3 ms·

Also, consider what would happen if door close buttons really did what people think they want: to close the door immediately, unilaterally, and without limitati

Also, consider what would happen if door close buttons really did what people think they want: to close the door immediately, unilaterally, and without limitation. If elevators allowed that, then as soon as the doors started to open, a selfish elevator rider would think "sorry, you losers out there in the elevator lobby, I gotta get to floor 7 ASAP, so you can take the next one" and push the button. So common sense says the button is only going to let you fine tune how long the door stays open, not have complete control. So you shouldn't conclude from the fact that it doesn't give you complete control that it must not do anything.

JoeAltmaier 4y ago
That's a leap. The door will close in seconds anyway. The button is locked out until the minimum time has elapsed. The window between those two times is the only place the button could work. Is it 1 second? 2 seconds? So the door close button, by regulation, can do little or nothing
- pflenker 4y ago
  The article mentions cases where this is not true - e.g. hospitals, where elevators are configured to stay open much longer than the minimum.
halestock 4y ago
I used to work in a building where the elevators operated this way, and riders sometimes DID push the close door button immediately, assuming there was no one waiting to go up and closing the door on people waiting.
eknkc 4y ago
The buttons work here in our office building and many other places. Some wait for the door to be fully open first and then allow immediate closing. That would solve your issue. Some do actually stop opening and close the doors halfway through. Never once seen someone do that. I mean if you are gonna be a dick, you can shove people out of the elevator anyway. No need for a button.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- dgunay 4y ago
  > I mean if you are gonna be a dick, you can shove people out of the elevator anyway. No need for a button. Seems like the same principle behind online trolling or road rage: putting a layer of tech and/or anonymity between the person and their victim makes it easier for people to be cruel to each other.
mannykannot 4y ago
I used to work in an old office building with a long wait and where the 'close' button did not seem to do anything, but pushing and releasing the 'open' button would cause the doors to open to their full extent and then immediately begin closing, regardless of how long the doors had been open. Thus, it functioned as a 'close' button. I did not see it being abused, but I don't know if many people had found out about it. I did not use it unless the lobby was empty of people heading for the elevators.
blep-arsh 4y ago
I can confirm from my experience that unrestricted door close buttons lead exactly to this - riders closing the doors without waiting for others to board.
SoftTalker 4y ago
You can always stick your hand in the door and trigger the safety mechanism. The close button will not override an obstacle in the door, and in any modern elevator the door does not close with enough force that a normal person cannot hold it open if necessary.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
userbinator 4y ago
In many elevators, you can push the call button again to counter the close. You may have to hold it down until the doors have closed before they'll open again. However, I would advise against it as you'll then be in a closed space with someone who likely didn't want your company anyway.

JoeAltmaier 4y ago

That's a leap. The door will close in seconds anyway. The button is locked out until the minimum time has elapsed. The window between those two times is the only place the button could work. Is it 1 second? 2 seconds? So the door close button, by regulation, can do little or nothing

pflenker 4y ago
The article mentions cases where this is not true - e.g. hospitals, where elevators are configured to stay open much longer than the minimum.

halestock 4y ago

I used to work in a building where the elevators operated this way, and riders sometimes DID push the close door button immediately, assuming there was no one waiting to go up and closing the door on people waiting.

eknkc 4y ago

The buttons work here in our office building and many other places. Some wait for the door to be fully open first and then allow immediate closing. That would solve your issue. Some do actually stop opening and close the doors halfway through. Never once seen someone do that. I mean if you are gonna be a dick, you can shove people out of the elevator anyway. No need for a button.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
dgunay 4y ago
> I mean if you are gonna be a dick, you can shove people out of the elevator anyway. No need for a button. Seems like the same principle behind online trolling or road rage: putting a layer of tech and/or anonymity between the person and their victim makes it easier for people to be cruel to each other.

mannykannot 4y ago

I used to work in an old office building with a long wait and where the 'close' button did not seem to do anything, but pushing and releasing the 'open' button would cause the doors to open to their full extent and then immediately begin closing, regardless of how long the doors had been open. Thus, it functioned as a 'close' button. I did not see it being abused, but I don't know if many people had found out about it. I did not use it unless the lobby was empty of people heading for the elevators.

blep-arsh 4y ago

I can confirm from my experience that unrestricted door close buttons lead exactly to this - riders closing the doors without waiting for others to board.

SoftTalker 4y ago

You can always stick your hand in the door and trigger the safety mechanism. The close button will not override an obstacle in the door, and in any modern elevator the door does not close with enough force that a normal person cannot hold it open if necessary.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

userbinator 4y ago

In many elevators, you can push the call button again to counter the close. You may have to hold it down until the doors have closed before they'll open again. However, I would advise against it as you'll then be in a closed space with someone who likely didn't want your company anyway.