[subego]

Were you taught to walk on a particular side of the sidewalk?

[Big Mac]

I think it's proper to walk a path or up a flight of stairs on the same side you drive on, but I was never formally taught that.

[msuper69]

Gentlemen walk on the side toward the street. Ladies walk on the side away from the street.

This arrangement was meant to protect the ladies from getting splashed when a horseless carriage happened by.

Of course, these days, anything goes.

[Atheist]

I don't recall ever being instructed in sidewalk etiquette. I would agree with Big Mac. Whatever side you drive on you should probably walk.

Personally, although I was raised in the States, I feel more comfortable walking/driving on the left. (I try to refrain from driving on the left when in the States.)

[adamfishercox]

I walk in the middle, and when someone else comes by, move to the right. Same as I would drive on a small undivided two way street.

[SSharon]

Originally Posted by msuper69 

Gentlemen walk on the side toward the street. Ladies walk on the side away from the street.

This arrangement was meant to protect the ladies from getting splashed when a horseless carriage happened by.

Of course, these days, anything goes.

I think it was also so that women wouldn't get garbage poured on them from windows above. The awnings would protect them.

I walk wherever I need to to walk as fast as I like to walk. Sometimes on the right, sometimes in the street if the widewalk is crowded, and usually I just weave between people that walk too slowly.

[SpaceMonkey]

I walk on the right side, as in driving. I also make "vroom vroom" noises.

[mattyb]

I have a large push-chair in front of me usually. Once people see the filthy, drooling terrorist that sits in said push-chair, I use whatever side I want.

[ort888]

At my office we noticed a style of walking that we dubbed "power walking". This is when a person draws a straight line in their head and just walks full speed toward their destination. Anyone who happens to be in the path of this line had just better look out because said person doesn't care. They will just barrel toward anyone without any regard.

And yes, there was a particular person who did this and multiple people all noticed... hence why it became funny. Once we were aware of the behavior we used to do things to trip her up, like "power walking" right back. As in, here she comes, well here we come too, look out. It would usually result in a really awkward moment. Pretty funny stuff.

There are "power walkers" everywhere. In supermarkets, sidewalks, malls... you see them all over.

[nonhuman]

Originally Posted by ort888 

At my office we noticed a style of walking that we dubbed "power walking". This is when a person draws a straight line in their head and just walks full speed toward their destination. Anyone who happens to be in the path of this line had just better look out because said person doesn't care. They will just barrel toward anyone without any regard.

And yes, there was a particular person who did this and multiple people all noticed... hence why it became funny. Once we were aware of the behavior we used to do things to trip her up, like "power walking" right back. As in, here she comes, well here we come too, look out. It would usually result in a really awkward moment. Pretty funny stuff.

There are "power walkers" everywhere. In supermarkets, sidewalks, malls... you see them all over.

Just sitting down on the ground right in their path tends to work too.

[lpkmckenna]

The only sidewalk etiquette I was taught was not to hog the sidewalk. Seeing teenagers walk 3 or 4 side-by-side is a minor gripe of mine.

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by lpkmckenna 

The only sidewalk etiquette I was taught was not to hog the sidewalk. Seeing teenagers walk 3 or 4 side-by-side is a minor gripe of mine.

That, or families who walk super-slowly, mum and dad next to each other, with a kid on either side and a buggy thrown in for good measure. In-frickin’-possible to overtake.



I was never taught sidewalk manners, but I have a few I always adhere to:

1. Always walk on the opposite side you’d drive on (so you can see the cars/bikes coming at you from far away, rather than having them creep up on you from behind)
2. Always walk fast
3. Always walk close to the edge of the pavement, so others can overtake or cross you without having to swing circles around you

[brassplayersrock²]

1. Always walk THROUGH groups who crowd sidewalks. You know the ones, they're just standing around talking.
1b. Don't care if you get yelled at, just keep walking. They'll get the picture that they're blocking the sidewalk sooner or later.

2. If you get run over by a bike person, throw their bike into the street.
2b. RUN

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by Oisín 

1. Always walk on the opposite side you’d drive on (so you can see the cars/bikes coming at you from far away, rather than having them creep up on you from behind)

Originally Posted by brassplayersrock² 

2. If you get run over by a bike person, throw their bike into the street.

The real rule here is that if you are riding a bicycle (or driving a car), you should be in the street and not on the sidewalk. You can be in the sidewalk with a bicycle only if you are walking it, since you are on a sidewalk.

[harbinger75]

Personally, I walk on the "right side" (since it's subjective to your current directional orientation) just like how I drive. I've noticed that the mall here works in much the same fashion. Those who walk "against" the flow of traffic are generally shunned and herded into internment camps for processing. They will, most likely, spend the rest of their days in the salt mines.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by brassplayersrock² 

1. Always walk THROUGH groups who crowd sidewalks. You know the ones, they're just standing around talking.
1b. Don't care if you get yelled at, just keep walking. They'll get the picture that they're blocking the sidewalk sooner or later.

2. If you get run over by a bike person, throw their bike into the street.
2b. RUN

No, you throw the bike AND the rider into the street.

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

The real rule here is that if you are riding a bicycle (or driving a car), you should be in the street and not on the sidewalk. You can be in the sidewalk with a bicycle only if you are walking it, since you are on a sidewalk.

If there is an actual pavement/sidewalk, then yes. Doesn’t matter much which side of the road you’re walking on. But if you’re on a small road with no pavements, so you’re basically walking on the road itself, it very much applies, and I hate having cars zooming up from behind and overtaking me.

[subego]

Okay. Now I understand. I was wondering if it was a normal occurrence to have bicycles vault a row of parked cars to come after you.

[torsoboy]

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

The real rule here is that if you are riding a bicycle (or driving a car), you should be in the street and not on the sidewalk. You can be in the sidewalk with a bicycle only if you are walking it, since you are on a sidewalk.

This has been discussed here before (in detail). Riding your bicycle on the sidewalk is not only allowed, but encouraged in some cities. Especially for small children. I'm not talking about the people that are serious riders, just casual riders mozying along.

[finboy]

Originally Posted by subego 

Were you taught to walk on a particular side of the sidewalk?

Yes. Two words apply: KEEP RIGHT. Up stairs, in hallways, on sidewalks, wherever.

Of course, in UK I guess you'd have to keep left.

In a society where people think that downloading someone else's CD isn't theft, I'm not surprised that nobody remembers which side of the sidewalk to walk on.

As for bikes on the sidewalk, I've never been anywhere that openly allowed it. Never seen that before. Bikes go in the street.

[nonhuman]

Originally Posted by finboy 

Yes. Two words apply: KEEP RIGHT. Up stairs, in hallways, on sidewalks, wherever.

Of course, in UK I guess you'd have to keep left.

My experience is that, for whatever reason, people in the UK tend to keep right when walking.

[Dakar V]

If I walk alone, I'm probably walking in the middle, navigating traffic as it comes. If I'm with several people, it doesn't matter as that's enough to take up the whole side walk, so we'll just condense as traffic approaches before fanning back out again.

[PB2K]

if you happen to make a phonecall on the sidewalk, STEP ASIDE where you won't BOTHER other people.
if you happen to meet a friend on the sidewalk, STEP ASIDE where you won't BOTHER other people.

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by torsoboy 

This has been discussed here before (in detail). Riding your bicycle on the sidewalk is not only allowed, but encouraged in some cities. Especially for small children. I'm not talking about the people that are serious riders, just casual riders mozying along.

In the city I'm in, there's a $50 fine for riding in the sidewalk (it used to be $250, but it seems to have been relaxed a bit). Some cities may not have a law on the books due to the lawmakers not having thought about the situation yet, but that does not make it any less unsafe to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk. Furthermore, I would be very surprised if there were too many places that actually required you to ride on the sidewalk (and if any such places do exist, people need to be writing letters to their out-of-touch lawmakers). I am obviously not talking about small children - I doubt too many people in this thread are < 12 years old. I am also not talking about specific exceptions such as when there is a designated bike route adjacent to the street (which are often much wider than sidewalks with a divider line running down the middle), or particular sections of road where bicyclists are directed by signs to use the sidewalk due to difficult conditions in that particular stretch of road. These are exceptions - the rule is: don't ride a bicycle on the sidewalk. In many cities, it's illegal and you will get fined for it. In other cities where the law is slack, it's still not the right thing to do.

[Andy8]

People here tend to pass each other port to port, but as sidewalks are so narrow, generally one side of the road goes in one direction and the opposite side will flow in the other direction. If you want to walk faster than the already fast flow, you have to try your luck on the street.

[lpkmckenna]

Originally Posted by finboy 

Yes. Two words apply: KEEP RIGHT. Up stairs, in hallways, on sidewalks, wherever.

Except escalators. Then it's stand right, walk left. And yes, it friggin' bugs me when people stand on the left and clog the escalator for those who want to walk.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

snip

One exception would be a college campus where sidewalks are the only way to get around.

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

One exception would be a college campus where sidewalks are the only way to get around.

Those aren't sidewalks. A sidewalk is at the side of a road. If there's not a road next to it, it's not a sidewalk.

[Laminar]

I almost had you.