this post was submitted on 04 Jun 2024
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Mildly Interesting

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I had never seen one of these before today. They're great. Way better than reaching for a single pole in a crowded car and wrapping your hand around some stranger's fingers. And If you have the whole thing to yourself you can hook your arm through it.

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[–] simplejack@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

They can take about 15-20 second to decelerate in an emergency. This is a link to some train geeks talking about it.

In my experience being stuck on a lot of light rail, those numbers sound about right. Those things never stop like a car when the e brake gets pulled. It’s too dangerous to stop them quickly since people are standing, walking, and sitting without buckles and headrests.

[–] criitz@reddthat.com 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The existence of the handrail is proof of the potential for heavy inertia

[–] simplejack@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago

Its existence is also kind of proof that emergency stops are slow enough that people can remain standing and squeezing a poll with 5 fingers will suffice for safety.