If It’s Not Okay on the Highway, Why Is It Okay on the Sidewalk?

Stopping short, blocking, and other joys of sharing urban spaces

All my life, I’ve had the same pet peeve: pedestrians who forget other people use the sidewalk.

I live downtown in a metropolis, so I get most places by foot. I love that — walking is a big part of my exercise routine, not to mention free therapy. I go for a long walk most days and I genuinely believe it’s part of what keeps me healthy and sane.

Of course, everything has pros and cons, and walking is no different. I’m not always the most patient person, but still, I think pedestrian rage, the less incendiary cousin of road rage, can sometimes be justifiable.

A busy sidewalk has similarities to a busy street in that there’s a flow of traffic, and responsible adults understand how to conduct themselves to help maintain that flow.

So why do so many people flout the laws of traffic if they’re using their feet to carry them instead of four wheels? It’s like they’re oblivious to the world around them.

Here are a few of the pedestrian faux pas I find particularly annoying.

The sudden stopper

The sudden stopper is someone in front of you who’s walking at a fair clip then stops abruptly, seemingly out of nowhere. I imagine this individual just realized they forgot something or they’re going the wrong way, but instead of making their way out of pedestrian traffic before stopping, they go from full throttle to grinding halt in a millisecond, generally smack-dab in the middle of the sidewalk.

What if they did this in a car in the middle of the highway? ‘Oops, I’m going the wrong way, better just jam on the brakes and turn right now.’

Granted, this maneuver causes far fewer fatalities on a sidewalk than on a highway. Still, it’s incredibly annoying. Guess what, friend? You’re not the only person here, and your actions affect the rest of us. Take a look behind you or move to the sidewalk shoulder before you suddenly hit full stop.

The exit blocker

The exit blocker is related to the sudden stopper in that they’re oblivious to the fact that the smooth flow of traffic requires them to consider those around them.

The exit blocker rides the entire way down an escalator never considering where they’re headed once the ride is over. Instead, they stand at the base of the escalator, leisurely looking around before committing to a path.

Meanwhile, you’re a few feet behind them, about to reach ground-level and fully blocked from exiting. As are the people behind you, who will imminently be banging into you.

This also applies to using revolving doors and walking onto public transit. I can’t count the number of people I’ve tried to follow onto a subway only to have them stop right inside the entrance so they can take a slow scan of the available seating, not worrying about the line behind them.

This is in fact worse because subway doors stay open for about 10 seconds and I have literally seen people having to pry themselves through closing doors because of the inconsiderate person in front of them.

The fact that this is a routine occurrence floors me. Move away from exits before you pause to consider the rest of your plan — it’s not that hard.

The sidewalk party

The sidewalk party occurs when two or more people decide to have an in-depth discussion width-wise on the sidewalk, effectively taking up all, or the vast majority of, the walking space.

Chat for however long you like, but what’s wrong with having your discussion facing length-wise? That way two of you only take up the width of one person on the valuable sidewalk real estate. This may seem unnatural because one of you is now facing the opposite way from which you will ultimately be going, but I can assure you turning yourself around is the work of a moment.

Whenever I say “excuse me” to a group like this, they always look shocked like ‘oh my gosh, who would ever expect to see other people walking on a sidewalk? We couldn’t possibly have expected this.’

Grrrrr.

The halting dog

I love dogs, truly. I don’t always love dog owners.

I’m speaking particularly of the dog owners who rush to get in front of me on the sidewalk and then immediately have to stop because the dog wants to sniff a very important tree. The dog leash is now preventing me from getting around you, and I have to sit and cool my heels while Fido determines which local hounds urinated on this particular maple.

Why did you literally go into a half-trot to get around me? I don’t own a dog, but guess what I know about them?

They stop and sniff stuff. All. The. Time.

That’s cool, live and let live. But why did you feel the need to pass me so I have to come to a near stop every time your dog does? You may objectively be a faster walker than I am, but when you account for your dog’s sniff breaks, you’re actually a lot slower.

Is my time less valuable than yours?

Listen, I get that these issues are pretty benign, especially when you consider the state of the world right now. However, the fact that so many people assume their actions don’t affect others (or simply don’t care) is a tidy little metaphor for many of the bigger issues we face today.

I’ve been re-watching Seinfeld lately and as I take my walks I'm regularly reminded of one of George’s constant refrains: “We live in a society, people!”

None of us are perfect, and I’m sure I’ve been guilty of some of these. Still, for my own sanity, I’d love for more people to think about city spaces as having a traffic flow. How thrilling to think that one day I may not be subject to the whims of completely distracted passersby just to get from Point A to Point B.

I want to acknowledge the inspiration I took from Argumentative Penguin’s take on this topic. They’re doing a daily micro rant throughout January, and it’s what I never knew I needed.

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