You're walking down the street. You suddenly need to stop, for whatever reason (you need to tie your shoe, you're about to sneeze, you're having a religious epiphany, etc.). So you stop dead in your tracks, right? WRONG. If there are people walking behind you, and they are following the flow of foot traffic, then you're going to force them to stop dead in their tracks, though they aren't as prepared as you were to stop. You will likely give the person behind you a jarring jolt as they try not to bump into you or get knocked down by the people behind them. The WORST of the worst is when people do this at the top of an escalator. And yet it happens all the time! Dude...just where exactly am I supposed to GO???
This behavior is what I call selfish sidewalk strolling. But the sudden stop isn't the only kind of selfish sidewalk strolling. It also includes people who walk really slowly, but in the MIDDLE of the sidewalk, so you can't easily get around them. Or when there are multiple people walking slowly in a row, so you literally have to step into the street to get around them.
In fact, just the other day this group of four young adults were walking toward me, four abroad, taking up the sidewalk from end to end. To the left of me was a busy street, and to the right was a chain-link fence. I tried to move over toward the fence as far as I could short of actually climbing the damn thing, as the group clearly didn't notice me there RIGHT in front of them, and this guy on the end basically body-checked me as he walked by. Did he apologize? Nope. He swore at me. Yes, that's right. It's MY fault for existing, for disturbing his obstacle-free stroll down a public sidewalk that he clearly has some entitlement to. Next time I'll scale the fence, buddy, just for you.
I'll admit it, I'm a fast and impatient walker. But I can slow down when it is reasonable to do so, like if there are a lot of pedestrians out, or when someone has a legitimate impediment to moving quickly. What I do not understand is why certain unimpeded individuals feel that it is okay to take up an entire sidewalk at the expense of others, when they could move to the side and let everyone enjoy ambulation. That's all I'm sayin'...
This behavior is what I call selfish sidewalk strolling. But the sudden stop isn't the only kind of selfish sidewalk strolling. It also includes people who walk really slowly, but in the MIDDLE of the sidewalk, so you can't easily get around them. Or when there are multiple people walking slowly in a row, so you literally have to step into the street to get around them.
In fact, just the other day this group of four young adults were walking toward me, four abroad, taking up the sidewalk from end to end. To the left of me was a busy street, and to the right was a chain-link fence. I tried to move over toward the fence as far as I could short of actually climbing the damn thing, as the group clearly didn't notice me there RIGHT in front of them, and this guy on the end basically body-checked me as he walked by. Did he apologize? Nope. He swore at me. Yes, that's right. It's MY fault for existing, for disturbing his obstacle-free stroll down a public sidewalk that he clearly has some entitlement to. Next time I'll scale the fence, buddy, just for you.
I'll admit it, I'm a fast and impatient walker. But I can slow down when it is reasonable to do so, like if there are a lot of pedestrians out, or when someone has a legitimate impediment to moving quickly. What I do not understand is why certain unimpeded individuals feel that it is okay to take up an entire sidewalk at the expense of others, when they could move to the side and let everyone enjoy ambulation. That's all I'm sayin'...
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