Jaffe

Rules of the road

Even with my (very) short commute to work - a 5 minute walk around the corner from my apartment - the sidewalk congestion can be a little overwhelming. I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling annoyed about having to bob and weave my way down the street. Here are some suggestions which, if followed, would make the commute a bit more pleasant:

1) Stay to the right, pass on the left.
It works for cars, why not try it with people? OK, so some people may be a bit too big to pass on the left without hitting oncoming traffic, but those HUMMER limos seem to manage...

2) Walk your dog on a shorter leash.
There is nothing more frustrating than having to negotiate a rat/dog on a long leash that spans the width of the sidewalk. Unless you have the strength of a two-year-old, there's no reason you can't control a dog weighing less than 5 pounds.

3) Don't walk and talk on your phone.
There are laws about driving and talking on the phone, and perhaps they should be applied to walkers. I'm not saying people need to use a hands-free set, but if they're not able to have a phone conversation while walking to work, stepping out of the way to make/take a call would be nice. Don't even get me started about texters.

4) If you see someone you know, and want to talk, move out of the way.
This is just common sense. Carrying on a conversation while stopped in the middle of the sidewalk equates to chatting with your buddy in the next car after the light has turned green. We've all done it, but it doesn't make it right...

Labels: social commentary

posted by Aron @ 8:50 AM