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?

I end up walking in the road in the mornings not to avoid people but their cars, there's a narrow road where you can't park so they dump their cars on the pavement, some with a little gap one side and others right in the middle. Thet don't care about anyone else as ling as they can park right outside their house

Personally I haven’t come across this issue, people generally dodge each other and smile or apologise. I have had several issues though with having to walk into the road because of cars blocking the pavement.

I have the same issue, one time a squeezed past the car while remaining on the pavement and the driver jumped out and gave me a right earful, I was a little shaken by it.

I've noticed this for absolute YEARS!

If I didn't really go out of my way to move out of their way then we properly collide. It's quite stark to be honest!

I'm going to start doing this. Fucking sick of having to jam myself into a wall or go onto the road.

I have posted about this before but it made me so angry. Narrow pavement on a busy road. Woman cycling along the pavement with her dog on the lead pulling away from her. Everyone, pedestrians, parents with buggies, workmen, children had to go onto the road to let her go by. Beep beep she trilled at anyone in her way.

Don't get me started on cyclists riding on pavements... selfish arseholes.

Yep definitely noticed this.
I was always the one to move out of the way, I didn’t really think about it as it was just automatic.
Maybe I’m getting grumpy with age but these days as I walk along I look to see if people have any intention of moving. They don’t. 9/10, it really is that bad.
So these days I will not step into the road as I used to.
With us it’s school kids, teenagers. As we have a school and they all walk home past our semi rural house. The pavement is not wide but you can walk three abreast. On the wider roads nearer the school they seem to just fill the whole pavement. Including around the bus stops.

We also have a primary school nearby and the parents take up the whole pavement chatting so to get past them and the cars you have to walk in the middle of the road. I don't anymore and am quite happy to shout “excuse me”with our dogs until they move.

so generally now I will sidestep ( not into the road ) if the on-comer does the same. Otherwise it’s full steam ahead.
If they’re glued to their phone they gets nasty shock

I live near a college so daily have to navigate the hordes of teens walking 3-4 abreast in their own little bubble of self-absorption, I know it’s not necessarily their fault at their age but it makes it very stressful trying to herd 2 small children along next to an extremely busy road.

I love a bit of patriarchy chicken. I always step as close to the side of the pavement as possible (road or wall/shop/hedge depends on risk assessment at the time) and hold my position. Sometimes I may stop walking but I never do the side-on thing unless it’s the kind of pavement where there’s no room for even two non-arseholes to pass.

The patriarchy has more than a few times collided with me - usually very tall men with Important Briefcases and Important Lattes to whom I am practically invisible because I am small, female and over 50 - but usually there’s a swerve.

I will of course gladly leap into the road/hedge etc. for parents and toddlers, double buggies, people with white canes, or anyone else who is giving off the impression of being in need of the space.

I have honestly not noticed this. You know what that means, don't you? Perhaps I'm the problem. Eeek.

This happens so much where I live now and I thought I was the only one getting irritated by it.

I’ve always been a ‘move to single file’ person on narrow pavements and have brought my child up the same but the amount of people who try to shunt him or me in to the road so they can continue to walk two abreast effs me the hell right off.

I’ve started adopting a Hyacinth Bouquet voice, trilling “Single file sweetheart so the people can get past!” when I’m with my son which has had some success in jolting ignoramouses out of their stupor.

Yes, just like that cyclist who nearly mowed down Auriol Grey.................she was on a pavement.

And she ended up in jail.

Just last night I was downtown after work - I was walking on a fairly narrow but busy footpath and there were 3 tall gangly young lads (20s) walking towards me. Not one of them gave me any room - in fact they knocked my headphones off and when I said FFS or similar they all started shouting at me - not sure what they said as they were speaking a different language but you would think that I had tried to trip them up.

Mirandia "The Brits have an unusually large personal space bubble."

compared to...?

I'm afraid I still notice this with men but I've left London so that has helped a lot.

X post
jeez

what utter wankers.

This!

Auriol Grey was a case in point.........

As a parent with toddlers I always moved them closer to me and got out of other peoples way, even if we had to stand still to let them pass.
If you leap into the road without them making an effort to move too you’re letting the next generation to be entitled.

Just a thought
Id go with the PP and the Hyacinth Bouquet strategy. Thinking of doing that even if I’m on my own. 🤣

I don’t move for cyclists, skateboards, scooters
Ever
The only exception is kids who are being helped by their parents.ie the parent is holding on to the handlebars. Once a kid rides unaided that’s it for me. It’s illegal to ride on a pavement.

Love this... and love your name.

I will not move into the road for a human shield (as I call them) and have regularly smashed into the teenage girls that walk around our city (I live near an all girls school).

My kids get told to move, but wouldn't do so without my training them to.

Yes!

And my other 'favourite' is the person walking a dog, often on an extendable lead and they seem to expect that you should get out of their way as the lead trails across the path, dog on one side, person on other side. 😡

I do this too! I remember many years ago at Alton Towers, a group of 8 or more were walking with linked arms and became very abusive when I wouldn't jump into the lake to let them continue!

Same here. I don't automatically step aside anymore.
If there's more than one person coming in the opposite direction, it's up to them to make space by going into single file if necessary.

I also live near a school and if I happen to be out walking around time of school drop off/ pick up I notice some groups of parents who seem to think everyone else should get out of their way as they take up the path.

Nope.

Yes exactly, see the other thread on here, about this very thing. Doing nothing wrong apparently! Aaargh.

This drives me fucking MAD!!!
There's a particular stupid mum on the school run who walks 3 abreast with her 2 kids (pavement is bushes one side, brick wall the other) who couldnt possibly make them go single file for me (walking as close to the brick wall as I can without scraping myself down it) to pass. One day I think I will actually scream in her face 'EXCUSE YOU!!!!' 🤬