Which side do you walk on?

[Ploughman]

With mention elsewhere on here on about escalators and standing on the right.

I thought I would ask the question :-
If we drive on the Left why do we seem to walk on the right?

I would have thought it logical that if you walk on the left hand side of the pavement facing the traffic you can see that Bus or Lorry wing mirror that is about to take your head off.

Or is it time to switch sides?

 

[Hydro]

I walk on the left, as per the roads, the only exception is escalators (and of course if I'm walking on a road or railway). I always use the left hand side of staircases.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

We drive on the left as you could attack people (with your right hand, i.e. a sword) in medieval times.

As for walking generally, I just walk on whatever side is clearer, but on the Tube etc, I stick to the right as signs dictate!

 

[Jordy]

By default, left, but right on the tube!

 

[WestCoast]

Left in the UK, Right in mainland Europe, Right on Escalators.

Although it just depends on the situation, it's not set in stone.

I hate those awkward moments when you switch sides with oncoming people and you end up swapping to the same side. Equally, when you are waiting for a person coming your way to swap (shall I swap first, no wait they are moving?).

I bet many people don't notice as your brain is on autopilot so to speak.

 

[SS4]

Whichever way is fastest! On the path this is a weaving pattern, on escalators the left

 

[HugePilchard]

On the path this is a weaving pattern

I'd expand on this, and say that I walk in whichever manner stops me bumping into the backs of all the people who randomly stop in the middle of the pavement for no good reason.

 

[imagination]

When walking down along a road with no pavement/convenient grassy verge the way you should be walking is the opposite to the way the traffic is going. So walking on the right in the UK is actually the correct way to do things.

 

[Wyvern]

On the side of the pavement away from the traffic.

I've given up with being a gentlemen. I'm fed up with couples, particularly women, who walk abreast and wont move over, forcing you into the road.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

On mainline rail stations, where there are stairs, any notice that I have seen says to keep to the left.

 

[Mr Spock]

I used to "walk on the wild side" but I am a bit past that now so I stick to the left where possible.

 

[142094]

When walking down along a road with no pavement/convenient grassy verge the way you should be walking is the opposite to the way the traffic is going. So walking on the right in the UK is actually the correct way to do things.

That's what I was about to say - sure this was in the Highway Code at one point?

 

[gnolife]

Where there is pavement, I walk on whichever side isn't going to get me run over by a grannymobile. If I have to walk in the road, I walk facing oncoming traffic

 

[Cletus]

There seems to be a regular thing - keep left on the stairs going into stations, but keep right on the escalators.

 

[SteveP29]

We were taught at school, from the age of 5 that in corridors in school and elsewhere (ie, inside buildings), you should walk on the left hand side, in single file and nobody was to run. If you were going into the classroom on your right hand side, you were to wait in the middle of the corridor until there was enough room for you to cross without disrupting the flow of people.

Funnily enough, it worked, nobody bumped into each other in the school corridors, everyone got where they wanted to without any fuss.

It's ingrained in me so much, that a couple of years ago when I was working at a hospital with a corridor that was a quarter of a mile long, I automatically walked on the left side, it really got on my nerves that others walked on whichever side they wanted to, at all kinds of speeds, not caring whether people had to move to get round them.

Like Wyvern, it also infuriates me that people do not close into single file on a narrow path when people approach from the opposite direction

 

[Hydro]

On the side of the pavement away from the traffic.

I've given up with being a gentlemen. I'm fed up with couples, particularly women, who walk abreast and wont move over, forcing you into the road.

There's no quarter when walking down a crowded street. It's every man and woman for themselves. I hate the pushchair crowd who walk abreast. They can't easily move, so rather than being considerate and walking in file, they charge forward like some kind of Blitzkrieg. The worst, and I mean the pinnacle of pavement courtesy rejection, is the groups of predominantly young mothers who halt with all their pushchairs and stand there in a wagon circle having a chat. Does my bloody nut in. Make any attempt at an "excuse me" and you get a look of pure venom, anger at the possibility someone isn't yielding to their absolute right to do whatever the hell they please because they're a parent.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Interesting thread; puzzled about the comments on the tube as while some tube stations say "keep right" the majority have "keep left" signs everywhere, as does the subway at Clapham Junction.

On the pavement I tend to walk on the left unless it's easier otherwise. Incidentally, there is a bit in the highway code which states that those walking on the outside should face the oncoming traffic, so that is in effect a keep left indication ( not an instruction because it would have to say "must" rather than "should" in that instance ) for pedestrians on the pavement.

 

[ChrisCooper]

Keep right is a maritime thing and goes back to when ships had steering oars. Because most people are right handed the steering oar was placed on the right hand side of the ship to be operated by the helmsman's right hand. To prevent the steering oars of two ships colliding when passing, ships passed on the right, and this tradition remained when steering oars were replaced with stern mounted rudders. The same situation also lead to Port (originally Larboard) and Starboard. It also lead to another important rule carried through onto the roads and railways, and now universal in so many ways, that of Red for Stop and Green for Go.

Keep left is also down to right handedness, but had land based origins. Right handed people used their sword with their right hand, so it was easier to fight an opponant to the right than the left. Since in those dark and dangerous times, everyone you passed on the road was a potential opponant (getting that way again), it was best to pass people on the left. Also since people's swords were carried on the left hand side, passing to the left prevented swords catching each other.

Keep right on land though also has a land based origin. When working with a team of horses, riders would have their whip in their dominant right hand, and would therefore sit to the left. As is still true today, with road vehicles it is best to pass nearside to nearside, as it gives a better view when passing a vehicle, horse or pedestrian.

Whilst nearside to nearside passing is universal on the roads (other than for vehicles designed for countries where they drive on the opposite side), on the railways offside to offside is more common. That is because signals are commonly placed on the outside of a double track formation, and having the driver on the same side as the signals gives a better view. Unlike on the roads, train drivers have no need to observe passing trains as there is no chance of a collision (and if there is there is nothing they can do). It also has the later benefit of making single manning and DOO easier as the driver is mostly on the platform side. The GWR though chose to have drivers on the inside. Other than in parts where there is interworking between left hand and right hand running trains, or short sections where the running is swapped (such as sections on the Central and Victoria lines), having drivers on the inside is rare.

 

[SS4]

There's no quarter when walking down a crowded street. It's every man and woman for themselves. I hate the pushchair crowd who walk abreast. They can't easily move, so rather than being considerate and walking in file, they charge forward like some kind of Blitzkrieg. The worst, and I mean the pinnacle of pavement courtesy rejection, is the groups of predominantly young mothers who halt with all their pushchairs and stand there in a wagon circle having a chat. Does my bloody nut in. Make any attempt at an "excuse me" and you get a look of pure venom, anger at the possibility someone isn't yielding to their absolute right to do whatever the hell they please because they're a parent.

A Blitzkrieg is fast though . That being said some of the pushchairs are built like armoured cars!

I tend to give people two "excuse me" and then good old fashioned force. Remember the conservation of momentum and you can't go wrong

 

[gnolife]

A Blitzkrieg is fast though . That being said some of the pushchairs are built like armoured cars!

I tend to give people two "excuse me" and then good old fashioned force. Remember the conservation of momentum and you can't go wrong

Unless the people you're trying to barge through weigh a tonne or whatever! (and theres some people in my area where that actually is a serious question! )

 

[Mr Spock]

On an escalator it usually tells you to stand on the right so this enables people to walk on the left.

There are stations where there are stairs with centre handrails e.g. York, Sheffield where signs tell people to walk on the left side with no entry signs on the right side.

 

[LE Greys]

I've always been taught to walk on the opposite side from road traffic (i.e. the right in Britain and the left on the Continent). This means that you are facing oncoming traffic, so you have more chance of seeing it and drivers have more chance of seeing you. Faces are usually much more obvious than backs of heads, and pale shirts are easier to see than dark jackets. By extension, you should walk on the right of pavements as well, at least in Britain.

 

[Mr Spock]

I've always been taught to walk on the opposite side from road traffic (i.e. the right in Britain and the left on the Continent). This means that you are facing oncoming traffic, so you have more chance of seeing it and drivers have more chance of seeing you. Faces are usually much more obvious than backs of heads, and pale shirts are easier to see than dark jackets. By extension, you should walk on the right of pavements as well, at least in Britain.

I would agree that you walk on the right if there is no path and you are on the road although I thought it was so you would see the traffic coming and get out of the way.

If there is a path and you are walking facing the traffic then you should walk on the left of the path i.e. nearest the road, if you are walking on the path in the same direction as traffic then again it should be on the left which is away from the road.

The exceptions to being on the left when walking on the path in the same direction as traffic are when you have children, female company (I am a gentleman) or animals with you when you should walk on the right.

 

[LE Greys]

I would agree that you walk on the right if there is no path and you are on the road although I thought it was so you would see the traffic coming and get out of the way.

If there is a path and you are walking facing the traffic then you should walk on the left of the path i.e. nearest the road, if you are walking on the path in the same direction as traffic then again it should be on the left which is away from the road.

The exceptions to being on the left when walking on the path in the same direction as traffic are when you have children, female company (I am a gentleman) or animals with you when you should walk on the right.

I was just sticking to the right for the sake of consistency. I agree with your point about walking on the outside of someone if you are trying to protect them from traffic, the Human Shield Act as I call it. Same with rivers, cliffs and so on. I do wonder what to do about blind corners, though.

 

[SS4]

I was just sticking to the right for the sake of consistency. I agree with your point about walking on the outside of someone if you are trying to protect them from traffic, the Human Shield Act as I call it. Same with rivers, cliffs and so on. I do wonder what to do about blind corners, though.

Speed up slowly and take the corner before them?

 

[ChrisCooper]

I would agree that you walk on the right if there is no path and you are on the road although I thought it was so you would see the traffic coming and get out of the way.

If there is a path and you are walking facing the traffic then you should walk on the left of the path i.e. nearest the road, if you are walking on the path in the same direction as traffic then again it should be on the left which is away from the road.

The exceptions to being on the left when walking on the path in the same direction as traffic are when you have children, female company (I am a gentleman) or animals with you when you should walk on the right.

You should walk with your Dog on the side away from traffic, but keep your woman to the left at all times so that you have your sword arm free to defend her if needed.
I presume you are of the older generation though because you don't find many gentlemen in the younger generations because it's not appreciated, often not wanted, sometimes looked down on, and there are few ladies either.

 

[aspierail]

I tend to walk on the left hand side on the streets but on the tube or rail station i use the right hand side.

 

[ChrisCooper]

I had one today that reminded me how irritating it is. When you are approaching someone head on but slightly offset and you have little or no room to move your side, but you move over as far as you can if you aren't already as far as you can go, yet the person coming the other way only reluctantly moves so not to barge into you, as if they feel you should go the long way around them so they don't have to alter cource at all. Old people seem bad for it, it's like an attitude that the younger person should get out of their way regardless. The same can happen when you are approaching someone dead centre and with room both sides and start to move over and expect the other person to move over too but they just carry straight on.
Another one I had last year, two girls were walking along side by side down their right side of a corridor. I was approaching them head on along my left. They not only didn't move over to left me past, but weren't even looking (too busy talking) so when I finally stopped to avoid a collision one of them barged right into me.