Stories in the news featuring stairs aren’t a particularly common occurrence, but like buses, if you wait long enough, three will come along at once! Here are some examples of stories about stairs that have made the news since the beginning of the year:
“How do we get across?”
Authorities in the Indian city of Ghaziabad decided to help keep residents safe by closing to level crossings and building footbridges over the railway line in their place. With work on the bridges almost finished, the crossings were closed and walls erected to prevent the public accessing the line. There was just one problem: no staircases were built to allow residents to cross over the bridges, leaving them stranded on one side of the line.
There now appears to be a stand-off between the construction company and the company the operates the railway line and the level crossings with both blaming each other for the delay and stating their work won’t be completed until the other has finished.
Baby stroller built for stairs
Stairs sometimes present a problem for parents who use pushchairs, prams or baby strollers to take their young children around with them. But those problems could be a thing of the past, thanks to a brand new invention.
Swedish designer Jade Olsson has come up with a novel six-wheeled stroller that is able to easily go up and down stairs. The stroller, built to fit two children, features two sets of three wheels on each side, positioned in a triangular shape. When the back wheels hit a vertical point (eg the riser below the tread of a step) the wheel axle rotates, allowing the top wheel to climb the step.
The design probably needs a few revisions before it hits the shops (such as an emergency stopping mechanism) but it could prove to be a highly useful product for parents all over the world.
12-hour charity staircase climb
A Minneapolis man who almost lost a foot during a hurricane last year, has raised over $2000 for charity by repeatedly climbing 33 flights of stairs for 12 hours. Endurance athlete Adam Warden was injured last June when a tree fell on him as he cleared debris from his backyard. Having had his own near miss and fought his way back to fitness, he decided to help those who are less able to do so by raising money for children with Ataxia Telangiectasia, a rare neurological condition.
Have you seen any other unusual or heart-warming stair-related stories? Let us know via Twitter @UKStairParts.
Written by David Chapman of UK Stair Parts