the second one arrive. Perhaps this is why they don’t realise how this works.

Ever been in an elevator, and it stops at a floor but nobody gets in or out? Confusing and annoying, right? Makes the elevator ride take longer than it needed to, right? Most of the time, it’s because someone pressed both buttons.

For 99% of people who press both buttons, this will be reason enough to stop doing it — that they didn’t realise they were inconveniencing others. Unfortunately, 1% will still think it gets them an elevator faster. It doesn’t. In fact, it makes the whole system slower for everyone.

It is natural to assume that the algorithms that control elevator movements is designed to minimise waiting time and maximise passenger convenience. Not the case. Elevator algorithms are designed with one thing in mind: power. Elevators use a lot of power, which is expensive. Passenger convenience is of secondary importance.

So when someone presses both buttons, calling two elevator cars, the system reacts by finding the most power-efficient way to handle what is supposed to be a relatively rare occurrence, i.e. an able-bodied person called an elevator, quickly followed by a handicapped person. When that happens, passenger convenience goes out the window (er, down the elevator shaft?)

Since many people press both buttons every time, imagine how much better your elevator rides would be of everyone stopped doing this! (Hint: Pass this on.)