I ask, "Ready for the bar?," then pull it down while aware of the others. And, "Ready?--up" with an initial upward jiggle when it's time to raise it. I often end up in the end seat where I need to get an arm above the bar as it lowers. If someone pulls it down before I have time to get myself arranged, I jam it back up, then bring it down as soon as everyone is ready.
Are safety bars required to be fitted on the chairs in B.C.? Either by regulation or by the insurers? I've seen some retrofits of old chairs. The old doubles with the single pole in the center have a hinged bar on each side that swings upward from its hinged end welded to the center pole.
I've skied in Austria and Switzerland. Bringing the bar down as soon as possible and up as late as possible is how. things. are. done. At Sölden, Austria, the upper lift stations had horizontal rows of lights that showed red until the chair was close enough to raise the bar, then the green lenses were visible and we raised it. In Zermatt one liftie stopped the lift when the people ahead of us didn't get their bar down quickly enough for him. One new chair there had an automatically actuated bar.