The Moving Walkway Is Ending - 99% Invisible Recap

Podcast: 99% Invisible

Published: 2025-11-18

Duration: 40 min

Guests: Jasper Davidoff, Lee Gray, Mark Auerbach, Erki Hotemo

Summary

The episode explores the history and decline of moving walkways, initially envisioned as urban transit systems but now largely relegated to airports, where they face obsolescence.

What Happened

Roman Mars recounts his childhood fascination with the moving walkway at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, a tunnel filled with neon lights and Gershwin's music. This episode delves into the history of moving walkways, tracing back to Alfred Speer's 1871 proposal for an 'endless traveling sidewalk' in New York City, which aimed to alleviate urban congestion but was never built due to cost and urban planning challenges.

The concept of moving walkways was showcased at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893 and again at the 1900 World's Fair in Paris, where they became attractions rather than practical transit solutions. Despite these early demonstrations, moving walkways struggled to find practical applications outside of fairs and exhibitions, with proposals often dismissed as impractical.

In the mid-20th century, Goodyear's collaboration on moving walkways at a Jersey City train station marked a shift from grand urban visions to practical implementations, primarily to improve commuter convenience. This pivot allowed moving walkways to gain traction in specific settings like airports, where they helped manage increased passenger traffic due to the rise of commercial air travel.

By the 1950s, as airports expanded, moving walkways became a staple to ease the long distances passengers had to walk between terminals. They were marketed as futuristic conveniences, with installations at places like Dallas Lovefield Airport and later at LAX, where they were promoted by celebrities like Lucille Ball.

However, in recent decades, the popularity and practicality of moving walkways have waned. Maintenance costs, safety concerns, and their limited speed have led many airports to remove them, as seen at O'Hare and other major airports. Moving walkways are often seen as inefficient compared to the modern airport's commercial focus on shopping and dining.

Despite this decline, innovative efforts continue, such as the accelerated moving walkway trials in the Paris metro, though challenges remain in making them safe and effective at higher speeds. While moving walkways may never fulfill their original utopian promises, they remain a nostalgic symbol of futuristic transit, with companies like Beltways still pursuing the dream of faster, urban moving walkways.

The episode concludes with a reflection on the enduring allure of moving walkways, highlighting both their whimsical appeal and the ongoing quest to integrate them meaningfully into urban transit systems. Roman Mars and Jasper Davidoff discuss their cultural and historical significance, as well as their potential future in urban mobility.

Key Insights