Yes they do, but they tend to be locked down in public lifts. The few that I have seen, have a switch sensor on the panel, that triggers an alarm and cuts the motor as soon as it is opened. I triggered one once by accident at university (many years ago) when I knocked the ceiling panel, and it opened :-( Luckily, the lift reset itself when I closed it again :-)
-- JJ
Okay, so you shoot him. Then what? The people are still stuck.
In the US short lifts (up to 7 stories) are usually hydraulic with the cylinder centered under the car. A typical pump is 25hp.
Wire rope and counterweights are used in taller elevators. The tension in the rope compresses a large spring atop the car and if the spring is released it applies an emergency brake to a track mounted to the shaft wall
Roof hatches are required to be latched from the outside to keep people from climbing out and getting hurt.
The inner doors will not open unless aligned with a set of outer doors
A battery backed up light & emergency telephone are mandated.
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I think this must have changed at some point in the UK. I've seen a number of lift renovations where the inner door locks have had to be removed, so you can forcibly open them at any time. If you do it whilst the lift is moving, it stops pretty dead -- no gradual deceleration. Outer doors will not open unless roughly aligned with inner doors though.
That's deliberate. If it stopped instantly, the passengers would emerge shorter.
There's no _need_ to stop instantly. It's a big tall building, there's plenty of space for a gradual deceleration.
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