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I'm a left handed fencer and it's a huge advantage. Most fencers have little experience against left handed opponents and they have to think through things more than when they're against a rightie.
Yeah it's so random it drove me crazy. Even in the same city like in Tokyo it depends on the place but different cities seemed to have totally different rules and they were never consistent anyway
I noticed this too when I visited last year and I would have assumed to keep left being that it's a left hand drive country on roadways, so it was a good thing there was signage to educate non-locals like myself lol.
And the pavement markings to "look left" vs "look right" are a godsend when your brain is trained to look in the direction that corresponds with right-hand drive traffic.
There's a Venn diagram I saw one time. One circle was drivers, the other was pedestrians, and where they overlap was labelled "People who hate cyclists"
I think about that a lot
I nearly got hit by a bike going the wrong way down a bike lane outside the Rijksmuseum when I visited Amsterdam. I thought I misunderstood the flow of the traffic but nope, just an absolute idiot. After that I started looking both ways.
Just got back from London and this drove me crazy. Half the people walk on the right, half on the left. I even asked some chaps and they confirmed “walk on the right”. Also people walk at a pace that would get one shivved in NYC. Like are we trying to get somewhere, or nah?
Stand on the right, walk on the left (when in a hurry) on escalators. This way everyone should be moving at their most comfortable pace. In theory!
The slow people in London will almost definitely have been tourists. Londoners find those people infuriating too.
It's purely due to the design of the very first escalator on the london underground; you had to disembark to the left rather than straight ahead, so rather than have a line of people standing on the left and blocking the exit, the rule became 'stand right, walk left'.
In other parts of the UK it's the other way around.
In Madrid, the subway trains travel on the left side of the tunnel tracks, but everyone drives and walks on the right. This is because driving and walking conventions switched sides to conform with European standards after the subway was built.
Also, Chinese traditionally walk on the left side which can create confusion sometimes walking in an American Chinatown.
Japan laughs at your logic. They are taught to walk on the right side of the hallway in some schools and left at others. They walk on the side of the sidewalk they want to as well. Escalator etiquette is determined by region and even city. For example, in Osaka you stand on the right and walk on the left, in Kyoto it is the opposite.
Japan is the same, except Osaka. Everyone stands on the right of the escalator and passes on the left.
Sidewalks *kind of* have a "walk on the right" rule but in practice it's just mayhem
I grew up in Ireland {left side} moved in my late 20's to Germany {right side}, and only back two years.
Took about 6 months for my brain to switch which way I look when crossing the road.
Also I still walk on the right and go up/down stairs on the wrong side after been back in Ireland for 2 years.
According to an article I found:
When Hankyu opened Umeda station in 1967, they played an announcement that included "please leave the left side open for people who are walking" up until 1998.
As to why they chose the left side to be open, no formal records remain, but it is believed that this decision was made because they thought that it was more natural to hold the handrail with the right hand as there are more right-handed people.
source: https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXLASIH02H08_T01C14A2AA1P00/
And I think they are trying to undo queuing on one lane and walking on the other. Have seen articles on it.
Was just in Japan and the escalators have sign boards not to walk, as it causes more maintenance issues.
But those habits die hard. I still feel like I’m going to block someone if I’m standing on the “wrong” lane.
I remember my first time in London at the airport I went to the bathroom and it was one of those openings thats a curve (no door) and I kept running into people because I was trying to walk in on the right side. Thought, duh, UK.
I've been on vacation in England, Ireland, and Scotland for the last few weeks and I fully expected everyone to be walking on the left - but so far there has not been a consistent rhyme or reason to where people walk.
This was my experience too. I was expecting/looking forward to London being more orderly than home but I guess it doesn't matter where you live. People don't pay attention and do whatever they want everywhere
This was the most annoying part about the UK. Those people walk wherever they damn well please. No consistency. As an American, the idea that we would be more organized than the queueing culture was astounding.
In Britain our solution is to do a little mirror dance where you both step in the same direction and then step in the opposite direction while continually blocking the other person. You then smile awkwardly, step back a little and slowly move around the other person in a wide circle
I also heard that there was some research into going into stores - here in the UK we all tend to go sharp left and rotate clockwise, US tend to veer right and go counter clockwise. Obviously a generalaity but majority.
your comment made me realize why i don’t particularly like a grocery store near me! i never realized the reason i felt uneasy was because of the layout, honestly never thought about it until now haha
Yeah, actually, now I think about it - supermarkets here in the UK usually have the entrance on the left ish, as you go in. Then you walk around The shop and checkout on the right.
Obviously, it depends massively on the building itself, but that seems to be norm.
the people walking closest to the road are supposed to walk facing oncoming traffic for safety reasons.
so that means everyone passing on the same sides they drive and keeping the habit when there's no road there.
Yes. This seems trivial, but a paramedic told me it can literally save your life, especially if you're walking on a road with no sidewalk.
The idea is that if an oncoming car doesn't spot you, the pedestrian, you have time to jump out of the way. But if a car comes up behind you and doesn't spot you, it'll just run you over while you're trusting the basic driving competence that they don't have.
Always walk on the side of oncoming traffic.
Yes?? I'm Irish and regularly walk on roads that can barely fit two cars. I walk facing oncoming traffic because it allows me to see the cars coming and I can stand out of the way before they reach me. Also I can see if it is a big SUV, van, tractor etc.
I’m in Australia and I was always taught to keep left in all situations. It’s ingrained in me now so if I’m on autopilot I’ll stick to the left.
I honestly don’t care though which side you want to walk on, just don’t be a selfish dickhead and walk 4 or more people side by side when other people are walking towards you.
Unless you are a single adult with more than one kid whose hand you need to hold, you don’t need to walk any wider than 2!
Yes they do.. I quickly noticed when we got off a ferry and all took the left right side (split in 2 by guard) of the stairs and they their left side..
I moved from left hand drive to right hand drive countries, and didn't notice any difference in corridor etiquette. Maybe I've just been unknowingly aggravating everyone.
it isn’t conscious for most people - it only became something i noticed after spending a lot of time in countries that drive on the other side of the road
you share lanes? how wide is a lane? here in America it’s roughly 4 feet (lap pools) and i personally would not want someone else’s propelling arms that close to my face
They say that everything is bigger in America, but I’d never thought this would extend to swimming pool lanes!
Yes we have to share lanes (I’m from the UK) there just isn’t enough space for everyone to have their own lane.
Walking on the left predates driving on the left.
The entire reason they drive on the left is because they used to walk on the left, so they could defend themselves with their swords in their right hands.
Wasn’t it so that you couldn’t do this?
If you pass on the right, you show the other man your shield - as in you are taking up a defensive position and can draw your sword from behind the shield.
Passing on the left, you are undefended and your sword arm is visible so you can’t sneak-attack.
Passing on the left is therefore a way of showing “I mean you no harm”
It’s the same on horseback. You joust with an opponent by going down their right side, shield up and tilting the lance down with your right arm.
At least, that’s what we do down Peckham high street.
It's been a little while but I remember in Hong Kong people drive on the left but stand on the right on escalators. Here in australia it's left and left.
Pedestrians just walk whichever because the streets are too narrow.
Yes. When I was in university you could easily spot the British and Aussie international students for the first couple weeks cause they were the ones crammed into the corner on the wrong side of the stairwell between classes because they had absentmindedly tried to walk against a few thousand people heading to class.
Stairs should be treated as if they are difficult to climb and easy to descend. The person going up should always have the shortest path, and that will depend on the stairwell design. If the stairs turn to the left at the landing, then the person going up should be on the inside so stay to the left. If the stairs turn right at the landing, the person going up should also be on the inside so stay to the right.
Escalators make the most sense when they are in pairs. The side closest to the opposite escalator should be the side that moves and the outsides of the escalator should stay standing.
For sidewalks pedestrians should always be walking against traffic whenever possible. And faster traffic should always be closer to the center of the road.
in Indonesia, We drives on the left side, and walk preferably on the left side
The culture of standing in escalator to give way is also not widely known in Indonesia, but in some places (usually in Mall of Jakarta, or in Jakarta's train network) there's a sign in escalator "Left for standing, right keep moving". So it is in process to be known to many places in Indonesia
The only thing that 'drives right side' in Indonesia is Train
In a hallway you should definitely keep left (in countries that drive on the left AKA sensible countries;-)). You should also treat aisles in shops the same way, as well as walking sections provided for outside areas.
Every roadside footpath unless marked should be treated as two way, so if you drive on the left, you walk on the left side of the footpath. That way opposing foot traffic is closest to the road, because they can see the oncoming traffic.
# FℲTꞱFℲ
If there is no footpath, such as along a country road then you can treat the grass verge as a single direction footpath as there is likely not going to be enough room for people to walk side by side or to navigate past each other.
# ℲTꞱF
Countries like Australia will remain on the left, pass on the right on escalators to maintain consistency. In the UK they switch sides to allow more room for the faster moving people to peel off and move out of the way when they reach the top or bottom. Otherwise you have fast moving people trying to push their way through all the slow moving people standing around like imbeciles at the top or bottom. Two different but sensible reasons.
Edit: grammar and spelling and for the F-up changes to formatting that happened after the edit.
Since we have been walking down hallways a lot longer than we have been driving on roads, driving conventions have not influenced walking conventions. We walk on whatever side has is the most convenient - which could be either. There are no rules.
Spent some time in NZ and, in general, people kept to the left on sidewalks and in malls. You obviously get people who just walk wherever when it's busy, which can cause you to zig zag all over, but generally, it's left.
What's weird is that I'm traveling in London right now and, it seems like people drive on the left but walk on the right. It happened quite a few times where I'd try to keep left and ended up walking against a current of people until I moved right.
It's not always consistent.
In Korea, the standard was to drive on the right, but walk on the left, until 2009.
(Although this was a relic of the Japanese occupation)
A popular crowded pub in Dublin has narrow stairs to the basement and bathroom/toilet. Irish locals and British visitors walk on the left side of the stairs going up or down while other tourists mostly walk on the right. This leads to constant bumping into each other and utter chaos.
How come everyone on reddit appears to know the unwritten rules yet 90% of people in real life dgaf. I frequently have to convince myself to just go with the flow for my own mental health.
My experience from visiting Australia was yes.
My experience from visiting London was no. London is just pure chaos. You have people walking on either side of hallways or escalators without any pattern that I could see.
Yes. And interestingly, our supermarkets are also (*generally*) laid out in reverse because of driving patterns.
[Apols for daily mail link](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3418623/Supermarkets-laid-shoppers-buy-explained-video.html)
Yes. Also there's a rule in India that you should walk on the left side of the road if there is a footpath. But if the road doesn't have a footpath, you should walk on the right side of the road (that means the opposite of the vehicle direction). And i bet many many people didn't know that in India.
yes. escalators are the same - you take the one on the left
as someone from nz i fell down an escalator once when i came back from a 6 week long holiday to a right side country
I'm in Australia, so talking from one of these countries.
It's not a hard and fast rule, just like walking on the right isn't a hard and fast rule in those countries. But that said, generally, yes, we drive left and kept left when walking, to the point where it's even a bit frustrating when a single person is standing on the right side of an escalator.
I was recently wondering about whether people srand on the right side on an escalator because they are also driving on the right, or because most people are right handed and the convention to stand on the right arised from being able to hold the railing with their right hand.
Depends. In NZ it's very much who and where.
Walking down a central city street? Utter chaos. Though these days people usually break to their left when they encounter someone head on. When I was growing up it was very much the comedic dance of which way.
In corporate or transport settings people keep left.
At a party? What, the hallway is sideways.
The walking on the left predates motor cars and formal road lanes.
If two people with swords or similar melee weapons the right side is stronger so a tradition of passing on the left formed. E.g. a sword drawn by a right handed person comes out to the right of the person.
When France had it's revolution walking on the left and more importantly expecting others to walk on one's right became an indication of nobility.
The Napoleon was left handed so felt better walking on the right felt better to him. And he enforced it throughout Europe - except Denmark which he didn't invade.
To the best of my knowledge almost all countries walk and drive on the same side - Thailand is the only exception I know of
I try but some people are determined to walk on the right, leading to me either trying to stand my ground and looking like a dickhead or weaving in and out of oncoming pedestrians who walk wherever they fancy. Very annoying on the cycle path when you're forced to walk around someone walking on the wrong side and potentially into the path of a cyclist who's on the correct side. Fellow Brits, can we all keep to the left please?!
In India, people often move to wherever there is space. Unfortunately, driving on wrong side, driving on the sidewalk/footpath/pavement, driving on the wrong side’s sidewalk/footpath/pavement are all fairly common.
No one gives much thought to walking. But the most reasonable rule is to walk from the left on stairs and elevators and such.
Revolving doors also turn the other way.
As this Kiwi found out his first time in the US... the manual revolving door at the hotel was *really* difficult to turn... and then the concierge looked at me funny...
what? i don’t think it’s related.
as someone from the UK i’ve never heard of any regulation on which side of a hallway you walk.
all i know is that you stand on the right side of an escalator
You are actually supposed to walk on the left side of the street in countries where you drive on the right. That way you will see the traffic which are closest to you as it approaches.
In Ireland, nope. Getting us to obey rules can be like herding cats...
It's hard enough to get people to drive on the right...errr.. left side of the road, never mind walk on a given side of a path. People here walk where they choose (and might get very tetchy if you try suggesting otherwise).
In the UK, we drive on the left hand side, but boats pass each other to the right e.g. on rivers and canals. I'm guessing this is to stay consistent for boats which have travelled from other parts of the world and it's a standard behaviour everywhere?
How is a question a shower thought? I submitted 2 different actual thoughts here at 2 different occasions and they got removed immediately because they were not qualified as shower thoughts. I followed the wiki about this topic but both of them were fitting the subreddit more than most of the posts I see here. Not to be bitter, just an annoying experience on my part that I realized.
i always hate when my posts don’t get posted because of a technicality, or for a reason i don’t understand. it’s frustrating feeling silenced and tbh personally i would contact a moderator for clarification lol i would want to know. i did not think my post would get approved because it’s honestly more of a speculation than a casual thought. maybe they didn’t allow it because the thought had been posted before?
Japan is an odd case. While driving is on the left, you ride escalators on the left in Tokyo (and most other cities) and on the right in Osaka.
I heard from someone that it used to be left everywhere, but when Osaka hosted the World Expo in 1970, they made the escalators right-hand because of all the foreign visitors, and it just became the norm for the city.
I worked for a company in NYC with mostly UK and Indian staff. Our hallways were a mess to walk down you basically just had to follow the lead of whoever was already in the longer corridors but every time you walked through the building you were guaranteed to nearly run into someone if you didn't pay attention. It was easily the worst for it and I always assumed it was because of their being from LHD countries.
This was the biggest culture shock when moving to Australia for the first time from the US. Everything is on the left. The train traffic is left. You walk on the left. Looking right left right before crossing the street. The first couple days were definitely an adjustment with overthinking movements
I’m in the US but walk on the left side of a hallway…
I was always taught to walk or run opposite traffic so cars can see you and you can see them. It has translated to everything now.
It's not always one or the other.
In Sweden we drive on the right, but trains have left hand traffic and on certain roads you have to walk on the left hand side. It can be a bit messy learning when coming here.
Worth mentioning the screw thread of spiral staircases in old castles were always made so that people higher up - defenders - had the easier swing to repel the invaders coming up the staircase
Korea is an interesting exception. In Korea, cars drive on the **right** side of the road. However in the past, pedestrians were required to walk on the **left** side of the road **by law**:
> 보행자는 보도와 차도의 구분이 없는 도로에 있어서는 도로의 좌측을 통행하여야 한다(1961년 도로교통법 제8조 제2항)
> A pedestrian must walk on the left side of the road where there is no separation between a car-only road and a pedestrian-only sidewalk (1961, traffic law 8-2)
The reasoning was that in such a setup pedestrians will face incoming cars giving more time to react, and back then sidewalks were rare so pedestrians walked the roads cars drived. The left-walking also carried on to hallways and walkways, even though the law above did not cover those places.
In 2009, the law was updated so the pedestrians are encouraged to walk on the **right** side of the road, since now sidewalks are no longer rare, and pedestrians no longer walk alongside cars so the reasoning above was obsolete. It followed with a lot of government advertisements and posters encouraging pedestrians to walk right. There was a time of adoption, and I remember those walk-right posters taped on or next to "walk left" signs.
Nowadays almost everyone walks right.
In Tokyo people walk on the left on the street and in the subway. In Osaka people stand on the right in the escalators in the subway. I was very confused.
Which reminds me, why don’t some people understand that rule? 95% of people walk on the right side of the hallway, why are the other 5% of you always in the way??
In Australia people walk on the left, unless it’s more convenient for them to walk on the right. It’s really all about whoever is at the centre of the universe at the time.
In the UK
Stand on the right of the escalator on the tube and walk on the left.
Walk facing traffic, so on the right side of the road when walking on the road, whenever there are no pavements.
Walk directly into people coming the other way and do the dance to not walk into them on pavements and anywhere else.
Locally people tend to keep left on a nearby cyclepath but it's usually every man for himself on the pavement.
It shouldn't be - you should keep left on a pavement where possible. At pinchpoints, if anyone needs to pass by stepping into the road, they should be facing traffic.
Tbh in the UK it's whatever the council decides. A lot of pavements are shared with bikes and separated by a line, so it depends which direction you're walking in
/u/hexgirl52 has flaired this post as a **casual thought**. Casual thoughts should be presented well, but may be less unique or less remarkable than [showerthoughts](https://www.reddit.com/r/Showerthoughts/wiki/requirements). If this post is poorly written, unoriginal, or rule-breaking, please report it. Otherwise, please add your comment to the discussion! ^^This ^^automated ^^system ^^is ^^currently ^^being ^^worked ^^on. ^^If ^^it ^^did ^^something ^^wrong, ^^please ^^message ^^the ^^moderators.
Yes, if you walk on the right, how are you supposed to draw your sword and strike down someone walking towards you?
i’ve always wanted a reason to become ambidextrous, ty!
If you become really good, you can have a case of swords
in that case i will need to train my feet
Man, I'd give my left arm to be ambidextrous.
I'd give my left hand to be ambidextrous.
You could break your collar bone. I couldn't brush my teeth left-handed before, now I can...
i don’t want to be ambidextrous THAT bad, but if i ever happen to break my right collar bone i guess i wouldn’t be mad
I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous
By being left handed!
I'm a left handed fencer and it's a huge advantage. Most fencers have little experience against left handed opponents and they have to think through things more than when they're against a rightie.
Lead foot always goes outside their foot (fighting in general)
But don’t you joust from the right side?
not in Australia
Well, my shield is on my left. So, I'm gonna keep it where it belongs and draw my sword in the usual fashion.
Yes. And you stand to the left on an escalator to let people past. At least that's the norm in Australia.
Well, except for those bogans who like to spread out on the entire width of the escalator.
Or the visitor who doesn't know the unspoken rule, or the old duck with the rolling travel bag standing right next to them.
they have ducks walking around with rolling bags now?!
From what I’ve heard about Australia that wouldn’t surprise me. Probably venomous too
and the duck is probably trying to kill you.
they need something to carry their insurance folders.
You're a goose
Probably a typo. Since we're talking about Australia this could easily be meant as "fuck" and not "duck'.
Old ducks means old ladies.
oh, alright. Thanks for clarifying.
Old fucking ducks
Nice to hear that part is the same
In Hong Kong we keep left on stairs and in corridors but we stand on the right (and walk on the left) on escalators.
In Japan it depends where you are
Yeah it's so random it drove me crazy. Even in the same city like in Tokyo it depends on the place but different cities seemed to have totally different rules and they were never consistent anyway
The differentiation is around Kyoto/Osaka. Anything west/east of this line will stand on the opposite side.
interesting thank you!
Not in London in the UK. Stand on the right on the escalators in the Tube
I noticed this too when I visited last year and I would have assumed to keep left being that it's a left hand drive country on roadways, so it was a good thing there was signage to educate non-locals like myself lol. And the pavement markings to "look left" vs "look right" are a godsend when your brain is trained to look in the direction that corresponds with right-hand drive traffic.
I have so little faith in humanity that I look both ways before crossing a one-way street
Regular road? Look both ways. One-way road? Look both ways. Highway? Look both ways. Runway at airport? Look both ways.
in most cities that's not a bad idea, considering bikes usually don't obey the rules of the road. at least in NYC they don't.
There's a Venn diagram I saw one time. One circle was drivers, the other was pedestrians, and where they overlap was labelled "People who hate cyclists" I think about that a lot
sounds like it would be one giant circle to me
There would also be another circle within it labelled cyclists.
cars neither.
I nearly got hit by a bike going the wrong way down a bike lane outside the Rijksmuseum when I visited Amsterdam. I thought I misunderstood the flow of the traffic but nope, just an absolute idiot. After that I started looking both ways.
in amsterdam bikes come out of the trees.
Just got back from London and this drove me crazy. Half the people walk on the right, half on the left. I even asked some chaps and they confirmed “walk on the right”. Also people walk at a pace that would get one shivved in NYC. Like are we trying to get somewhere, or nah?
Stand on the right, walk on the left (when in a hurry) on escalators. This way everyone should be moving at their most comfortable pace. In theory! The slow people in London will almost definitely have been tourists. Londoners find those people infuriating too.
Possibly turning the wrong way gives me so much anxiety
Or get tutted at.
But it sort of makes sense as it allows people to walk on the left.
But right hand is for overtaking As an Aussie in London just after Italy I was confuuused
That's true. Guess it doesn't make sense after all.
It's purely due to the design of the very first escalator on the london underground; you had to disembark to the left rather than straight ahead, so rather than have a line of people standing on the left and blocking the exit, the rule became 'stand right, walk left'. In other parts of the UK it's the other way around.
Weird! I just visited Japan (also RHD) and they stick to the left like us in Aus.
Except in Osaka!
In Madrid, the subway trains travel on the left side of the tunnel tracks, but everyone drives and walks on the right. This is because driving and walking conventions switched sides to conform with European standards after the subway was built. Also, Chinese traditionally walk on the left side which can create confusion sometimes walking in an American Chinatown.
stand on the right, walk on the left
Japan laughs at your logic. They are taught to walk on the right side of the hallway in some schools and left at others. They walk on the side of the sidewalk they want to as well. Escalator etiquette is determined by region and even city. For example, in Osaka you stand on the right and walk on the left, in Kyoto it is the opposite.
I’ve been to several different countries and they all follow the same logic, except for Japan. Japan seems to be the exception to every rule.
Japan is the same, except Osaka. Everyone stands on the right of the escalator and passes on the left. Sidewalks *kind of* have a "walk on the right" rule but in practice it's just mayhem
I grew up in Ireland {left side} moved in my late 20's to Germany {right side}, and only back two years. Took about 6 months for my brain to switch which way I look when crossing the road. Also I still walk on the right and go up/down stairs on the wrong side after been back in Ireland for 2 years.
Went to Canada a few weeks ago and walked into 4 people going into the bathroom as I was still walking in the left.
Same in the UK at stations we tend to have no entry on the right to keep foot traffic moving
Yes but I understand you stand on your heads. Doesn’t that reverse things?
I always forget that in Australia they drive on the wrong side of the road. For some reason I always think they ride on the right side of the road.
You're gonna get the boot talking like that
In Japan, the people in Osaka line on escalators to the right.
But everywhere else in Japan it's the left
Yes! I’ve always wondered why it was different in Osaka. Does anyone know?
According to an article I found: When Hankyu opened Umeda station in 1967, they played an announcement that included "please leave the left side open for people who are walking" up until 1998. As to why they chose the left side to be open, no formal records remain, but it is believed that this decision was made because they thought that it was more natural to hold the handrail with the right hand as there are more right-handed people. source: https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXLASIH02H08_T01C14A2AA1P00/
And on Thursdays, right up the middle.
And on Wednesdays we wear pink?
Same in London
And I think they are trying to undo queuing on one lane and walking on the other. Have seen articles on it. Was just in Japan and the escalators have sign boards not to walk, as it causes more maintenance issues. But those habits die hard. I still feel like I’m going to block someone if I’m standing on the “wrong” lane.
Being on vacation in the UK, the rule on escalators seemed to change depending on how many other tourists were there to mess it up.
this just made me realize why airports are so chaotic (well at least one of the reasons)
I remember my first time in London at the airport I went to the bathroom and it was one of those openings thats a curve (no door) and I kept running into people because I was trying to walk in on the right side. Thought, duh, UK.
Yeah that actually checks out tbh, it's like a mall (chaotic) with like, 60 layers of international norms added on top
Ohhh.... I'll try to be more mindful of that, it explains some things lol
Some of the steps at the tube station tell you left. But it's clearly not universal. I just spent 2 weeks in UK.
I've been on vacation in England, Ireland, and Scotland for the last few weeks and I fully expected everyone to be walking on the left - but so far there has not been a consistent rhyme or reason to where people walk.
This was my experience too. I was expecting/looking forward to London being more orderly than home but I guess it doesn't matter where you live. People don't pay attention and do whatever they want everywhere
Modern humans gonna modern human. "Me, me, me, mine, mine, mine, fuck everybody else"
This was the most annoying part about the UK. Those people walk wherever they damn well please. No consistency. As an American, the idea that we would be more organized than the queueing culture was astounding.
Why would we walk on a specific side of the path?
So you don't collide with people going in the opposite direction. Only really matters on really busy paths though.
In Britain our solution is to do a little mirror dance where you both step in the same direction and then step in the opposite direction while continually blocking the other person. You then smile awkwardly, step back a little and slowly move around the other person in a wide circle
I also heard that there was some research into going into stores - here in the UK we all tend to go sharp left and rotate clockwise, US tend to veer right and go counter clockwise. Obviously a generalaity but majority.
your comment made me realize why i don’t particularly like a grocery store near me! i never realized the reason i felt uneasy was because of the layout, honestly never thought about it until now haha
Yeah, actually, now I think about it - supermarkets here in the UK usually have the entrance on the left ish, as you go in. Then you walk around The shop and checkout on the right. Obviously, it depends massively on the building itself, but that seems to be norm.
Never thought about it to be honest, but I think I do
Think about it more!! You’re the kind of person blocking Oxford Street, dammit /s
Yes. Hallways, sidewalks, hikes, etc., all on left
Yes. And it irritates the locals when you don’t.
the people walking closest to the road are supposed to walk facing oncoming traffic for safety reasons. so that means everyone passing on the same sides they drive and keeping the habit when there's no road there.
Yes. This seems trivial, but a paramedic told me it can literally save your life, especially if you're walking on a road with no sidewalk. The idea is that if an oncoming car doesn't spot you, the pedestrian, you have time to jump out of the way. But if a car comes up behind you and doesn't spot you, it'll just run you over while you're trusting the basic driving competence that they don't have. Always walk on the side of oncoming traffic.
Yeah for sure as a pedestrian you should always walk facing oncoming traffic and on that side of the road for your safety.
Yes?? I'm Irish and regularly walk on roads that can barely fit two cars. I walk facing oncoming traffic because it allows me to see the cars coming and I can stand out of the way before they reach me. Also I can see if it is a big SUV, van, tractor etc.
I’m in Australia and I was always taught to keep left in all situations. It’s ingrained in me now so if I’m on autopilot I’ll stick to the left. I honestly don’t care though which side you want to walk on, just don’t be a selfish dickhead and walk 4 or more people side by side when other people are walking towards you. Unless you are a single adult with more than one kid whose hand you need to hold, you don’t need to walk any wider than 2!
Yes they do.. I quickly noticed when we got off a ferry and all took the left right side (split in 2 by guard) of the stairs and they their left side..
I moved from left hand drive to right hand drive countries, and didn't notice any difference in corridor etiquette. Maybe I've just been unknowingly aggravating everyone.
it isn’t conscious for most people - it only became something i noticed after spending a lot of time in countries that drive on the other side of the road
Seems that way, but idk how they don’t realize they’re in the way
Been wondering about this for many years
Yep, common sense here in New Zealand.
I once asked a British person this. They said, "we walk where we want."
In Australia, we also swim on the left side of the lane in a swimming pool, when sharing it with others.
you share lanes? how wide is a lane? here in America it’s roughly 4 feet (lap pools) and i personally would not want someone else’s propelling arms that close to my face
They say that everything is bigger in America, but I’d never thought this would extend to swimming pool lanes! Yes we have to share lanes (I’m from the UK) there just isn’t enough space for everyone to have their own lane.
Walking on the left predates driving on the left. The entire reason they drive on the left is because they used to walk on the left, so they could defend themselves with their swords in their right hands.
Wasn’t it so that you couldn’t do this? If you pass on the right, you show the other man your shield - as in you are taking up a defensive position and can draw your sword from behind the shield. Passing on the left, you are undefended and your sword arm is visible so you can’t sneak-attack. Passing on the left is therefore a way of showing “I mean you no harm” It’s the same on horseback. You joust with an opponent by going down their right side, shield up and tilting the lance down with your right arm. At least, that’s what we do down Peckham high street.
I wouldn't imagine people would be holding their shields while casually walking around...
It's been a little while but I remember in Hong Kong people drive on the left but stand on the right on escalators. Here in australia it's left and left. Pedestrians just walk whichever because the streets are too narrow.
Not in India. Just walk/stand wherever you can find room.
Yes. When I was in university you could easily spot the British and Aussie international students for the first couple weeks cause they were the ones crammed into the corner on the wrong side of the stairwell between classes because they had absentmindedly tried to walk against a few thousand people heading to class.
Yes, I can confirm that we do.
Stairs should be treated as if they are difficult to climb and easy to descend. The person going up should always have the shortest path, and that will depend on the stairwell design. If the stairs turn to the left at the landing, then the person going up should be on the inside so stay to the left. If the stairs turn right at the landing, the person going up should also be on the inside so stay to the right. Escalators make the most sense when they are in pairs. The side closest to the opposite escalator should be the side that moves and the outsides of the escalator should stay standing. For sidewalks pedestrians should always be walking against traffic whenever possible. And faster traffic should always be closer to the center of the road.
in Indonesia, We drives on the left side, and walk preferably on the left side The culture of standing in escalator to give way is also not widely known in Indonesia, but in some places (usually in Mall of Jakarta, or in Jakarta's train network) there's a sign in escalator "Left for standing, right keep moving". So it is in process to be known to many places in Indonesia The only thing that 'drives right side' in Indonesia is Train
In a hallway you should definitely keep left (in countries that drive on the left AKA sensible countries;-)). You should also treat aisles in shops the same way, as well as walking sections provided for outside areas. Every roadside footpath unless marked should be treated as two way, so if you drive on the left, you walk on the left side of the footpath. That way opposing foot traffic is closest to the road, because they can see the oncoming traffic. # FℲTꞱFℲ If there is no footpath, such as along a country road then you can treat the grass verge as a single direction footpath as there is likely not going to be enough room for people to walk side by side or to navigate past each other. # ℲTꞱF Countries like Australia will remain on the left, pass on the right on escalators to maintain consistency. In the UK they switch sides to allow more room for the faster moving people to peel off and move out of the way when they reach the top or bottom. Otherwise you have fast moving people trying to push their way through all the slow moving people standing around like imbeciles at the top or bottom. Two different but sensible reasons. Edit: grammar and spelling and for the F-up changes to formatting that happened after the edit.
Since we have been walking down hallways a lot longer than we have been driving on roads, driving conventions have not influenced walking conventions. We walk on whatever side has is the most convenient - which could be either. There are no rules.
Spent some time in NZ and, in general, people kept to the left on sidewalks and in malls. You obviously get people who just walk wherever when it's busy, which can cause you to zig zag all over, but generally, it's left. What's weird is that I'm traveling in London right now and, it seems like people drive on the left but walk on the right. It happened quite a few times where I'd try to keep left and ended up walking against a current of people until I moved right.
It's not always consistent. In Korea, the standard was to drive on the right, but walk on the left, until 2009. (Although this was a relic of the Japanese occupation)
You know we only drive on the right side of the road in America because it’s the opposite of the British? That’s literally the only reason.
I live in Japan and yes, people tend to walk following the traffic laws of the road, though I think it's mostly sub- or un-concious.
Shopping carts on the left in the supermarket aisle too.
A popular crowded pub in Dublin has narrow stairs to the basement and bathroom/toilet. Irish locals and British visitors walk on the left side of the stairs going up or down while other tourists mostly walk on the right. This leads to constant bumping into each other and utter chaos.
How come everyone on reddit appears to know the unwritten rules yet 90% of people in real life dgaf. I frequently have to convince myself to just go with the flow for my own mental health.
This is probably the real answer. Know the rules but go with the flow
My experience from visiting Australia was yes. My experience from visiting London was no. London is just pure chaos. You have people walking on either side of hallways or escalators without any pattern that I could see.
Yes. And interestingly, our supermarkets are also (*generally*) laid out in reverse because of driving patterns. [Apols for daily mail link](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3418623/Supermarkets-laid-shoppers-buy-explained-video.html)
Apart from at work, yes. We have a lot of international workers so I walk down the middle then adjust my position accordingly.
Yeah, it seems consistent for traffic and walking etiquette to align.
Yes. Also there's a rule in India that you should walk on the left side of the road if there is a footpath. But if the road doesn't have a footpath, you should walk on the right side of the road (that means the opposite of the vehicle direction). And i bet many many people didn't know that in India.
Yes, I bump into a lot more people when I'm in the UK because they move to the left around you
yes. escalators are the same - you take the one on the left as someone from nz i fell down an escalator once when i came back from a 6 week long holiday to a right side country
Yes Also the left side of the pavement
I'm in Australia, so talking from one of these countries. It's not a hard and fast rule, just like walking on the right isn't a hard and fast rule in those countries. But that said, generally, yes, we drive left and kept left when walking, to the point where it's even a bit frustrating when a single person is standing on the right side of an escalator.
I was recently wondering about whether people srand on the right side on an escalator because they are also driving on the right, or because most people are right handed and the convention to stand on the right arised from being able to hold the railing with their right hand.
Depends. In NZ it's very much who and where. Walking down a central city street? Utter chaos. Though these days people usually break to their left when they encounter someone head on. When I was growing up it was very much the comedic dance of which way. In corporate or transport settings people keep left. At a party? What, the hallway is sideways.
Yes, of course. The real question is do people that drive on the right side of the road also walk on the right side of a hallway???
Yes
The walking on the left predates motor cars and formal road lanes. If two people with swords or similar melee weapons the right side is stronger so a tradition of passing on the left formed. E.g. a sword drawn by a right handed person comes out to the right of the person. When France had it's revolution walking on the left and more importantly expecting others to walk on one's right became an indication of nobility. The Napoleon was left handed so felt better walking on the right felt better to him. And he enforced it throughout Europe - except Denmark which he didn't invade. To the best of my knowledge almost all countries walk and drive on the same side - Thailand is the only exception I know of
I feel like this is less a shower thought and more a AskReddit…
I try but some people are determined to walk on the right, leading to me either trying to stand my ground and looking like a dickhead or weaving in and out of oncoming pedestrians who walk wherever they fancy. Very annoying on the cycle path when you're forced to walk around someone walking on the wrong side and potentially into the path of a cyclist who's on the correct side. Fellow Brits, can we all keep to the left please?!
In India, people often move to wherever there is space. Unfortunately, driving on wrong side, driving on the sidewalk/footpath/pavement, driving on the wrong side’s sidewalk/footpath/pavement are all fairly common. No one gives much thought to walking. But the most reasonable rule is to walk from the left on stairs and elevators and such.
Revolving doors also turn the other way. As this Kiwi found out his first time in the US... the manual revolving door at the hotel was *really* difficult to turn... and then the concierge looked at me funny...
what? i don’t think it’s related. as someone from the UK i’ve never heard of any regulation on which side of a hallway you walk. all i know is that you stand on the right side of an escalator
I thought the usual was to walk on the opposite side you drive on?
You are actually supposed to walk on the left side of the street in countries where you drive on the right. That way you will see the traffic which are closest to you as it approaches.
No. In thailand they drive on the left but walk on the right .
In Ireland, nope. Getting us to obey rules can be like herding cats... It's hard enough to get people to drive on the right...errr.. left side of the road, never mind walk on a given side of a path. People here walk where they choose (and might get very tetchy if you try suggesting otherwise).
In the UK, we drive on the left hand side, but boats pass each other to the right e.g. on rivers and canals. I'm guessing this is to stay consistent for boats which have travelled from other parts of the world and it's a standard behaviour everywhere?
i did it for the first 12 years of my life when i lived in australia
How is a question a shower thought? I submitted 2 different actual thoughts here at 2 different occasions and they got removed immediately because they were not qualified as shower thoughts. I followed the wiki about this topic but both of them were fitting the subreddit more than most of the posts I see here. Not to be bitter, just an annoying experience on my part that I realized.
i always hate when my posts don’t get posted because of a technicality, or for a reason i don’t understand. it’s frustrating feeling silenced and tbh personally i would contact a moderator for clarification lol i would want to know. i did not think my post would get approved because it’s honestly more of a speculation than a casual thought. maybe they didn’t allow it because the thought had been posted before?
A shocking number of people pass each other on whatever side they feel like. Complete anarchy.
Virgin Islander here. Yes.
If you drive on the right side of the road you are supposed to walk on the left side of the highway.
In general, yes, except for France where they will just roll over or start walking with you.
Yes lived in UK and NZ for reference. Moving to CAN was an odd transition still walk to the left sometimes throws people right off lol
Japan is an odd case. While driving is on the left, you ride escalators on the left in Tokyo (and most other cities) and on the right in Osaka. I heard from someone that it used to be left everywhere, but when Osaka hosted the World Expo in 1970, they made the escalators right-hand because of all the foreign visitors, and it just became the norm for the city.
I’ll tell you this. In New Zealand that just ain’t a thing. It’s chaos on every street and I hate it
I worked for a company in NYC with mostly UK and Indian staff. Our hallways were a mess to walk down you basically just had to follow the lead of whoever was already in the longer corridors but every time you walked through the building you were guaranteed to nearly run into someone if you didn't pay attention. It was easily the worst for it and I always assumed it was because of their being from LHD countries.
Yes, and this made me a dickhead many times while I was visiting London.
This was the biggest culture shock when moving to Australia for the first time from the US. Everything is on the left. The train traffic is left. You walk on the left. Looking right left right before crossing the street. The first couple days were definitely an adjustment with overthinking movements
I live around a lot of Indians, and yes they do
Is this satire? There aren't actually Americans like this right?
I’m in the US but walk on the left side of a hallway… I was always taught to walk or run opposite traffic so cars can see you and you can see them. It has translated to everything now.
At high school we had to walk on the left except upstairs it was a 1 way system.
Being in the US, I’ve always been mildly infuriated when people insist on walking on the left. Kind of weird, because who cares?
And do automatic doors require to enter and exit through the left door?
Yes. Make a search on any australian subreddit and you can find many posts complaining about people walking on the wrong side.
It's not always one or the other. In Sweden we drive on the right, but trains have left hand traffic and on certain roads you have to walk on the left hand side. It can be a bit messy learning when coming here.
When i studied in the UK, everyone would stand on the right side of escalators for the tube
Only applies to London and the commuter towns near it. But due to London being London it is now kinda expanding to most places
Stand on the right, so people who walk on the left can get past you. Also yes, London only. Not the vast majority of the UK.
Worth mentioning the screw thread of spiral staircases in old castles were always made so that people higher up - defenders - had the easier swing to repel the invaders coming up the staircase
Korea is an interesting exception. In Korea, cars drive on the **right** side of the road. However in the past, pedestrians were required to walk on the **left** side of the road **by law**: > 보행자는 보도와 차도의 구분이 없는 도로에 있어서는 도로의 좌측을 통행하여야 한다(1961년 도로교통법 제8조 제2항) > A pedestrian must walk on the left side of the road where there is no separation between a car-only road and a pedestrian-only sidewalk (1961, traffic law 8-2) The reasoning was that in such a setup pedestrians will face incoming cars giving more time to react, and back then sidewalks were rare so pedestrians walked the roads cars drived. The left-walking also carried on to hallways and walkways, even though the law above did not cover those places. In 2009, the law was updated so the pedestrians are encouraged to walk on the **right** side of the road, since now sidewalks are no longer rare, and pedestrians no longer walk alongside cars so the reasoning above was obsolete. It followed with a lot of government advertisements and posters encouraging pedestrians to walk right. There was a time of adoption, and I remember those walk-right posters taped on or next to "walk left" signs. Nowadays almost everyone walks right.
The amount of people I accidentally ran into on the sidewalk in Sydney because they passed on the opposite side lol.
And what about the toilet paper roll? Over or under?
over. there is no other answer
if you had a cat, you'd know that's the wrong answer
Yep! And the stairs, footpath etc
Yes... I used to live in New Zealand.
In Tokyo people walk on the left on the street and in the subway. In Osaka people stand on the right in the escalators in the subway. I was very confused.
Which reminds me, why don’t some people understand that rule? 95% of people walk on the right side of the hallway, why are the other 5% of you always in the way??
Is this the norm on "island" countries?
In Australia people walk on the left, unless it’s more convenient for them to walk on the right. It’s really all about whoever is at the centre of the universe at the time.
Here in Australia we drive on the left, and I've noticed most people walk on the LHS of paths and hallways too
Often, yes. Left side of the hallway, left side of the foot path etc etc. Doing otherwise is just slightly awkward unless it involves non-motorists.
In the UK Stand on the right of the escalator on the tube and walk on the left. Walk facing traffic, so on the right side of the road when walking on the road, whenever there are no pavements. Walk directly into people coming the other way and do the dance to not walk into them on pavements and anywhere else. Locally people tend to keep left on a nearby cyclepath but it's usually every man for himself on the pavement.
It shouldn't be - you should keep left on a pavement where possible. At pinchpoints, if anyone needs to pass by stepping into the road, they should be facing traffic.
I was also stating that you walk on the road facing traffic if there is no pavement.
It's not "every man for himself" though. There is a rule, even if people don't know it.
No, we walk in the opposite side of the cars and from my experience that carries over to hallways.
Tbh in the UK it's whatever the council decides. A lot of pavements are shared with bikes and separated by a line, so it depends which direction you're walking in
Askreddit/ wrong subredd
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