A Bodleian Libraries project worth £5m pounds, designed to upgrade space within the central Bodleian site, has been approved by the Oxford City Council.

The project, which is due to start in the Radcliffe Camera in October, aims to improve library services and to facilitate disabled access, allowing readers with limited mobility access to the Radcliffe Camera for the first time.

Library services may be restricted until the work is completed in late spring 2011. However, a Bodleian Libraries spokesperson said that ‘every effort’ would be made to minimise disruptions to students and readers.

‘We recognise that the Radcliffe Camera is extremely popular with students and we intend to keep the Upper and Lower Reading Rooms open to readers throughout the building project as much as possible,’ said Sarah Henderson, Head of Communications for the Bodleian Library.

Renovation plans include opening up the tunnel that connects the Radcliffe Camera and the main library of the Old Bodleian building, which will be known as the Gladstone Link.

‘The tunnel and conveyor have had an important role in the mythology of Oxford over the last sixty years – many people believe there is a maze of tunnels underneath the libraries,’ reads a Bodleian Libraries press release.

The project also outlines the installation of platform lifts in the Radcliffe Camera as well as in the Old Bodleian main building, and the adjustment the paving level in the Old Schools Quadrangle.

It is said that the quad was once been level with the doorways in the square, but the surface was dropped to accommodate a new drainage system.

These plans were first unveiled in April and submitted to the Council for review on Tuesday 13 July.

The project is lead by Purcell Miller Tritton, which has previously worked on other Grade 1 buildings including St Paul’s Cathedral, Kew Palace, and the British Museum.

For lift maintenance, platform lifts, lift installations and lift repair, make sure you speak to a lift company that provide the best lift service – Elevators Ltd

Superior quality platform lift styling, unique design and outstanding features of the Electra-Ride Elite Stairlift make it an ideal stairlift for the elite in society. Bruno, the well-known manufacturer of the Electra-Ride Elite Stairlift, is a branded ISO 9001 certified company. Founded in 1984, Bruno has developed excellent accessibility products such as lifts and elevators. They have introduced stairlifts for straight as well as curved stairways. Vertical platform lift and vehicle lift are their other products. Bruno’s Electra-Ride Elite is a straight stair lift for indoor use and it has a number of salient features that make it distinctive.

The Electra-Ride Elite Stairlift has a capacity of 400 lb (181kg). This lift uses two 12V batteries which can be charged using household power outlet. Battery charged operation allows usage of the lift even during power failure. As a safety measure, sensors are provided to detect the presence of obstacles on the path of the lift so that damages to the device can be avoided. More importantly, these sensors ensure the safety of the user. Safety belts are also provided. Swivel seating allows users to make easy entry and exit. This lift can be installed on both sides of the stairways. Some of the unique features of Electra-Ride Elite stairlift are:

• Improved clamping and rail design which provides remarkable stability
• Seven different selections of upholstery
• Flip up facility of seat, arms and footrest allows others to use the stairways comfortably
• Visual coded diagnostics provides instant analysis of operational status

Other features include two remotes for call/send controls, seating size of 17.75 inch which can be adjusted to 17.75 inch, adjustable seat height and foot rest height, soft start and soft stop for users comfort etc.

For lift maintenance, platform lifts, lift installations and lift repair, make sure you speak to a lift company that provide the best lift service – Elevators Ltd

Elevator and escalator conditions at subway stations across the city are going down and Comptroller John C. Liu wants the MTA make some changes.

“The MTA just has to escalate and elevate its commitment to make sure that escalators and elevators are working,” said Liu, whose audit was released on the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. “Transit riders, especially seniors and people with disabilities, rely heavily on the MTA to make stations accessible.”

Liu believes that the MTA needs to be more responsible in overseeing its internal agencies, including New York City Transit (NYCT), which operates the city’s 468 active subway stations and oversees the Elevator and Escalator Department (EED).

In the audit, Liu found instances where required preventive and scheduled maintenance was not performed and safety tests were lacking or not properly performed. Liu also found that NYCT lacks formal operating procedures and does not properly supervise its crews.

“On the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the MTA should honor its required commitment to make our subway system accessible for all riders,” Liu said. “MTA’s sloppy performance in inspecting and maintaining elevators and escalators increases the risk of breakdowns, which not only causes trouble for straphangers, but also jeopardizes safety.”

The recommendations made by Liu include immediately performing safety tests on elevators that were scheduled but never performed, and ensuring that all required documentation reflecting work performed by field crews is completed and retained.

The MTA agreed with Liu’s findings and said that steps will be made to improve facilities and bring them up to the standard set by this audit.

“MTA New York City Transit concurs with all the recommendations made in the audit report and agrees that most of them offer meaningful ways to improve the overall performance of our expansive network of elevators and escalators,” said Aaron Donovan, MTA deputy press secretary.

The full audit report is available at www.comptroller.nyc.gov.

For lift maintenance, platform lifts, lift installations and lift repair, make sure you speak to a lift company that provide the best lift service – Elevators Ltd

MIDTOWN WEST — Ilanit Hersh rode the A train down from Washington Heights to 59th Street-Columbus Circle last week and headed for the station’s elevator with her two young children in tow.

She pushed the stroller into the empty elevator and the doors closed behind them, but the buttons for the upper level and the door open button both failed, leaving her and her family trapped inside.

After waiting several minutes, Hersh picked up the emergency phone inside the car and summoned a transit employee, who promised to send help.

Then she pressed the alarm button, catching the attention of a passer-by, who flagged down a worker in an orange vest who freed Hersh and her kids. To Hersh’s surprise, she was not the first straphanger to experience problems with the elevator.

“Apparently this one elevator has a reputation for breaking,” Hersh said.

In fact, the 59th Street station elevator was reported as being out of service eight times between June 15 and July 13, for a total of 43 hours and 15 minutes, according to NYC Transit.

A mother and two young children were stuck in this elevator at 59th Street for 33 minutes earlier this month. (DNAinfo/Leslie Albrecht)

On June 21 it was out of service from just before 2 p.m. to just before 7 p.m., with no reason cited for the outage, said transit spokesman James Anyansi.

The elevator wasn’t working from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on June 24. It was fixed after workers adjusted the “slow-down switches,” Anyansi said.

On June 26 it was out for more than 14 hours. It was fixed after workers replaced seals in the elevator car, Anyansi said.

Anyansi said the outages were “minor problems.” He noted that in some cases subway elevators are out of service for several days.

“Elevators break down, especially public elevators,” Anyansi said. “These are minor glitches which are expected in any public facility.”

The elevator is one of five at the 59th Street stop that moms with strollers, people in wheelchairs and others who find stairs difficult rely on every day.

The station serves the 1, 2, A, B, C and D lines. Four of the elevators are operated by MTA, one is operated by Time Warner.

Riders can check the MTA’s website or call 1-800-734-6772 for real time updates on elevator outages.

Some riders interviewed Wednesday said they were disturbed to hear about a mother and children trapped in the elevator.

“It’s a shame,” said 36-year-old Patricia Dinely, wheeling her two kids on a double-wide stroller. But she said the Columbus Circle elevator compared favorably to others she’s used. Her kids complain about the “stinky” elevators at Times Square, she said.

“God, that’s bad,” said 57-year-old Julian Thrasher of the Bronx. “They’ve got to get a better handle on it.” Thrasher, a messenger for dental labs, tries the elevator every day.

“I wind up taking the stairs half the time,” he said, because the elevators are too slow.

As for Hersh, she said her two-year-old daughter has learned a lesson. “Now she says, ‘Let’s take the stairs so we don’t get stuck,’” Hersh said.

For lift maintenance, platform lifts, lift installations and lift repair, make sure you speak to a lift company that provide the best lift service – Elevators Ltd

Vantage Mobility International (VMI) announced that its much anticipated next generation Ricon Slide-Away™ platform lift for wheelchair accessible vans is now available

PHOENIX – July 8, 2010 – As an innovative manufacturer and distributor of accessories and vehicles for mobility restricted individuals, VMI/Ricon developed the revolutionary platform lift design to allow full functionality of the front passenger seat and provide greater access for able-bodied passengers.

“Our new Slide-Away™ platform lift is a bold step forward in design, functionality and quality,” said Doug

Eaton, president of VMI. “The team of engineers has worked tirelessly to give it exclusive features and technology that will make it the most advanced design in our industry. Not only does it integrate the highest quality parts, but its functionality is unmatched, giving mobility impaired and able-bodied users more versatility than ever before.”

In addition to the new, exclusive features on the Slide-Away™, VMI/Ricon also re-engineered a variety of systems and components that give it improved performance over previous models. These enhancements include a pressure relief valve in the hydraulic pump to better protect platform components and an upgrade from steel to extruded aluminum on the outboard barrier material to reduce overall platform weight.

“While our proprietary Slide-Away™ platform lift represents over two decades of design ingenuity, that is only a piece of this new product,” added Eaton. “How we manufacture the Slide-Away™ is just as important as its new design, parts and technology. We’ve spent the last two years improving our lift manufacturing processes with our Lean quality initiative. Using our Certified Sustainable Quality (CSQ) System we’ve increased the level of our manufacturing process to better ensure the Slide-Away™ will perform as our customers expect.”

Additional information about VMI’s proprietary Slide-Away™ Platform Lift can be found at www.vantagemobility.com or by calling 800-348-8267.

For lift maintenance, platform lifts, lift installations and lift repair, make sure you speak to a lift company that provide the best lift service – Elevators Ltd

WASHINGTON – Metro’s interim general manager has asked an outside company to examine how well Metro maintains its escalators and elevators. That study began in May and a preliminary report is expected in September.

Managers at the transit system say they are striving for at least 93 percent reliability for escalators. As of midday Wednesday, that figure was only 88 percent.

In part, Metro is a victim of its own success. On an average weekday, about 750,000 trips are taken on Metrorail. Each of those customers typically rides on two escalators per trip: one from the street and one down to train platforms.

According to Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel, these units take a tremendous pounding day in and day out. Inevitably, what is going to happen is “they are going to require maintenance.”

And many of Metro’s escalators are more than 30 years old.

Managers at Metro are still studying the incident Monday at the Dupont Circle Station south entrance, where passengers fled a smoky escalator by climbing up a shut-down and under-repair escalator stairwell. The passengers at the top had to vault over the escalator handles to exit the station.

Metro managers say a plan to repair much of the Red Line includes money for a thorough rehabilitation of all three escalators at that station entrance. That work is expected to begin in the fall.

For lift maintenance, platform lifts, lift installations and lift repair, make sure you speak to a lift company that provide the best lift service – Elevators Ltd

KONE has secured an order for 41 energy efficient elevators for the new state-of-the-art Southmead Hospital in Bristol, UK. The contract was awarded to KONE by Carillion plc, the main contractor for the EUR 500 million Public Private Partnership (PPP) scheme.

“We are delighted to have been chosen by Carillion for this exciting development,” says Noud Veeger, EVP and Area Director for Central and North Europe, KONE. “The award strengthens our good relationship and we are looking forward to working together to deliver an outstanding hospital for the people of Bristol.”

The elevators feature KONE’s regenerative drive systems which can recover up to 20% of an elevator’s total energy consumption, reducing the building electricity usage and providing considerable cost savings over the lifetime of the equipment. This technology will also help the hospital reach a BREEAM energy rating of “excellent” once it is completed.

The new 800-bed super-hospital will concentrate on acute services, currently provided at Southmead and Frenchay hospitals, and will provide world-class healthcare to over 500,000 people in the area. Advanced construction work started in August last year and the hospital is due to open in early 2014.

The order was booked in Q2 of 2010.

The Finnish elevator company KONE celebrates its 100 years anniversary in the world this year. In Southeast Asia, KONE has been active for over 30 years. A big anniversary happens very rarely and for that reason it is a good time to tell your history and celebrate says Arttu Salmenhaara, Managing Director for KONE in Southeast Asia.

KONE started their history 100 years ago as a small Finnish company which then merged into a Scandinavian company, then going to expand into the European and North American markets. And for the last 30 years established in Asia.

One third of all KONE’s new equipment sales are from the Asian markets. And the future for KONE looks bright according to Arttu Salmenhaara. According to him some of the mega-trends in society are favourable for KONE. Especially trends like urbanisation and population ageing demand for more elevators and escalators:

“Big cities mean bigger and taller houses, and population ageing makes a need for easy transportation. And that means there is a long term demand for our products,” he says adding that another factor is the rising awareness of safety in Asia, and a lot of older elevators in the region need repair or replacement.

Futuristic elevators from a World’s Fair landmark now lie shattered in a weed-strewn pile in Queens – two years after the city promised to protect the historic lifts, the Daily News has learned.

The SkyStreak pods from the New York State Pavilion are rotting in a jumble of twisted parts – a far cry from the 1964-1965 expo, when they soared to the highest point of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

“It looks like a trash can,” said Richard Post, who leads World’s Fair tours of the park. “They’re ravaged. They’re garbage.”

After the fair ended in 1965, the steel-and-glass capsules were left at the mercy of decay and vandals – as one rusted away in a pit beneath the pavilion, and the other was stuck mid-rise at 150 feet.

The city Parks Department stripped the pods off their cables in July 2008, fearing parts might blow off in strong winds. At the time, both were largely intact.

The agency’s historic preservation director, John Krawchuk, said then that the city was retaining the elevators so they “could easily be replicated” in the future.

He said the SkyStreaks would be crucial if the city ever decided to restore the decaying pavilion.

“The goal is to remove it whole, not to damage it in any way,” Krawchuk told The News at the time, calling the elevators “very important features to the original design” of the site.

But park advocate Greg Godfrey noticed on Sunday that the chain-link gate around the fallen elevators was open – and then saw the damage to the lifts.

He immediately alerted a Parks enforcement patrol officer. When The News checked the site on Monday, the gate remained unlocked – with only a loosely tied string to keep it closed.

“It looks like all the structural integrity was destroyed,” said Godfrey, president of the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park World’s Fair Association.

The News confirmed the capsules’ poor state. But Parks Department spokeswoman Trish Bertuccio insisted Tuesday that “no changes have been made to the condition” of the elevators.

Historians contended the city’s neglect of the SkyStreaks matched a decades-long pattern at the pavilion.

“It’s really sad and makes me very angry, but how can you be surprised given their attitude toward that building?” asked Bill Young, who has co-written two World’s Fair books.

“They have consistently failed to come through,” he said.
For lift maintenance, platform lifts, lift installations and lift repair, make sure you speak to a lift company that provide the best lift service – Elevators Ltd