People who don't move out the way on the pavement

[EarwigO]

Is it just me or is this getting worse?
You're walking along, someone (or a group of people) come the other way, you both need to move slightly to pass without colliding. Only they don't.

It used to be a thing I noticed men doing - I got so annoyed with having to step into the gutter/press myself against a wall to avoid them, I stopped doing it and let them walk into me. At which point they invariably apologised!

But it seems to happen so much more frequently now, and not with men - usually a couple or a group of women.
Do they honestly not notice you? Not care? Just expect you to disappear out their way?

Total pain walking up the hill when parents are walking their children home from school. The pavement is just about wide enough for two people to pass but they walk in wide family groups and stay like that.

I always taught my children move into single file in situations like that. To do otherwise is very selfish.

Oh yes, and taking your dog to town when it's busy. Leave it at home! We don't want slobber and dog hair on our clothes in a crowded street? And those leads across the pavement 😖

Maybe but I doubt it.

Ah yes I know what you mean. Near us is a pavement wide enough for two people to pass each other comfortably, but the amount of people that don’t move and expect you to step in the road is infuriating. More so when it’s children they are expecting to step in the road. I always say loudly ‘no DC the adults can step in the road, you definitely don’t do it’ and it usually shames them into moving.

Men. To me it is always men who do this.

I have had quite a few instances where I was carrying heavy bags/packages only to have a guy aim straight at me and expect me to be the one to move out of the way.

Last time the guy even starting moving his hands towards me, as if he thought it was OK to physically move me aside.

I absolutely hate the entitlement...

Not my experience, except for those looking at their phone.

Develop pointy elbows, so it hurts them to bang into you.

Apologies if someone has already said this and I’ve not spotted it but we are actually supposed to pass each other on the left when walking in the U.K. (so the person nearest the road has a view of the cars coming at them rather than cars coming from behind. The exception being to not make prams/pushchairs, wheelchairs or the elderly get forced towards the road.

Unfortunately, not enough people are aware of this nowadays.

Thank you @Mardiarse

I was beginning to think that not only was I invisible on the pavement, but my sense of humour had also vanished!

It is extraordinary how rude some people can be. I am almost completely blind. I can see shapes, coloured lights (eg headlights/traffic lights) and bright coloured things. I use a long cane. If anyone is approaching from in front I stop and they have to walk round me as I can't tell whether they intend to move to one side.

The worst are those who are looking at their phone instead of where they are going. This morning I stopped at the wall side of a pavement to let a woman with a pushchair past. She bashed me with the pushchair as she passed and said nothing.

I've definitely noticed it more. I don't get why people do it. It's very rude.

If I'm walking on a narrow pavement or in a pair I always move over slightly or go single file to allow both parties to go by.

Lots of other people just won't move at all and will barge you into the road rather than move over.

What goes through their heads?

When I'm out with my young children I always have them walk on the inside of the pavement in single file if somebody is walking towards us, or is walking fast behind us. If an adult has their young child on the outside of the pavement we walk on the outside so that the young child isn't next to the road.
We always say thank you to people that move, however briefly, to single file as we pass them.
If I'm on my own I walk on the outside of the pavement and will step into the road for families, disabled and elderly. If it's a group of arrogant adults refusing to get into single file I stay on the pavement.
I often feel like being rude to the next people I pass after encountering the arrogant ones, but the next ones are usually polite and I don't want to start a cycle of people being annoyed with other pedestrians.

YANBU. After recent experiences I think I may actually be invisible. Honestly the number of people barging right into me had me thinking I might be dead 😂.
I did recently ask someone if I was invisible when they walked right into me and they just came over all blank.

I don't think it's your sense of humour that's vanished.

Generation X actually. If you’re going to get your ageist slurs in at least be accurate.

This drives me mad on school run trying to get child to school and all those already dropped off and heading back with their friends walking right across the pavement and blocking their blocking bums in the way.

I've noticed a lot more younger women do this now. I've got pretty good at pavement chicken over the years, playing against men, so I'm really good at stiffening the arm on the side nearest them and taking one or two out as i go past.

The other thing that annoys me, and this is usually men, is when people have conversation across the pavement, one at each “edge”, if you like. So you have to walk through the middle of them to pass, and there invariably isn’t enough space to go through.

Cant they both stand next to each other, at the same side, or at least step across as someone approaches?

I've noticed this too, I used to step in the road or gutter, but I don't now, I just let them walk into me.
Also this isn't helped by people walking while looking down on their phones. Some of these people hardly ever look up and don't even walk in a straight line, so even harder to avoid a collision.

I find this quite interesting. Having travelled throughout Spain and Italy I used to get so irritated with pedestrians walking straight into me with no regard or foresight when I had baby in buggy and toddler beside me. After much frustration I just did what they did and walked straight ahead regardless, they soon swerved at the last minute! I realised it was just a cultural thing and actually I came to prefer it to the uk cultural thing of " you go, sorry, you go" sort of thing that happens in UK.

Yes - I agree those who have dropped off already should give way to those who are still approaching the school!

Yes I do this, esp with men.

your ageism is tedious. Pack it in

People glued to phones so they have no clue that anyone is nearby.
People holding hands who can’t separate
Groups of whatever age, who insist on walking beside each other
Mothers with pushchairs who insist on walking beside each other.
People in supermarkets who block every aisle you want to look at and then dither.

Oh God, yes, especially those groups of three or more spanning the whole pavement (usually wandering very slowly too) as others have mentioned. The other day there was a woman with I think three children on scooters across the width of the pavement and I stopped and stood right off to the side with my dog to let them pass (when they could easily have gone in single file) and not so much as a thank you. Such a bad example to set the kids.