When walking on the sidewalk....

I usually walk on the top side of the sidewalk

But yes, when meeting people, the convention is to stay on the right. I don't really remember that so much growing up in rural MN (not many sidewalks on the farm) until college, when the hallways were crowded and that tended to be the pattern. Now in IL I see it everywhere, to the point where if I am on the left (to get to a door on the left, for instance), people get nervous.

Obviously, there's no rules, so people can do what they want, and because of that there's more flexibility. Researchers have actually done studies trying to determine how people avoid each others in mixed crowds, what physical cues are used. Think of moving thru crowds at a stadium where doors and bathrooms and vendors cause a lot of interplay, but there's rarely a fender bender. In the SF book "A Mote in God's Eye" (Larry Niven I think), the natives of another solar system were able to do that kind of thing while driving in their cars, obviously a sign of advanced intelligence. Some of that goes on in the roads of Bulgaria, where the roads don't usually have marked lanes and so the middle becomes a passing lane for cars in either direction, the passer has the right of way (I haven't figured out how they handle it when two passers meet, but I didn't see any accidents). But when there's a donkey cart on the side it briefly goes back down to two lanes. No cell phones when driving there!

 

Never mind. The previous post eventually worked.

 

I'm with nerfer on this, the top is definatly the best place to walk. When I'm on the farm though, and walking through the pasture, I walk, um, watch where I step.

 

The comedian Steven Wright used to say (in his deadpan monotone): "I like to skate on the other side of the ice."

Tom

 

Just try walking on the "wrong" side of the sidewalk, (opposite of the road rules for the country you're in)! Its difficult to make much forward progress if it is a busy city. So politeness maybe, but expediency, definitely!

In keeping with the Steven Wright theme; "everywhere is within walking distance, if you have the time".

As for hot buttons, people who say situational awareness instead of situation awareness is one of mine... ;-)

 

And if you can walk on water.

 

I don't generally walk on sidewalks, I did for a little over a week but normally I walk on the foot path. I assumed sidewalk is American for foot path.
I walk on the left side of the footpath, when I go overseas I expect the locals to accommodate my habit. Not really, just thought I would act all ignorant. I didn't experience a crowded side walk while in the US and everywhere I have been before except France was walk on the left. In France it's a free for all from memory.