Which side do you pass on?

Earlier today I was walking down a hall in a public building and met someone coming the other way. I have always been a "keep to the right" type of person and headed to the right side of the hallway. The other person headed left which put us head-on. Eventually he figured out that I was staying where I was so he then moved to his right and passed.

Now for the OC, on topic question. Does it matter to you which side you pass people on when walking? This isn't a real big issue when in the wide open spaces but as they close up as in a hall, narrow walkway, or Store Aisle, which do you always try to do? Pass the other person with them on your Left, the weak side for most, or does it matter.

For me it is not only a matter of "keeping right" to avoid confusion but to always keep the passing party on my weak side thus giving me more protected access to my firearm in the event I need it.

When I was a kid it was pretty much standard but of late I not only have to engage in "the dance" but I see others have to as well.

Comments?????

I always try to stay to the right. I see it as the correct side to be on, though it's probably because of driving. I also feel the same as you about not wanting people passing too closely to my strong side. I have found a nice way to stop that feeling of people getting too close to my firearm. I keep my right hand in my right front pocket. It's only the 4 fingers and from the middle knuckle down, but it keeps my arm constantly on my firearm. It's kind of a way of keeping better retention and quick access for myself.

passing on the right is something that we do in this country, but it is NOT universal.... Travel to England or a host of other countries and you'll find that they go to the left....

I always go to the right, but I live in a very rural environment and haven't had to deal with too many English people for a rather long time....(we got divorced back in '84 I think it was).

I stay to the right as well. A great example is Waikiki Hi, try to walk down the sidewalk with/against the Japanese tourists, they all try to walk to the left. It creates some interesting encounters.

Like the English, the Japanese drive on the left side of the road. I try to keep right, and it bugs me when our Wal-Mart has the entrance/exits reversed. Another reason to only go there when necessary (that is when they have what I want, and no-one else does.)

hermannr said:

Like the English, the Japanese drive on the left side of the road. I try to keep right, and it bugs me when our Wal-Mart has the entrance/exits reversed. Another reason to only go there when necessary (that is when they have what I want, and no-one else does.)

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That's funny because they drive on the right side in China

Maybe it's to mess up the shoplifters that try to run out.

I just barge down the middle and let the oncoming go either left or right. It seems to work.

bob

What used to challenge and amuse me is riding a bike on a lane where there are signs, 'Keep right'.

1. Runners, being preternaturally stupid try to run 'facing traffic' on a bike trail forgetting that there are no cars there and they should be keeping right;

2. Two people walking together will do the bike avoidance dance. The one on the right will hear me when I click, and pull their partner to them and the partner will resist and go to their left, then the other guy will go to the right, then the partner realizes they are apart and will turn, see me and decide to dash across to the other side. OR they'll split and not really leave me enough space to get between them and then they'll stagger back into the mud;

3. Dog walkers with dogs on leashes will 'dog fish'. Instead of going to the side where the dog happens to be, they'll pull on the leash and try to pull the dog to them, creating a 2-3 foot high barrier which I'll have to try and avoid or be clotheslined. I ended up realizing I needed to shout 'GO STAND NEXT TO YOUR DOG'. The morons would obey - for the most part. Some, preferring to be a-holes would purposely let the dogs out as far as possible on the leash hoping to snare them a cyclist, not really realizing that if the biker ran over their dog it would be their fault, or if the cyclist hits it they'd break a collarbone.

NavyLT said:

I tend to go to whichever side they aren't going. I don't particularly concern myself with a gun grab from someone walking by me in a hallway or store.

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Yep.

Badger Johnson said:

creating a 2-3 foot high barrier which I'll have to try and avoid or be clotheslined.

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You must ride a real short bike or one of those recumbent types.

Some, preferring to be a-holes would purposely let the dogs out as far as possible on the leash hoping to snare them a cyclist,

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I used to walk regularly on both the Burke-Gilman trail as well as at Green Lake in Seattle. Based on the behavior of most Seattle Bike Riders there are more than just a few that SHOULD be snared. For them, pedestrians with or without dogs deserve no courtesy whatsoever. No call-outs, no bells, just blast by as close as possible and laugh like hyena's when they clip a pedestrian with an elbow. Seattle bike riders even have rush hour "rallies" where they arm themselves with big chains and padlocks (ostensibly to secure their bikes) and go riding in packs during rush hour. At intersections one or two of their riders will block the intersection while the rest of the pack blows through the lite. Any driver that gives them any crap gets to find out what the real reason is that they are carrying that security chain. The chain gets swung like a whip and the padlock takes out a windshield, side window, or leaves a $1,000 dent in a hood.

Yes, some bikers should be "clotheslined" or caught up in Dog Leashes. Actually a better use of the leash would be on that type of biker, using a collar around his neck.

Just out of curiosity, does a bicycle qualify as a deadly weapon? Could one legally shoot a bicyclist that threatens you with his bike? On the chain/lock combo, there's no question there. If a driver saw it coming, I would imagine that he'd be justified in defending himself. Wonder if any of the "bikers" ever gave that some thought.

Well since you were obviously dropped on your head after being hung out to dry and had a massive clothes-pin failure, I'll cut you some slack. (see what I did there?).

I don't think you'd espouse anyone ever being harmed for just being rude, though.

By 'clotheslined' I don't mean 'neck' I mean getting tangled up in the bike wheel and being ejected into a header by the sudden stop.

If you were walking along and a lycra-clad biker, minding his own business had a pedestrian unleash their dog leash on the street (not bike path) so as to try and foul him up and cause a crash - would you laugh? What if the dog was harmed - still laughing?

Maybe you need anger management classes? Did a cyclist ever harm YOU? Would you have trouble passing a cyclist on the road where he is riding in the right tire track doing 15mph, yet have NO trouble passing a full-sized car going 35 in a 40 zone even with a double yellow line?

Do bikes really hold you up like a line of cars and a grid-lock? No, they don't, but for some reason people fantasize that bikers hold them up and impede them.

People in cars like to side-swipe innocent (or not so innocent) bikers with their mirrors - that's plain evil. What if they learned the cyclist was their dear friend's teen age son?

So, it's just a matter of perspective, your own PTSD and antisocial attitudes. I pity you and hope you can learn to live without all that FUD and guilt. But some people carry around a lot of hate, self-loathing and jealousy that they just don't look as good (as I do) in lycra and spandex.

Badger Johnson said:

Well since you were obviously dropped on your head after being hung out to dry and had a massive clothes-pin failure, I'll cut you some slack. (see what I did there?).

I don't think you'd espouse anyone ever being harmed for just being rude, though.

By 'clotheslined' I don't mean 'neck' I mean getting tangled up in the bike wheel and being ejected into a header by the sudden stop.

If you were walking along and a lycra-clad biker, minding his own business had a pedestrian unleash their dog leash on the street (not bike path) so as to try and foul him up and cause a crash - would you laugh? What if the dog was harmed - still laughing?

Maybe you need anger management classes? Did a cyclist ever harm YOU? Would you have trouble passing a cyclist on the road where he is riding in the right tire track doing 15mph, yet have NO trouble passing a full-sized car going 35 in a 40 zone even with a double yellow line?

Do bikes really hold you up like a line of cars and a grid-lock? No, they don't, but for some reason people fantasize that bikers hold them up and impede them.

People in cars like to side-swipe innocent (or not so innocent) bikers with their mirrors - that's plain evil. What if they learned the cyclist was their dear friend's teen age son?

So, it's just a matter of perspective, your own PTSD and antisocial attitudes. I pity you and hope you can learn to live without all that FUD and guilt. But some people carry around a lot of hate, self-loathing and jealousy that they just don't look as good (as I do) in lycra and spandex.

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Either you haven't been to Seattle and experienced the Bicycle Mafia or you are one of them. Maybe a member of the "Critical Mass" group in Seattle who's actions I described.

I won't go out of my way to harm a bike rider but I don't shed too many tears for those that get punished by their own stupidity. I go out of my way to give a bike rider on the road all the breaks and courtesy I can but it's frustrating when you give them a warning "toot" on the horn just before you get ready to pass only to have them pull farther into your traffic lane and give you the finger. I do just fine in the area of anger management otherwise I'd be painting little flat bicyclist symbols on the door of my truck.

amlevin said:

<snip>..... and give you the finger. I do just fine in the area of anger management otherwise I'd be painting little flat bicyclist symbols on the door of my truck.

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Ketchup and salt go well with 'the finger'..... :banana::banana:

amlevin said:

I can but it's frustrating when you give them a warning "toot" on the horn just before you get ready to pass only to have them pull farther into your traffic lane and give you the finger. I do just fine in the area of anger management otherwise I'd be painting little flat bicyclist symbols on the door of my truck.

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I hear that, have had that happen a few times....even when there is a broad shoulder no other traffic and a bike lane. Had one guy ride in the road so he can ride next to his gal who was in the bike lane.....causing traffic to back up.

Badger Johnson said:

Well since you were obviously dropped on your head after being hung out to dry and had a massive clothes-pin failure, I'll cut you some slack. (see what I did there?).

I don't think you'd espouse anyone ever being harmed for just being rude, though.

By 'clotheslined' I don't mean 'neck' I mean getting tangled up in the bike wheel and being ejected into a header by the sudden stop.

If you were walking along and a lycra-clad biker, minding his own business had a pedestrian unleash their dog leash on the street (not bike path) so as to try and foul him up and cause a crash - would you laugh? What if the dog was harmed - still laughing?

Maybe you need anger management classes? Did a cyclist ever harm YOU? Would you have trouble passing a cyclist on the road where he is riding in the right tire track doing 15mph, yet have NO trouble passing a full-sized car going 35 in a 40 zone even with a double yellow line?

Do bikes really hold you up like a line of cars and a grid-lock? No, they don't, but for some reason people fantasize that bikers hold them up and impede them.

People in cars like to side-swipe innocent (or not so innocent) bikers with their mirrors - that's plain evil. What if they learned the cyclist was their dear friend's teen age son?

So, it's just a matter of perspective, your own PTSD and antisocial attitudes. I pity you and hope you can learn to live without all that FUD and guilt. But some people carry around a lot of hate, self-loathing and jealousy that they just don't look as good (as I do) in lycra and spandex.

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Man I just can't keep my mouth shut on this one. My friend, this is not personally targeted at you, but like amlevin said, have you ever seen bike riders down in Seattle?

I'm on the road 8+ hours a day, in a big noticeable vehicle, and cyclists are the bane of my work day. Maybe this doesn't include you, but in my own experience cyclists are some of the rudest, most inconsiderate, self-righteous, law-flouting bunch of A-holes on the road. And the more lycra, spandex, and other fruity garb they're wearing the worse they are. They seem to think they get to pick & choose what laws they follow based on what's convenient for them, yet are the first ones to bitch when slighted by a motorist.

YES, they HAVE harmed me, by the stress they cause me & my passengers when they pull their crap and I have to react quickly so I don't kill them. YES, I DO have trouble passing when it's some fool riding on hwy 99 at rush hour (no bike lane), too much traffic going past in the left lanes, and "right-ish" is the best they can accomplish. Then if I DO get past them, they squeeze between me & the curb when I'm sitting at the light just to get back in front of me, and we do the whole thing again. All the damn way down 99. When there IS actually a bike lane, most of the time these fools are right on the line, and you never know when they're going to randomly junk out into traffic. Usually it's right in front of me. I've been suck behind fools like this for, litterally, miles.

From what I've seen when a cyclist gets hit by a car, 99.9% of the time IT'S THE DAMN CYCLISTS'S FAULT! And don't even get me started on downtown, the downtown buggers are by far the worst. THEY are just plain evil.

Again this is not a personal flame on you, maybe it doesn't apply to you personally, but it's what I've learned from experience. I didn't always cringe whenever I saw bicycles. And yet I always treat them with the utmost courtesy, not because I'm trying to be nice but because I simply down't want to have to explain to a supervisor why one of these idiots is being scraped out of my wheel well by the paramedics.

Bicycles belong on the sidewalk with the other pedestrians!


ok rant off.

Metalhead47--

You left out the "Kamikaze" bike messengers. They don't just terrorize the street but the sidewalks as well. There should be a bounty on THEM.

amlevin said:

Metalhead47--

You left out the "Kamikaze" bike messengers. They don't just terrorize the street but the sidewalks as well. There should be a bounty on THEM.

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which is why I said DON'T get me started on downtown! :banghead::banghead::banghead:

I walk the way I drive.

Badger Johnson said:

What used to challenge and amuse me is riding a bike on a lane where there are signs, 'Keep right'.

1. Runners, being preternaturally stupid try to run 'facing traffic' on a bike trail forgetting that there are no cars there and they should be keeping right;

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That's actually the right place to run, because you can see what's coming and get out of the way as needed. Who's preternaturally stupid, again?

Metalhead47 said:

Bicycles belong on the sidewalk with the other pedestrians!


ok rant off.

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Yeah, I'd turn that off too, because you're being an idiot. First, a bicycle is a vehicle, not a pedestrian mode of transportation. Second, being on the sidewalk is downright DANGEROUS to the bicyclist, to real pedestrians, and to the cars' liability insurances.

I bike between 15-25 miles per hour. Pedestrians walk or jog between 2.5 and 7 miles per hour. That means people I would be passing tend to be, at best, half my speed. Moreover, the sidewalk is not a bicycle-friendly place. There are hundreds of bumps, you have to turn on and off pedestrian ramps, etc.

When a car sees a bike on the sidewalk, they often are not aware of the speed it is traveling, leading to the infamous "turn right and smash a bike" situation. When I was younger, before I learned that riding on the street is the right place, I was mere centimeters from being hit by a driver, twice, because they sped up from behind me, passed me, and then turned right without looking for people crossing.

Look, I know you think you're important shiat, but the truth is, you can wait the minute or two it takes off your life to pass a cyclist safely. Your definition of harm puts you right at home with the Brady bunch, since it seems your mere frustration and ignorance harm you.

Try actually biking sometime, and perhaps you can show a little more patience for your fellow man.

*edit* I know a number of cyclists who have been hit, some killed. Every single time it was some jackass in a car who wasn't paying attention. Also, every single time it's been in a place with bike lanes, because, I guess, drivers decide they can just drive past when bikes have a "lane" - even if the lane is only a foot and a half wide and full of broken glass and branches.

Every cyclist I know who was hit was hit from behind. Those who have come close to being hit have generally had the right turn of death or a left turn in front of them. The fact is, I think more arsehole cyclists get close encounters that you remember, but the majority of people who actually get hit are hit because they are being polite, and "disappear" to the driver. Motorcyclists get the same thing - drive like a car (polite, consistent, etc), and you become invisible to the arsehole on the cell phone in his multi ton death machine.