Sidewalk Etiquette
If you live in New York you walk. If you’re my wife you walk a step behind me. If you’re me you want to push into oncoming traffic those not following the unspoken, unwritten rules of sidewalk walking.
The underlying principle is that sidewalks are streets for pedestrians. There are rules, just like traffic laws, that if followed, can help us to efficiently/effectively/safely walk down our sidewalks. The following are a few of those rules:
1) Only walk on the right side of the sidewalk (oncoming traffic will be on your left). Even if you are the only person in sight, stay to the right anyway and STOP WEAVING! I’m right behind you trying to pass and you’re driving me nuts!
2) When walking with one or more people the inside person(s) should fall behind the outermost walker to allow oncoming and/or faster walkers to pass. This includes couples who are holding hands/shoulders/waists. You don’t have the right to the entire sidewalk just because you have friends and/or are in love.
3) Keep your dog close to you and on your side of the sidewalk. If it poops, clean it up. If it’s a barker, don’t live in my city.
4) Those with strollers should apply the same rules as above. Double-wide strollers belong in double-wide trailers, not on city sidewalks (in other words, either get two strollers or a two-deep stroller, preferably this one).
5) When you need to stop or turn around move to the side of the sidewalk FIRST and then make your move. Stopping and/or standing in the middle of a sidewalk is unacceptable in all cases.
6) If you are one of only two or three people on the sidewalk, do not follow directly behind them. Either slow down and give them space or speed up past them.
I’m confident that if you follow these rules the economy will grow, you will find love, and wars will be averted.
Posted on April 20, 2006, in Pop Culture, To Avoid. Bookmark the permalink. 16 Comments.
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7) If you’re on a cell phone, talk really loudly so I can eavesdrop on your conversation without being obvious about it.
Totally #1. When I was an undergrad, I often thought that some of the students from East Asia walked on the left side of the sidewalk back home, and (innocently) brought that custom with them to the US when they came here for an education. Has anybody in here ever been to the Far East and could verify for me if the people there walk on the left-hand side of the sidewalk?
David, I don’t think the English walk on the left side of the sidewalk. Hmmm…
Double-wide strollers belong on double-wide trailers, not on city sidewalks.
Yes! I always want to beat parents that use double-wide strollers.
Maybe this isn’t a problem in bigger cities, but I hate that pedestrians believe “hav[ing] the right-of-way” means they can step out in front of cars. It is also annoying when I’m waiting to cross the street and a car stops to let me even though there is no stop sign and the car in the other lane doesn’t stop and it gets all awkward and stuff.
But I’m glad I don’t have a car.
And keep moving when you exit the elevator or get off the escalator. Don’t stand in everybody’s way like the lady in front of me yesterday on the Nordstrom’s escalator. I practically had to push her out of the way.
New York City dogs … I kind of get a kick out of them. All these tiny little dogs in this HUGE city.
Other things about them can be amusing as well. Last week I saw a dog and his owner walk well out into the middle of the street. And suddenly the dog stopped right there in the intersection to take a poop. Cars all over the place. Didn’t matter.
Now that’s a city dog.
I do not apologize for using a double wide stroller. They are significantly more compactible than the double deep ones and, crucially, you can get ‘em cheap.
That Phil & Teds stroller that you link to looks like cruel and unusual punishment for the poor kid in the back. Kids should be able to see where they’re going.
I don’t walk on the streets of New York and I don’t plan to any time soon. So I don’t know if I would abandon my double wide (actually, the current oldest has grown out of strollers, so right now it wouldn’t be an issue) if I did. I would definitely take into account traffic disruption, but that might not be the deciding factor.
along the lines of comment 5, keep moving when you pass through a revolving door. the people behind you don’t want to have to shove you anymore than they want to get smushed by the giant panel of metal and glass you both went through.
Can we apply this to shopping carts & grocery stores as well?
Nothing drives me nuts faster than the person parked in the middle of the aisle.
Except that person parked in the middle of the aisle with a passle of kids doing their best to cause (or have) a nuclear meltdown.
Also, when people (tourists) congregate on the sidewalks taking pictures, chatting, and blocking everyone else’s path in the process. I’m not sure about NYC, but the sidewalks in Boston are very narrow. I’ve had too many close calls ducking into traffic to avoid the gaggle of tourists straight ahead.
Rusty, where do you stand on spitting? I generally say it’s fine if you aim for a gutter or tree, as long as there’s no hocking.
One of the biggest sidewalk problems is at an intersection. People on both sides line up along the width of the sidewalk, rather than the depth. Then when the light changes and people start across the crosswalk, it’s mayhem. You’ve got to remember the keep right rule even when you’re waiting for a light to change.
Another issue is umbrellas. When walking on an urban sidewalk, no one needs a golfing umbrella. Use one of those black $3 jobs that you can manuever out of the way. If you see a pending umbrella collision, lift up your umbrella early so the other can pass below.
Also, pit bulls and other mean dogs should not be on public sidewalks. Keep them in your yard, with your rusted out El Camino.
For me, the toughest issue in sidewalk etiquette is this: you see someone you know, but are not great friends with, approaching. One of you wants to nod and keep walking, the other wants to stop and chat. How can those respective intentions be communicated? It’s a conundrum worthy of great minds. Solutions?
For me, the toughest issue in sidewalk etiquette is this: you see someone you know, but are not great friends with, approaching. One of you wants to nod and keep walking, the other wants to stop and chat. How can those respective intentions be communicated? It’s a conundrum worthy of great minds. Solutions?
Greg, that’s hilarious! It is so, so true. I don’t have a solution. I just play it by ear, react to their reaction. If they don’t see me then I will act like I don’t see them. What’s worse is when you get down to the subway waiting for your train and you see someone you kinda know and then you’re obligated to talk with them, stand with them on the train the whole way into the city (or whatever). Funny stuff.
The biggest problem I remember having to deal with on the sidewalks when I worked in downtown Seattle (Pioneer Square) was stepping over or around the homeless people sleeping on the sidewalk, and avoiding the rats in the bushes.
But I guess I wasn’t out walking around during peak hours.
With the increase of trails for walking, hiking and biking, a number of ‘rules’ have been suggested, similar to those suggested above for sidewalks. One topic is how to signal to a person that you wish to pass them. You might say, “Excuse me, please” or “Passing, please”. Have some of you seen posted rules on trails?
Bruce Rogers
Cedar Falls, IA
I seem to remember people on bikes yelling “LEFT!” meaning they were going to pass you on your left. You could try that.
How can those respective intentions be communicated? It’s a conundrum worthy of great minds. Solutions?
Headphones. They don’t even need to be working (Plausible Deniability).