4 ms·

I actually think this is a great idea. Often in a crowd, I want to either stop and not be run into by people, or I'm rushing and people often obstruct and I hav

I actually think this is a great idea. Often in a crowd, I want to either stop and not be run into by people, or I'm rushing and people often obstruct and I have to dodge all of them to make on my way. Having an actual place to chill out and walk slowly (cellphone or not) would help immensely.

hesdomet 8y ago
I wish they would do this in San Francisco. Or just teach people to step to the curb when they aren't walking on the side"walk". When I moved here from South Florida 10 years ago I noticed something very different about public customs in SF. People are inconsiderate when it comes to public spaces. In my hometown pedestrians will shoulder check you or pass aggressively close if you take up the sidewalk. It's just fucking rude to hog a public thoroughfare. In SF people don't give a shit about others around them. They walk down a sidewalk, slowly, 3-4 wide. They stop right in the middle of the sidewalk and peck at their phone. They congregate across the sidewalk outside restaurants and stores. It's almost like a contagious passive-aggressive behavior you pick up after being here long enough. I still pass people and invade their personal space if they're blocking the sidewalk. It's an innate aggressive behavior that I have to indulge. Hopefully some scooter-pedestrian collisions will fix this shitty behavior.
- ghaff 8y ago
  Wait for the scooters. But, of course, "To get the permits, each company has to demonstrate that it'll provide user education on wearing helmets and not riding on sidewalks, as well as best practices for safe scooter parking." I'm sure that will work.
- hueving 8y ago
  Oblivious != passive aggressive.
- noobermin 8y ago
  I think we're on the same side as you have a similar sentiment to mine, but I don't think what you're describing necessarily intentional. People just act differently in densely populated areas. I walk differently when I'm in DC or Singapore or Ohio. One of the things is you get used to people being close in dense places in general. In fact, what you're describing might not even be interpreted as "aggressive" by the people you're walking close to in order to, I guess, communicate they're in the way. They may not even process it.
- girvo 8y ago
  I have the same problem when I visit Melbourne. One of the reasons I love living in Brisbane is that there’s less people, so less crowding on sidewalks. Death to all who “walk” (slower than a toddler who’s just learned the damned skill) 3/4-wide!
- PhasmaFelis 8y ago
  > I still pass people and invade their personal space if they're blocking the sidewalk. Which, ironically, makes you the passive-aggressive one.
- bad_user 8y ago
  I don't live in the Bay Area, or in the US for that matter, but visited multiple times and the reason for this behavior is that people in the Bay Area are usually more relaxed than in other regions I've been to, like New York or other big and crowded cities, like Bucharest where I live. IMO it's also "fucking rude" to "shoulder check or pass aggressively close". I should be able to walk at my own pace and I don't freaking care that you're late somewhere. What can I say, leave earlier, take some other route or get a scooter. Not my problem and whenever I get "shoulder checked" I do get aggressive and I punched somebody once.
  - mseebach 8y ago
    > I should be able to walk at my own pace Yet, in doing so inconsiderately, you're denying others the right to do the exact same thing. > I do get aggressive and I punched somebody once. Ah, so the problem is you, thanks for confirming.
trumped 8y ago
It doesn't work really well for car lanes, not sure if it would work any better for pedestrians... around here, the right lane is often the fastest lane but slow traffic is supposed to be in that lane. I think joggers and fast walkers would end up using it a lot.
- noobermin 8y ago
  I mean, are you just talking about exceptions or is it generally worse? If most slower cars take the right lane and most faster drivers take the left then it works generally better than if there were no such rule no? There will always be exceptions, but a little infrastructure can always help the typical situation.
  - trumped 8y ago
    far too common in my experience... some states have laws to try to prevent that, but in most places, they just ask you to do the right thing and it doesn't really work.

hesdomet 8y ago

I wish they would do this in San Francisco. Or just teach people to step to the curb when they aren't walking on the side"walk". When I moved here from South Florida 10 years ago I noticed something very different about public customs in SF. People are inconsiderate when it comes to public spaces. In my hometown pedestrians will shoulder check you or pass aggressively close if you take up the sidewalk. It's just fucking rude to hog a public thoroughfare. In SF people don't give a shit about others around them. They walk down a sidewalk, slowly, 3-4 wide. They stop right in the middle of the sidewalk and peck at their phone. They congregate across the sidewalk outside restaurants and stores. It's almost like a contagious passive-aggressive behavior you pick up after being here long enough. I still pass people and invade their personal space if they're blocking the sidewalk. It's an innate aggressive behavior that I have to indulge. Hopefully some scooter-pedestrian collisions will fix this shitty behavior.

ghaff 8y ago
Wait for the scooters. But, of course, "To get the permits, each company has to demonstrate that it'll provide user education on wearing helmets and not riding on sidewalks, as well as best practices for safe scooter parking." I'm sure that will work.
hueving 8y ago
Oblivious != passive aggressive.
noobermin 8y ago
I think we're on the same side as you have a similar sentiment to mine, but I don't think what you're describing necessarily intentional. People just act differently in densely populated areas. I walk differently when I'm in DC or Singapore or Ohio. One of the things is you get used to people being close in dense places in general. In fact, what you're describing might not even be interpreted as "aggressive" by the people you're walking close to in order to, I guess, communicate they're in the way. They may not even process it.
girvo 8y ago
I have the same problem when I visit Melbourne. One of the reasons I love living in Brisbane is that there’s less people, so less crowding on sidewalks. Death to all who “walk” (slower than a toddler who’s just learned the damned skill) 3/4-wide!
PhasmaFelis 8y ago
> I still pass people and invade their personal space if they're blocking the sidewalk. Which, ironically, makes you the passive-aggressive one.
bad_user 8y ago
I don't live in the Bay Area, or in the US for that matter, but visited multiple times and the reason for this behavior is that people in the Bay Area are usually more relaxed than in other regions I've been to, like New York or other big and crowded cities, like Bucharest where I live. IMO it's also "fucking rude" to "shoulder check or pass aggressively close". I should be able to walk at my own pace and I don't freaking care that you're late somewhere. What can I say, leave earlier, take some other route or get a scooter. Not my problem and whenever I get "shoulder checked" I do get aggressive and I punched somebody once.
- mseebach 8y ago
  > I should be able to walk at my own pace Yet, in doing so inconsiderately, you're denying others the right to do the exact same thing. > I do get aggressive and I punched somebody once. Ah, so the problem is you, thanks for confirming.

trumped 8y ago

It doesn't work really well for car lanes, not sure if it would work any better for pedestrians... around here, the right lane is often the fastest lane but slow traffic is supposed to be in that lane. I think joggers and fast walkers would end up using it a lot.

noobermin 8y ago
I mean, are you just talking about exceptions or is it generally worse? If most slower cars take the right lane and most faster drivers take the left then it works generally better than if there were no such rule no? There will always be exceptions, but a little infrastructure can always help the typical situation.
- trumped 8y ago
  far too common in my experience... some states have laws to try to prevent that, but in most places, they just ask you to do the right thing and it doesn't really work.