3 ms·

Stories like this make me a bit suspicious. It reads like some publicist - for the building owners maybe? or for elevator repair companies lobbying for somethi

Stories like this make me a bit suspicious. It reads like some publicist - for the building owners maybe? or for elevator repair companies lobbying for something? - contacted the author or the website and said "I've got a great story for you, America is in an ELEVATOR CRISIS!" At first the writer yawned, but worked on this piece sporadically when there was nothing else to do, and several months later there was a slow news day, so might as well put this up. I can understand saying there are some issues here, but "elevator crisis"? Yeah OK.

batiudrami 2y ago
It’s just Axios’ (annoying) house style. All their articles are like this.
synack 2y ago
Sounds like the author got stuck in an elevator and decided to kill time by writing about elevators on their phone.
MoreMoore 2y ago
I don't understand. Stories like what? The article points out a problem and the risks and the consequences. What are you talking about? Is there anything you specifically object to? Do you think elevator maintenance isn't an issue in the US? Have you seen reporting elsewhere saying it isn't an issue or it's overblown? Or is this just a vibe thing? Why is the quality of HN comments becoming this bad? Your comment took zero effort to write. It's just "nuh-uh".
- bluGill 2y ago
  Did you read that article? It was light on details, made a bunch of claims without giving any indication of enough investigation to believe those are facts. I've ready many HN comments that are more believable.
  - MoreMoore 2y ago
    I read the article. It provided pretty much all the facts required to get a sense of the problem. All Axios articles are written like this and it's great to get a no-nonsense or no fluff glimpse of a particular topic I wouldn't have found out about otherwise. If you want an exposé, this is the wrong site.
h3xadecima1 2y ago
I was previously an elevator mechanic and the cost to keep an elevator serviced is not cheap. Major breakdowns can cost an insane amount. Insurance is extremely expensive for businesses that service elevators and its often less lucrative to service passenger elevators. Freight elevators are even more expensive and the repairs are far more frequent due to equipment tearing them up. Consider the current laws on handicap access to a building and how costly keeping these units serviced could be, just to stay compliant. Cable driven systems are most common type for buildings above 3 stories and regulations require cable changes every 5-15 years. Inspections are due every year and some areas will shut down your elevator for noncompliance. Hydraulic elevators usually require the hoistway roof removed and cranes are required. The work is dangerous and even seasoned mechanics die for making a single mistake. Dont even get me started on how the big guys like Thyssen turned their systems into proprietary designs that require special software and interface hardware, all for the sake of locking in clientele. An old dover controller was made to last and be serviced, but all the old systems are becoming more scarce each year. It may not be a crisis, but there's more to this than you think. Regulations and corporate meddling has turned a once stable ecosystem into a money pit. I'm all for the regulations, there's a reason I'm a previous elevator mechanic.
- emchammer 2y ago
  What is your opinion on machine room-less elevators? The newer ones with a relatively small motor at the top floor of the shaft or on the car? I think that they use a rubber belt? They seem slower and less sturdy to me. I prefer riding in a hydraulically- or cable-driven elevator.
scoofy 2y ago
Strong Towns writes about a lot of this stuff. America loves to build but are loathe to care about maintenance. Something as simple as municipal cash accounting (instead of double entry accounting) is how tons of cities are finding themselves broke after a maintenance cycle without growth.
- bluGill 2y ago
  Strong towns writes that all the time. However an examination shows they are wrong. The maintenance things they write about are a small percentage of budgets and so cannot be why cities go broke. (except for cherry picked examples that do not generalize to other cities)
  - scoofy 2y ago
    I'm very interested in any citations you have about where they are wrong. Not because I'm trying to nerdsnipe, but genuinely because their thesis seems incredibly plausible, and would explain the development pattern in North America over the last 70 years. If the thesis is demonstrably wrong, I don't want to be wrong, or promote incorrect things. >The maintenance things they write about are a small percentage of budgets and so cannot be why cities go broke. The thesis is that the maintenance things they write about are only small because they are based on significant growth of revenues. The other issue they note is that maintenance costs are non-linear, in that they are irregular from year-to-year, so large cost all hit at once, even if they are predictable.
    - bluGill 2y ago
      https://www.dsm.city/departments/finance/operating_budget.php https://www.dsm.city/departments/finance/operating_budget.ph... is the finances from the city of Des Moines. It doesn't really give a breakdown in quite the way I stated, but it appears that a large part of the city budget is not at all related to infrastructure. In the US most cities will publish their budget (It is required by law in many states) so you can dig in more if you want.
      - 2y ago
Yeul 2y ago
IDK about America but in my country this has been in the news for a while. It takes months for elevators at train stations to get fixed because there is a huge shortage of parts. And this means people in wheelchairs have to crawl down the stairs to the train platform.
RicoElectrico 2y ago
Read Bernays' "Propaganda" and everything will make sense.
manvillej 2y ago
probably anecdotal, but I live in a new apartment building <2 years old. near CONSTANT elevator issues. 1-2 of the 3 elevators are out at a time. its been this way for a year. can't wait for my lease to end.

batiudrami 2y ago

It’s just Axios’ (annoying) house style. All their articles are like this.

synack 2y ago

Sounds like the author got stuck in an elevator and decided to kill time by writing about elevators on their phone.

MoreMoore 2y ago

I don't understand. Stories like what? The article points out a problem and the risks and the consequences. What are you talking about? Is there anything you specifically object to? Do you think elevator maintenance isn't an issue in the US? Have you seen reporting elsewhere saying it isn't an issue or it's overblown? Or is this just a vibe thing? Why is the quality of HN comments becoming this bad? Your comment took zero effort to write. It's just "nuh-uh".

bluGill 2y ago
Did you read that article? It was light on details, made a bunch of claims without giving any indication of enough investigation to believe those are facts. I've ready many HN comments that are more believable.
- MoreMoore 2y ago
  I read the article. It provided pretty much all the facts required to get a sense of the problem. All Axios articles are written like this and it's great to get a no-nonsense or no fluff glimpse of a particular topic I wouldn't have found out about otherwise. If you want an exposé, this is the wrong site.

h3xadecima1 2y ago

I was previously an elevator mechanic and the cost to keep an elevator serviced is not cheap. Major breakdowns can cost an insane amount. Insurance is extremely expensive for businesses that service elevators and its often less lucrative to service passenger elevators. Freight elevators are even more expensive and the repairs are far more frequent due to equipment tearing them up. Consider the current laws on handicap access to a building and how costly keeping these units serviced could be, just to stay compliant. Cable driven systems are most common type for buildings above 3 stories and regulations require cable changes every 5-15 years. Inspections are due every year and some areas will shut down your elevator for noncompliance. Hydraulic elevators usually require the hoistway roof removed and cranes are required. The work is dangerous and even seasoned mechanics die for making a single mistake. Dont even get me started on how the big guys like Thyssen turned their systems into proprietary designs that require special software and interface hardware, all for the sake of locking in clientele. An old dover controller was made to last and be serviced, but all the old systems are becoming more scarce each year. It may not be a crisis, but there's more to this than you think. Regulations and corporate meddling has turned a once stable ecosystem into a money pit. I'm all for the regulations, there's a reason I'm a previous elevator mechanic.

emchammer 2y ago
What is your opinion on machine room-less elevators? The newer ones with a relatively small motor at the top floor of the shaft or on the car? I think that they use a rubber belt? They seem slower and less sturdy to me. I prefer riding in a hydraulically- or cable-driven elevator.

scoofy 2y ago

Strong Towns writes about a lot of this stuff. America loves to build but are loathe to care about maintenance. Something as simple as municipal cash accounting (instead of double entry accounting) is how tons of cities are finding themselves broke after a maintenance cycle without growth.

bluGill 2y ago
Strong towns writes that all the time. However an examination shows they are wrong. The maintenance things they write about are a small percentage of budgets and so cannot be why cities go broke. (except for cherry picked examples that do not generalize to other cities)
- scoofy 2y ago
  I'm very interested in any citations you have about where they are wrong. Not because I'm trying to nerdsnipe, but genuinely because their thesis seems incredibly plausible, and would explain the development pattern in North America over the last 70 years. If the thesis is demonstrably wrong, I don't want to be wrong, or promote incorrect things. >The maintenance things they write about are a small percentage of budgets and so cannot be why cities go broke. The thesis is that the maintenance things they write about are only small because they are based on significant growth of revenues. The other issue they note is that maintenance costs are non-linear, in that they are irregular from year-to-year, so large cost all hit at once, even if they are predictable.
  - bluGill 2y ago
    https://www.dsm.city/departments/finance/operating_budget.php https://www.dsm.city/departments/finance/operating_budget.ph... is the finances from the city of Des Moines. It doesn't really give a breakdown in quite the way I stated, but it appears that a large part of the city budget is not at all related to infrastructure. In the US most cities will publish their budget (It is required by law in many states) so you can dig in more if you want.
    - 2y ago

Yeul 2y ago

IDK about America but in my country this has been in the news for a while. It takes months for elevators at train stations to get fixed because there is a huge shortage of parts. And this means people in wheelchairs have to crawl down the stairs to the train platform.

RicoElectrico 2y ago

Read Bernays' "Propaganda" and everything will make sense.

manvillej 2y ago

probably anecdotal, but I live in a new apartment building <2 years old. near CONSTANT elevator issues. 1-2 of the 3 elevators are out at a time. its been this way for a year. can't wait for my lease to end.