Elevator issues

We park our car in a multistory garage across the street. The elevator lobby has two elevators and one “up” button on each side, and something peculiar is going on in there.

Not long after we moved here last year I started to notice that regardless of which button I pressed an elevator door tended to open on the other side of the lobby.

Elevator lobby, 400 block, South Main Street, Los Angeles

If I pressed Button A, then Door 3 or 4 would open, while if I pressed Button B, Door 1 or 2 would open. Generally. Enough to make me wonder.

Beyond what seemed to be the odd odds, by the way, this wouldn’t matter much except for the ramp bisecting the elevator lobby. It takes a little hustling to get from one side of the lobby, around the ramp, to an open elevator door 15 feet away before it closes, especially if you’re carrying clothes for the thrift store or luggage or furniture.

(It’s worth noting that these elevators are not what you’d call busy. We almost never encounter anyone on these elevators.)

I decided to keep track of what was going on, and the results of my scientific examination of the situation might surprise you.

Between August 2013, when I started my collection of data, and January 2014 I used the elevators 200 times. I pressed Button A half the time and Button B the rest of the time. The results speak for themselves.

Button A
Elevator 1 10
Elevator 2 7
Elevator 3 56
Elevator 4 27_
Total 100

Button B
Elevator 1 20
Elevator 2 48
Elevator 3 2
Elevator 4 30_
Total 100

I did not keep track by day of the week or time of day, but then I am only an amateur so this shortcoming should not be held against me.

The engineering of elevators is not my strong suit but I cannot believe this is the way things are supposed to be. I should probably submit this information to one of the scientific journals.