Ditched out on class today, after turning in my paper, because I was feeling pretty awful.
On the way home, walking through the Davis Square T Station, I noticed a large pile of boxes; 40 of them in all, labeled “Kone” (which happens to be the name of the T’s escalator repair vendor). As they were about the size of escalator steps, I’m taking a guess that they are, in fact, replacements.
The really weird part, though, is that the boxes were labeled “Fragile”.
For those unaware of the concept, escalators are basically conveyor belts for humans. The ones at Davis spend 20 hours a day going around and around and around and around, carrying people. They are made of metal, and are very large, and have been known to chew people’s feet off.
And yet, the steps are apparently in need of special care during shipping.
I would suggest to the management of the T (who I know read this blog) that they rethink their escalator step replacement policy. Specifically, they might want to go with the “non-fragile” option next time.
Fragile is bad when you’re talking about escalator pieces.
Silly T!