Experience at Beijing subway stop

Sorry for the long delay in posting. This fall, I am in Beijing, studying and teaching at Tsinghua University School of Law.

Last night, we went downtown to the Wangfujing section of town. It's an area that has numerous shops and restaurants, including the famous Donglaixun. The main part of this section of town features streets closed to cars, and thus turned into a pedestrian mall. Always popular, the area was especially teeming with people because of the National Day holiday.

As we emerged from the #1 subway line at Wangfujing station, we saw an odd sight. The gates to this particular exit, B, were only partially open. Close to a hundred people were on the opposite side of the gate, and they seemed to be arguing with the subway staff about wanting to enter. However, the staff were refusing them entry, keeping the gate open only enough to allow arriving passengers, such as us, to exit.

I couldn't help but look back and wonder as we were leaving the station. Later, it occurred to me that maybe the staff was trying to make that point an exit-only area, for whatever reason. In that case (assuming I'm right), the staff was making their job harder than necessary. What could they have done differently? For starters, what about posting signs at the top of the entrance, i.e. at street level, telling people that this entry point is really only an exit point. Second, as a longer term solution, what about installing one-way revolving doors, as in New York: The door revolves only one way. Only half of the exit is usable, because the other half is blocked by gates. The door arms interleave with and pass through the gate, but people cannot. Therefore, people can leave, but people on the other side can't come in.