Street etiquette

     December 7, 2018

     On what side of the sidewalk should one walk when in England? After six weeks in that country recently, I still didn’t know the answer to that question. And apparently almost no one else knows the answer either, judging from the continual pedestrian dodging that I and others engaged in while walking on what they call their pavement (sidewalks). 

     Should you walk on the right, the way Americans and most other societies do? Or, since the British drive on the left, do they also keep to the left while walking on the sidewalk? I was willing to do it either way, if I could just discern a pattern or have someone tell me the rules. I did a great deal of walking in London during the first three weeks of my trip, and I wanted to enjoy my sightseeing without getting in anyone’s way or having them be an obstacle course for my foot travel. But at times I found it stressful having to constantly decide at the last second when to give way and when to stay the course as I made  my way down the sidewalk. 

     I asked several locals if there is a custom regarding this matter, and to my surprise and disappointment they all said that they didn’t know. Eventually, after I had left London and joined a tour group in Bath, I asked our 62 year old English tour leader Roy for his perspective. He told me that when he was young he was taught to walk on the left side of the sidewalk, but now that custom isn’t being passed down to the next generations. In addition, he said, with so many international tourists and immigrants it’s hard to get people to observe a tradition that few British people themselves observe. 

     Pedestrian anarchy is hardly unique to England. Manhattan is just as bad. And in my experience, Bombay and Cairo are worse. I once asked an acquaintance from Lima, Peru what the Spanish word for jaywalking is. She laughed, and said there is no such word in Spanish, and that in Lima everyone just walks wherever the hell they want to walk. So I guess it’s mainly a big city problem, though many if not most people may not see it as a problem at all. Maybe I’m being overly sensitive. But I do prefer social harmony, and etiquette can help to avoid social conflict.

     I remember an incident many years ago in San Rafael, California, where I was somewhat distractedly walking down a sidewalk when I was approached by a young man angrily glaring at me as he walked straight at me. I quickly debated in my mind whether it was worth a confrontation with him or whether I should just step aside. I chose the latter course, and he visibly relaxed and continued on his way. I then realized that he was observing the custom of walking to the right, and I was on the wrong side (his side) of the sidewalk. He was holding his ground, his territory, and I was violating the custom and in his mind challenging him. Once I respected the custom, I respected him. Confrontation avoided. 

     Most people are flexible about such customs. While I almost always keep to the right on sidewalks, I make exceptions for the elderly, children, dog-walkers, and people carrying anything heavy or awkward. But sometimes I can be stubborn and stick to my right-side trajectory as a matter of principle. 

     But much less so when traveling. As a visitor, I’m acutely aware that I’m an outsider, and it is I who need to respect the local customs, even if there aren’t any discernible rules.  In Bombay five years ago I was told by a local guide that Indians have no street etiquette – people do anything they want, creating chaos with jaywalking, reckless driving, honking horns, and cutting in lines. He added that Indians enjoy defying government rules and social niceties. So I have observed. 

     We don’t all play by the same rules. That’s hard for someone like me who appreciates order and harmony.  Maybe I’m better off pretending that I’m always a visitor wherever I go. Customs and rules may be preferable, but perhaps flexibility and kindness are the real etiquette.