A new survey has sparked a lively debate about sidewalk etiquette in NYC.
blvdone – stock.adobe.com
Hey, we’re walkin’ here!
A new survey of New Yorkers tackles the thorny subject of sidewalk etiquette in the Big Apple — a simple set of rules so many visitors to the greatest city in the world fail to follow.
In the only American metropolis where hoofing it on a daily basis is a necessity rather than a choice or a leisure activity, failure to obey the rules of NYC’s other road system — roughly 12,000 miles worth — can turn the noted pedestrian paradise into straight-up hell.
The curious journalists at Gothamist recently broached the subject with their readership, asking everyone to send in their number one, must-follow sidewalk etiquette rules.
A small but predictably spirited representative sampling of about 400 responded — almost as one — with a version of the same request:
Keep to the right.
“WALK ON THE (BLANK)ING RIGHT SIDE OF THE SIDEWALK, FOR (BLANK)’S SAKE!!!!” reader Jeanmarie Lally of Manhattan pleaded, speaking for 8 million-plus area pedestrians.
“I grew up here and it’s one of the first things we learned in elementary school,” Andrew Tripp of Astoria said of Gotham’s Golden Rule.
“When it’s followed, it makes everything less irritating,” Tripp pointed out.
Another frequent request — for slow walkers to die a slow and painful death.
“New York streets operate like highways and if you’re walking slow as hell, I will definitely tailgate you until you move or abruptly jump in front of you to cut you off,” Aaliyah Pasols from Long Island City admitted.
“Treat your body like a car. Would you stop in the middle of the street to answer a text if you were driving?” Sydney Holmes of Queens asked.
And forget about groups — just because you’re in New York having a good time, doesn’t mean we all have to work around your schedule.
“If you’re in a group that insists on taking up the entire sidewalk, especially a more narrow one, I *will* play Red Rover and just walk in between your group,” Devin Rutland of Brooklyn wrote.
Of course, real New Yorkers know that there’s a time to bulldoze your way through traffic, and a time to hold back and be considerate.
The popular blog asked readers to vote on who, in these special cases, gets the right of way, pitting joggers against dog walkers, tourists against 9-to-5ers, seniors against stroller moms.
“Strollers whose parents are treating them like Mad Max vehicles need to be shamed,” Samuel Taylor in Bushwick insisted. “Old people should get zero hate.”
In the end, dog walkers and seniors had to battle it out to win — seniors swept the final vote, 889-124.
“As a 9-to-5er, the only people on this list I’ll happily yield to are seniors,” commented Grace Tyson.
“Seniors get priority and deserve zero annoyances,” Molly Arnn wrote. “Huge strollers, fast e-bikes, wayward dogs, tourists — it’s ok to be annoyed at them. Be nice to old people.”
In addition, some commenters pointed out that you might want to take a minute before letting rip with the forceful “Excuse me!” —…
This article was originally published by a nypost.com . Read the Original article here. .