Men DO NOT have right of way!

I actually find it’s always older middle aged women who do this to me.

It’s not simply about ‘right of way’, it’s about assessing obstacles, ie human beings and their assorted animals, walking aids, prams, bags of shopping or whatever. A lot of people don’t seem to bother with this. They just keep marching along, expecting everyone to scatter. Surely there needs to be a bit of give and take? When I’m walking, I don’t just barge along and expect everyone to move out of my way. I step to the side when necessary and I always moved my children into single file behind or in front of me when necessary to aid movement for ourselves and others. If someone selfishly doesn’t bother to make these split second, everyday assessments and they collide with someone, then they are absolutely the problem, whether they’re male or female.

I notice this from older men and older women (able bodied ones) especially couples. They will expect you to get out of their way onto the road even if you are pushing a pram or heavily pregnant or holding hands with a small child. This annoys me. I always get out of the way for prams and small children to stop the parent having to lug the pram off the path on to the road.

My most memorable one was running up a steep hill. Narrow path, just about two people wide. 40mph, busy road. No path on other side. Dull winter day- I'm decked out like a day-glo bad-taste Christmas tree.

A pair of girls were walking down the hill yacking away. The only options are 1) they re-align to single file, 2) I step into the road with my back to a string of 40mph traffic, 3) stop so they have to walk around me. So I chose 3) and they looked totally astonished about a day-glo human barrier in the way of their double-file conversation.

I spend most of my runs weighing up where people are, are there bikes behind me, and planning my route around them. The complications are the free-range dogs, the extension leads, and the oblivious formation line walkers, or on narrower paths, couples, who can not detach lest their love will wither like a rose in a frost.
I'm happy to keep to a side where there is space to pass me. I rarely take up much of the space avaliable. But I reached a point where I'm no longer throwing myself off the path into mud or roads because other path users are hogging the whole thing and oblivious to the other people they're sharing with.

The worst ones are the slow packs that don't realise that anyone could possibly walk or run faster than them from behind. Walking is worse than running. Partly it's quieter. It's also harder to work out when to deploy a loud "excuse me" because it often has the effect of wounding their pride. Panting it when tired sounds less sharp and demanding.

I didn't realise how much cluttery mental processing this all adds until I did a "time trial" run in a park with 6ft DH pacing. He set the pace, I just followed behind him. It was really surreal... people actually saw him and moved out of his way in advance. There were only a few times in 10km that he had to adjust his course for people with more difficulty. If I'd been solo, I'd have ended up weaving everywhere.

Being able to run in a straight line was a revelation to me. It was like the difference between driving on a free flowing motorway with occasional overtaking of lorries compared to driving through a busy city planning what lane you need to be in now for 3 junctions time.

I don't want to hog a path; I just want my fair share of space to pass safely.

I've experienced this, but not necessarily from just older men. There's a school near me and the youngsters take up all the pavement and don't move. I have taken to walking in the road now to give them access as they stroll along in groups. Also had women of all ages blocking my path - so I can't agree that it's just older men (in my experience). Some people are just rude and entitled.

Yeah, you only get to play this game if you are over 40, visibly disabled, very short, or stereotypically not attractive. Once you have an experience of being 'invisible' you'll be able to join, but you're playing a different patriarchy game at the moment 😀

Yes - the poster saying they "play" this at London Victoria doesn't make sense at all. Lots of people are rude/ entitled or simply in a rush there.

It depends on where you are. In my tiny hometown village yes, this would happen with some men expecting right of way and I would stand my ground out of principle (didn't realise there was a name for it though!)

At London Victoria, not so much - that's simply a very busy place and everyone is trying to get somewhere, so you are going to occasionally brush past or bump into all kinds of people.

I’m surprised you’re only noticing it now. It’s definitely younger men/teenagers as well.

I understood the truth of this when I was very pregnant. I walked 3 miles to work everyday through central London. The walking was fine but I couldn't dodge or swerve easily so didn't. The amount of men who just kept on coming..

This is awful.

I wonder what would happen if you just stopped in front of them? They would have to move round you wouldn’t they?

At London Victoria everyone jostles each other, including women, teens, etc. Everyone there is busy and in a rush.

I haven’t noticed it. What annoys me is groups of families or friends taking up the whole path, with no consideration for others.

just so I understand the rules of the game - if it is patriarchy chicken, and men think they are entitled, yet women do it to, and old and young, all so rude and entitled, then surely the unwilling participants who also refuse to budge on principle and want others to move for them are also rude and entitled?

Oh it’s a thing- had a horrible experience last Sunday which I’m still angry about. Walking down a path high bushes on one side, busy main road on the other- 3 men walking towards me, a fair while ahead so we are all aware of each other, get closer and I think one of them will make way soon as I have literally nowhere to go- Nope all stayed 3 abreast and one on my side barged in to me, nearly knocking me over! Shouted just take up the whole fucking path why don’t you! Probably not the best idea as me on my own against 3 burly young men but was so angry and upset it just came out. Not a murmur, a sorry, nothing. It’s like I was actually invisible!

I don’t notice this with men at all. They more often make a show of making space for me to pass. I am considered ‘attractive’ though (not bragging, just saying), so maybe that’s it? Although I still never get served quickly in bars 🤷‍♀️

I DEFINITELY notice it with groups of two or more people thoigh. They spread themselves across the pavement (usually walking very slowly) and just don’t even seem to notice other people trying to get past.

Yes, it happens a lot.

They also expect you to give them way in the way they want you to. E.g. I moved left for one man at a supermarket, he then shoved my own trolley into me because he didn’t like that, he wanted me to move to the right. It made absolutely no difference, it was just his entitlement.

The other thing is I’m so used to weaving around people that I just automatically weave around these entitled men, which make them think I’m giving them way. I heed to stop this and just stand my ground.

I'll move aside for prams, wheelchairs, the elderly or people with young children (and I walk with a stick myself), but not for able bodied people, or people walking two or more abreast.

And while we're on the subject of pavements, when I grew up it was the done thing, when walking with children, for the adult to walk on the traffic side and keep the child protected on the inside. Nowadays I see a lot of people allowing the young child to be closest to the road. I thought it was common sense to keep them to the inside of the pavement?

A your thug once tried to mug my very determined and frail late 92 year old MIL and she told him irritably to ‘buzz off’. He did!

Same. They also like to quickly rush through doorways when someone else has been kind enough to open the door for me. So rude x

Just what I was thinking! I've seen patriarchy chicken mentioned on here before. I must live in an excessively polite area because I've still never noticed it. Or maybe I just lack this weird determination to walk in a straight line so it doesn't bother me...

Yes this infuriates me!

The worst being when they seem to expect my children to step into the road so they can stride past.

I do a very passive aggressive ‘DC don’t step into the road, it’s not safe, there’s PLENTY of room for everyone’ if it appears it’s about to happen. Or ‘if in doubt stop, but don’t step into the road’

Never had this problem with men . I do find dog walkers to be quiet annoying though

I've never seen this to be specific to men, in fact I've found it worse with women - particularly younger women walking with friends - who all think that spanning the whole width of the pavement is their God-given right.

And runners do this to me all the time. I don't see why their right to run trumps my right to be walking on the pavement (again, normally women in pairs who expect me to leap into the road)... I now continue to walk to one side and if they choose to run into me, so be it...

This happens in swimming pools too. I used to go to a pool that was open swimming but for one lane at the end. In the day, the pool was always almost empty. I’d choose the lane as liked the rope guide. Even if the rest of the pool was empty, I’d find a man would get into the lane too and power down the middle. Meaning I had to stop or get out of the way. It was also a small lane, so two people in it, unless swimming carefully wasn’t comfortable - why join? One got in the lane was just to walk up and down. I was never joined by another woman. If I didn’t have the lane, they’d join the open area, even when the lane / rest of the pool was empty. It used to really wind me up.

It was always older men (time of day I guess). Couldn’t even enjoy use the jacuzzi after the swim as it was like an old man dumpling soup.

I commute to Victoria and in my 60s and never had this from men, the odd teenage girl have done this to me .