Pedestrian "road rage" when walking to and from work

[kingsrings]

POD. I am more scared walking through parking lots than I am anywhere else! People are treating them more and more like the general roadway and not watching out for pedestrians or other cars.

[gjcva1]

but it is the people who READ - yes read! - the paper or a book while walking down a NYC street. Are you kidding me?

umm, i'm one of those who walks and reads, though not on the streets.  no, i walk and read through the (miles of) halls of the Pentagon.  and it goes to another of your irritations.  the halls in the Pentagon are WIDE.  so of course, people walk three abreast, forcing you, when going in the opposite direction, to flatten yourself against the wall and edge past them.  but guess what?  when i walk down the hall (on my side!) with book in hand reading as i go, well it's a beautiful thing to see....it's like parting the Red Sea the way people get out of my way!     and yes, i am perfectly aware of the people in front of me.  have never run into anyone yet.  well, there was that one person who came barreling out of an office, not looking or pausing, and i ran into him.  but that was more his fault for racing in front of me.

[LuckyDucky]

I hate walking through the city in morning rush hour, afternoon rush hour or..wel frankly any time of the day.  My peeves include:

1. People that stop in the middle of the footpath and have a chat.  Move off to the side please.
2. Tourists that walk really slow in the middle of the crowd.  I understand that they are a little lost but it is called rush hour for a reason.
3. People that don't keep to the left.
4. Children who run in front of the large group of pedestrians, making us all swerve and change spped and direction.  It's like watching a herd of wildebeest panic.

and my one pet hate is Umbrella People.

I am a short person (158cm - not sure in feet & inches) and therefore am on eye level with the evil little ends of umbrella ribs.  I cannot even begin to count the number of times i have been poked in the eye, had my hair ripped out, had freezing cold water dumped on me and generally been abused by Umbrella People.  I refuse to use one.  It's just water and if i can save someone from being maimed, i will be happy.

[Moogle]

The next person who stops right at the top of the escalator will be shot.

This happened to me last weekend while at the mall.  It was a kid and all he was doing was stand at the top of the escalator (going down).  If I didn't have a lot of shopping bags with me, I would have just gone around him.  With my hands full and my husband behind me with our son, I stopped right behind that escalator brat, loudly said, "Excuse me, are you going to get on or not?!".  When he turned around to look at me, I gave him the Don't-P!ss-Me-Off look. 

Good thing he got on or I might have run him over.

I just remembered a time when people were dodging out of my way in a crowded mall.  Nobody dared bump into the girl lugging a 10 lb. bowling ball in one hand.   

[sweedetobee]

but it is the people who READ - yes read! - the paper or a book while walking down a NYC street. Are you kidding me?

umm, i'm one of those who walks and reads, though not on the streets.  no, i walk and read through the (miles of) halls of the Pentagon.  and it goes to another of your irritations.  the halls in the Pentagon are WIDE.  so of course, people walk three abreast, forcing you, when going in the opposite direction, to flatten yourself against the wall and edge past them.  but guess what?  when i walk down the hall (on my side!) with book in hand reading as i go, well it's a beautiful thing to see....it's like parting the Red Sea the way people get out of my way!     and yes, i am perfectly aware of the people in front of me.  have never run into anyone yet.  well, there was that one person who came barreling out of an office, not looking or pausing, and i ran into him.  but that was more his fault for racing in front of me.

I am SOnot coordinated enough to read and walk at the same time! How do you do it?? But I have to say that since your book is able to actually move you through the halls, I might relent on my reading while walkign stance   I never thought that one irritation would be the solution to another.

[mddg4]

but it is the people who READ - yes read! - the paper or a book while walking down a NYC street. Are you kidding me?


umm, i'm one of those who walks and reads, though not on the streets.


ME TOO! I am a self-avowed bookaholic and I must confess that I do read almost everywhere. However, I have never run into anyone (except maybe the odd tree or two)and I always keep an eye on the traffic. It is simply a matter of being aware of your surrondings and if it gets to the point that I have to put the book down, I will. The ones that drive me nuts are the ones who read while driving down the HIGHWAY! I have on occasion looked oversomething if I am stopped at a red Light, but even I have not sunk to the point of reading while driving. They are just asking for a clue by four

[PoisonIvy]

I live in London and have lived in Manhattan and have experienced most of the above.  I especially agree with the comment about strings of 3 or more people who insist on walking side-by-side. 

Another pet hate is people with strollers who use them like battering rams.  It's bad enough that you're bruising the backs of my legs, but you have a CHILD in that thing that could be injured just as easily as you are injuring me!  I also hate when people have small children and let them walk down the stairs in the Tube (the London subway system).  I know Junior needs to learn how to navigate stairs, not only is it intensely annoying but also it's really not safe to let him practice in a heaving crowd of people who are already late due to yet another delayed train (a rant for another forum!).  I can't count the number of times I've nearly knocked / fallen over a toddler inching his/her way down a flight of stairs because I couldn't see past the crowd.

[Cyndi]

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

This happens at church ALL THE TIME! People will clog the aisles and I need to get through, so I tend to just cut right through the middle of their crowd. People move because when I have my choir robe on I look pretty darn important Much of the time I rush because I MUST GO PEE BEFORE MASS or I will get very uncomfortable. So if I miss my pee break because some idiot dawdled, I get mad.

Also, after mass, there's always the old people who take up the middle of the walkway and leave no room to get around them. I've seen literal gridlock on one walkway because some lady with a walker couldn't bother to walk on the side of the path instead of the middle.

[kingsrings]

Oh, my church is the exact same way. It's impossible to get into the sanctuary because it is so congested in the lobby. And it's like going through an obstacle course getting out of the sanctuary after the services have ended because of all the people taking up space in the walkways to chat.

[ButterflieRJ]

I personally don't have what I have started to call sidewalk rage very often.  Surely less on the way to work than in malls and stores.  However, yesterday I was thoroughly irritated with a gaggle of chatty teens who took up the ENTIRE sidewalk (in Chicago none-the-less) IN FRONT OF THE TRAIN STATION ENTRANCE!!  During RUSH HOUR!!!  GRRR!!!!  There were numerous people giving them rude glares, myself included.  They got the hint moments later and moved aside. 

I agree with most everyone else here who talks about behemoth strollers, map-gawkers/readers on city streets, chatters, groups who walk side by side by side and slow walkers.

My boss and I have decided that one of the best ways to get around the city it to find a fast walker and "draft" behind them (similarly to the way NASCAR drivers do it!). 

There are many times where I wish walkers were required to have and use turn signals and break lights...

[audhs]

Oh, my church is the exact same way. It's impossible to get into the sanctuary because it is so congested in the lobby. And it's like going through an obstacle course getting out of the sanctuary after the services have ended because of all the people taking up space in the walkways to chat.

 Our church is the same.  It was hard for me to get used to when I started going here with my husband as the church I grew up in wasn't like this.  At the end of the service everyone stood up turned and filed out of the pews into the foyer. (so the only trouble was the people who stopped just outside of the sancutary doors but the ailse were free of people)   But in the church I belong to now people stay seated in the pews and stand in the aisle and visit there rather than leaving and standing in the foyer or ellowship room.  I think the difference is that where I grew up there was no random chatting in the sanctuary as it was assumed that if you were sitting there you were in quiet reflection or prayer.