jngai Posted October 20, 2009 at 03:28 PM Report Posted October 20, 2009 at 03:28 PM Could anyone give any insight into why the steps in China are so small? If there is a reason for this and there are any websites, I've tried typing stuff in but ... no. I'm hoping it's for easier mobility for the aged, ho hum... Quote
liuzhou Posted October 20, 2009 at 03:36 PM Report Posted October 20, 2009 at 03:36 PM I've never noticed that steps are particularly small. What I have noticed is that steps in any one flight of stairs can be different sizes. Both is the risers and the treads. This means you really have to watch each step. Quote
jngai Posted October 20, 2009 at 04:30 PM Author Report Posted October 20, 2009 at 04:30 PM oh yeah I mean the tread. Like different heights. There are often the ramps on each side so you can either climb up the stairs or just walk at a diagonal. It is a bit trivial I guess, but sometimes I feel really pointless walking up them Quote
roddy Posted October 20, 2009 at 04:43 PM Report Posted October 20, 2009 at 04:43 PM There are often the ramps on each side so you can either climb up the stairs or just walk at a diagonal. Depending on how interested you are, there will be building codes you could look up and compare to the overseas equivalents. You could also carry a ruler around to see if the codes are followed. I suspect in places such as underpasses and train stations it's so you can get larger numbers of luggage-laden people through without them falling over each other. I have had similar thoughts - two steps isn't enough, three's too many, and you feel a bit silly trotting up the ramp . . . Quote
Xiwang Posted October 21, 2009 at 12:05 AM Report Posted October 21, 2009 at 12:05 AM I'm very conscious of architectural issues. Unfortunately, the issue of building design, handicap access, and just plain safety is pretty depressing here in China. On many stairways that I've seen, the step heights are uniform except for the top step. Instead of designing the steps so that every step is the same height, the builders just install the stairway and then cut the top step off wherever it happens to meet the floor. The result is a safety hazard because the top step is unexpectedly smaller than the rest. The lack of interest to building detail is frustrating. Even in the newest buildings, there will be unexpected half-inch differences in floor height when going from one room to another. Unnecesary tripping hazards are thrown in elsewhere seemingly at random. Instead of building the Beijing subway platforms to be the same height as the trains, there is a height difference of a few inches, which makes it difficult to use a wheelchair. (The airport line is an exception. I have not been on the new Line 4 yet.) My new apartment building complex, which advertises itself as a high-tech development and a business start-up incubator is handicap inaccessable even though relatively small changes in design could have made it otherwise. Quote
in_lab Posted October 21, 2009 at 01:48 AM Report Posted October 21, 2009 at 01:48 AM (edited) I have noticed that stairs are shorter here. I have to keep one hand on the rail when going down the stairs because my foot can't fit on the stair. Also, it can make your foot sore when the edge of the stair repeatedly contacts your foot. Edited October 21, 2009 at 08:02 AM by in_lab Quote
XiaoBin Posted October 22, 2009 at 09:05 AM Report Posted October 22, 2009 at 09:05 AM As a Building Engineer I also noticed these issues. Sloppy details and safety sometimes is depressing. Once I went down this fire escape and there were pieces missing from the steps. Luckily there wasn't a real fire when I went down that thing. Quote
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