Have Australians Given up on Walking to The Left?

CircularIllusion on 12/06/2018 - 09:32
Last edited 12/06/2018 - 09:43 by 1 other user

I've lived in Sydney for over two decades now and in the past few years, I've noticed the trend of less people keeping to the left while walking.

Obviously, we drive on the left side of the road and many places also have shared bike and foot paths that instruct you to keep to the left side. I believe many who have grown up here would have been conditioned to follow this convention even on unmarked foot paths. Despite this, Australia is very multicultural and many of the big cities are big tourist destinations for people who would normally follow the convention of walking on the right side in their home country.

I personally like having the convention as it generally improves walking efficiency by a lot but lately it almost seems impossible to do so without finding someone walking against the convention. I've noticed even people who I would assume are local are following the convention less.

Do you keep to the left?

Sports & Outdoors

Comments

  • bobbified on 12/06/2018 - 09:40
    +12

    I generally keep to the left because that's what I was taught at school and I agree that it makes the flow better if everyone did that.

    But I understand that sometimes people walk on the right because that's what they're taught (especially those who have grown up in other countries). When I go to other countries, I walk on the side that most other people do.

    There's no right or wrong so it's just a matter of common courtesy. I stay off my phone when I'm walking to avoid potentially bumping into people.

    • [Deactivated] on 12/06/2018 - 09:46
      +1

      I thought I was the only one that did this though I wasn't taught this at school.

      Just figured that we keep left on escalators and roads.

      Kept walking into people in Japan though. They walk on the right there for some reason.

      • iforgotmysocks on 12/06/2018 - 09:50
        +1

        Also in the UK i found everyone primarily walked on the right.

        • [Deactivated] on 12/06/2018 - 09:52
          +2

          Ahh. Must be the reverse magnetic polarity on the other side of the sphere.

          Science.

        • Yarkin on 12/06/2018 - 10:17
          +2

          I found that they drive on the left, stand on the right on escalators, and walk wherever they like!

        • Randxyz123 on 12/06/2018 - 10:36

          I’m pretty sure they changed the rules on the tube escalators in the UK…

          Stand on the left. Right is the overtaking lane

        • iforgotmysocks on 12/06/2018 - 10:42

          @knick007:

          In the last 6 months? Was there in December and it was stand on the right.

        • Hybroid on 12/06/2018 - 11:20

          @knick007: Blasphemy! Stand on right, walk on left only in the UK. They're trialing a stand-only anywhere to ease congestion of people waiting at the bottom to stand on the right but no chance changing to stand on the left.

        • Scrooge McDuck on 12/06/2018 - 11:24

          @iforgotmysocks:

          I guess they want people to hold on with their right hand.

        • Scrooge McDuck on 12/06/2018 - 11:38
          +9

          I generally keep left, but there are more impactful causes of pedestrian traffic congestion than those who don't. Such as:

          • People who stand in place and look around after departing an escalator, lift, train, etc.
          • People who stop abruptly in a flowing passageway.
          • People who congregate in narrow passageways.
          • People who try to enter before others exit.
          • People who walk around looking down at their phone, to the hard left or right, or even behind them.
          • People with prams.

          And to be frank, the culprits are often foreigners and/or females. It's like they're in their own worlds.

        • bobbified on 12/06/2018 - 12:14

          @Scrooge McDuck:

          the culprits are often foreigners and/or females.

          You've done it now! lol! :p

          Wonder who's going to neg you first!

        • moar bargains on 12/06/2018 - 12:16

          @Scrooge McDuck: I think you just described a supermarket.

        • psdillon on 12/06/2018 - 12:32
          +5

          @Scrooge McDuck:
          Don't forget:

          • Families of 4+ that like to walk abreast.
          • Couples that go to congested areas like a food court for slow-mo hand-in-hand strolling and standing while wistfully staring at something.
          • People that abruptly start walking off in the opposite direction to which they are facing/looking.
          • People that barrel headlong into you and then stop when you have a full shopping trolley + child. (Sure I'll twist this 60kg of inertia around you even though my path was clear, I was on the left…)
          • When you are browsing and you make space to allow an approaching person to pass, and they stop dead in front of you, blocking the aisle and blocking your view.
          • Smokers

          You got me triggered.

      • kerfuffle on 12/06/2018 - 10:08
        +3

        Kept walking into people in Japan though. They walk on the right there for some reason.

        It depends on what part of Japan you were in. I think Tokyo walks on the left and Osaka walks on the right

        • [Deactivated] on 12/06/2018 - 10:09
          +2

          I recalled both. I still remember the stairs to the station had foot prints on the right side.

      • bobbified on 12/06/2018 - 10:32

        We got told and it was hammered in that we should always stick to our left when we walk through the hallways and on excursions when we had a big group - "two straight lines - stay to your left!" haha. I remember that very clearly!

        Kept walking into people in Japan though. They walk on the right there for some reason.

        In Asia, everyone seems to walk on the right. I just follow everyone else.

    • SlickMick on 13/06/2018 - 10:55

      There is a right or wrong. Left is right in Oz! When you walk on the left, the person closest to the traffic is facing the traffic. It avoids the fear of what's coming behind you.

      Society needs rules to function effectively. Walk on the left in Oz, and follow the local rules when overseas.

  • Nugs on 12/06/2018 - 09:51
    +1

    always left,

    it annoys me in supermarkets the most…..

    .

  • tdrive on 12/06/2018 - 09:52
    +7

    I walk quite fast, and usually always walk on the right as I am overtaking most of the time. If you have a couple or group of people who are walking slowly in a row and taking up the whole footpath, that's when I get really annoyed.

    • Scrooge McDuck on 12/06/2018 - 11:21

      Hobos have it figured out. They can trudge through a crowd unimpeded from bin to bin while they part the sea like Moses.

  • GG57 on 12/06/2018 - 10:04
    +6

    Predominately on the left, wherever possible.

    I can fully understand some people walking on the right, as it is prevalent in a lot of countries, but I get annoyed by:

    • large groups (3 - 4 wide) taking up most of the footpath without consideration for others (in either direction)
    • people reading their phones, not being aware of others / surroundings

    In Melbourne, people using the escalators at train stations usually follow a protocol of:

    • stand on the left
    • walk on the right

    Can easily tell those from elsewhere that 'break the rule', and it doesn't seem to apply to in-store escalators for some reason.

    • kerfuffle on 12/06/2018 - 10:10

      In Melbourne, people using the escalators at train stations usually follow a protocol of:
      - stand on the left
      - walk on the right
      Can easily tell those from elsewhere that 'break the rule', and it doesn't seem to apply to in-store escalators for some reason.

      Same in Sydney; most commuters get that but you get the odd person who thinks standing on the right and blocking the flow of traffic is acceptable …

      • Banana on 12/06/2018 - 11:17
        +4

        I am always the person who shoves the 'odd person' out of the way..especially during my morning commutes. Everyone else is too polite to do anything about it.

        • jacross on 13/06/2018 - 15:01
          +3

          You could probably use your words as a first step.

  • Fergy1987 on 12/06/2018 - 10:10
    +4

    I wish the morons walking on bikeways would keep to the freaking left instead of walking in the middle with their headphones on looking at their phone!

    • Diji1 on 12/06/2018 - 12:39
      -2

      I wish the moron riding bikes on footpaths would stop endangering my safety.

      • [Deactivated] on 12/06/2018 - 13:03

        I wish the morons the pathways would stop being passive aggressive and put on a show.

        Grabs popcorn.

      • Fergy1987 on 12/06/2018 - 13:34

        I said bikeway :) not footpath.

  • rompastompa on 12/06/2018 - 10:12

    On the footpath, walk on the left.

    If there is no footpath, walk on the right while on the road. This means there is greater visibility of oncoming drivers/cyclists.

  • Blue Cat on 12/06/2018 - 10:18

    Might be the result of fast-paced rat-race that is Sydney - you don't care about how you get somewhere, you just need to get there FAST!!!
    I know I am guilty of doing this sometimes…

  • altomic on 12/06/2018 - 10:21

    insert self-perceived edgy (but actually tired) comment about socialism in Australia being dead

  • QW3RTY on 12/06/2018 - 10:32
    +1

    The biggest killer for me in the Sydney CBD (and likely every other city on this planet) is trying to make good time walking between the station and work where I've got a sea of twenty-something year old girls dawdling along the footpath with their eyes fixated on Instagram or sending super-important Whats App messages to arrange brunch/lunch/dinner/desert for the day ahead — all while blindly walking into people at about 1km/h.

    Oh god… I'm a grumpy old man.

    • Third_Gear on 12/06/2018 - 18:38

      “Get off my lawn!!”

  • marcusv on 12/06/2018 - 10:35
    +2

    I always stick to the very left of a path to give people or bikes room to pass if they want to. What gets up my goat is when I am on a path sticking to the left, someone enters the path heading towards me and sticks to their right putting themselves on a collision course, expecting me to move.

    • Speckled Jim on 13/06/2018 - 09:38

      In that case, you stop and stare them down. Their choices now are physically push you, bump into you or walk around you.
      It's usually the latter in my experience.

  • John Kimble on 12/06/2018 - 10:38

    Yes, on escalators too

  • newjerseydamo on 12/06/2018 - 11:25

    Stick to the side that the drivers are on in that particular country, as I visit the USA a lot.

    Here in Australia, I keep left on footpaths, bike paths, escalators, etc.

    In the USA, it's the right - and it's quite visible in the USA, especially due to largely crowded areas, i.e. New York City and sporting events.

    • ascorbic on 12/06/2018 - 13:16

      This is not true for all countries. In the UK, the convention is to keep to the right on escalators. In Japan (drives on the left), people keep to the right on escalators in Osaka but to the left in Tokyo.

  • [Deactivated] on 12/06/2018 - 12:43

    I thought it was biggest ship in the harbour rules.

  • garffi on 12/06/2018 - 14:25

    I keep to the left but don't mind others doing the opposite as long as they're not blocking the flow of traffic. However, I hate it when a group of people are walking side by side each other and not caring there are people behind or coming towards them. When I'm with my group of friends, we naturally walk in two's just because it's so much easier.

  • redpump on 12/06/2018 - 16:10

    I have been thinking this as well for the past month! I just auto assume them to be foreigners so I don't get annoyed.

  • kallico on 13/06/2018 - 08:07
    +1

    Its also on stairs, drives me crazy, i always kep to the left, but lately there always seem to be people coming up blocking my way. Even comments like we keep to the left in this country is met with blank stares

  • HeWhoKnows on 13/06/2018 - 08:10
    -2

    Australians????
    What Auatralians?
    You typical "Australian" no longer exists my friend.
    What OP refers to is the distant past.

    We have 250,000 migrants coming into the country every year from all over the world.
    Some walk to the left others to the right. Others dont care.
    Depends on country from which they came.

    The "English based" white Australia policy ended years ago and so did the customs and traditions that came with that.

    Therein lies your answer

    • TheSmegger on 13/06/2018 - 09:15

      So… Nothing has changed then?

    • paulinspace on 18/06/2018 - 12:19

      Stop the boats. Lock em all up on a remote pacific island. They refuse to integrate and walk on the left.

  • SydneySwan on 13/06/2018 - 10:32

    When swimming laps in the pool, the convention is to keep left. If someone swims on the right it doesn't end well.

    • paulinspace on 18/06/2018 - 12:21

      Swimmers travel at 1-3 kmh. Walkers travel at 5-6 kmh. Bikes travel at 10-50 kmh. Cars travel at 20-130 kmh. Planes travel at Mach 0.9 odd.

      I suggest a head-on in a pool is the least of your worries.

  • SlickMick on 13/06/2018 - 10:57

    Just learn the technique of dropping your shoulder to educate anybody who hasn't learned to walk on the left.

    • GG57 on 13/06/2018 - 11:58
      +2

      I actually witnessed two (assumed to be) alpha males walking towards each other on the footpath; one on the left side, one on the right, lots of other pedestrians meant it was crowded.
      The guy on the left refused to move and just stopped directly in front of the other guy, blocking his way.
      They both looked at each for what seemed a long time, eyeball to eyeball (was probably 5 seconds in reality).
      The guy on the left won.

      • SlickMick on 13/06/2018 - 12:25

        Nice. I love to hear a story where righteousness prevails :)

        I had a similar incident in cars in a car park: a jackass cut his corner and was on wrong side, right in front of me. He expected me to back up for him. I wanted my wife to go do her shopping - I was happy to sit there and see how it played out (and thought it better for her not to be there), but she was stressed so I caved. Eats at me to this day that the jackass won that one!

        I enjoy bracing myself for contact with people on their phones, who expect a path to clear before them, or groups who think they own the whole path. The pack mentality is hilarious - they seem to think they're protected by the group, but I just single out the one who's in my road. The rest of the group passes through, but my target has to regain their balance, do the little insincere "sorry" exchange, then catch up with their group.

        • paulinspace on 18/06/2018 - 12:24

          Yeah its a tough one that one. Do you sit there and prove a point to the muppet at the price of coming between the wife and shopping. Better to let the other guy be the alpha male for today than put up with the wife complaining.

  • SlickMick on 13/06/2018 - 12:26

    In answer to your question OP, no not all of us have given up. Some are still fighting for the right to the left.

  • LPV569 on 13/06/2018 - 14:21

    I keep to the left, I do a lot of running and take my dogs with me. I find that when I come across a group or individual not keeping left the heavy breathing of my dogs closing in on them usually clears the path in front of me.

  • Toph Beifong on 14/06/2018 - 21:15

    A lack of courtesy and regard for others.

  • lainey13 on 14/06/2018 - 21:24

    I just weave through whatever way is faster…. everyone is damn slow

    • paulinspace on 18/06/2018 - 12:25

      thanks for the advice usain.

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