Medellin residents take the easy route

COLOMBIA’S second-largest city inaugurated a giant, outdoor escalator for residents of one of its poorest neighbourhoods.

For generations, the 12,000 residents of Medellin’s tough Comuna 13 — which clings to the side of a steep hillside — have had to climb hundreds of large steps, which authorities say are equal to a 28-storey building.

Now they can ride an escalator, which Medellin’s mayor said is the first massive, outdoor public escalator for use by residents of a poor area.