The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois, showcased the first moving sidewalk. In 1900, the Paris Exposition Universelle demonstrated a motorized walkway with multiple lanes moving at different speeds.
Writers, inventors, and urban planners have dreamed of high-speed conveyor belt systems ever since.
Using names such as slidewalk, glidepath, and speedaway, people have described and even tested many systems. The dream is to transport passengers at speeds of several hundred miles per hour.
Today, many airports have slow-moving automated walkways. However, there has never been an accelerated moving walkway made available to the public.
The Seattle slidewalk station is located under the conservatory at Volunteer Park. From there, you can access four slidewalks running to and from Norway, Peru, Mali, and Indonesia.
Walk onto a slidewalk and you’ll reach a speed of fifty miles per hour simply by stepping from belt to belt.
To reach supersonic speed, activate the inflatable restraint cushions. Suspended inside a bubble-wrap shell, you can safely travel to the farthest reaches of the slidewalk system in less than an hour.
