The Moving Walkway is Ending - 99% Invisible

"Moving walkways, or "people movers" as they're sometimes called, can be found in most major American airports. And, at least in theory, they serve a pretty important function-moving a bunch of very rushed people, very short distances, a little quicker than they can on their own two feet."

"The moving walkway is completely associated with air travel, but it turns out it was not invented to get you to your plane on time. In fact it was originally seen as a form of mass transportation. Over the course of a century, a group of architects and engineers dreamed of turning the sidewalk into a magic carpet that could carry people all throughout the city."

Moving walkways, also called people movers, are common in major American airports and move rushed passengers short distances more quickly than walking. The technology's present association with air travel belies its original purpose as a form of mass transportation. For roughly a century, architects and engineers envisioned sidewalks transformed into continuous moving platforms that could carry people throughout urban areas like a magic carpet. The concept reflects a broader interest in mechanized urban mobility and reimagining pedestrian infrastructure to increase speed and scale of movement within cities.

Read at 99% Invisible