A Conversation for Pavement Etiquette

Canada

Post 1

Bagpuss

"Many countries have unspoken recommendations for which side of the pavement you walk on. For example in Canada it is believed that if one is facing traffic they should walk on the pavement opposite the direction of vehicle travel nearest the curb."

Pardon? I've found the rule here is to walk on the right, at least when passing someone coming the other way. I can't figure out what the above means.


Canada

Post 2

Caveman, Evil Unix Sysadmin, betting shop operative, and SuDoku addict (Its an odd mix, but someone has to do it)

The UK recommendation is that where there is no pavement, such as on country roads, that pedestrians walk on the side of the road such that they are facing oncoming traffic.

This gives you sufficient warning that a vehicle is approaching, and gives you time to panic, jump into a water-filled ditch, or otherwise get out of it's way.

This is not recommended for motorways, but it is illegal to walk along motorways anyway, unless your vehicle has broken down, and you are seeking assistance from a roadside telephone. Best practice in this situation suggests that after having called for assistance, that you either stay in the vehicle, providing it is far enough off the carriageway, or leave the vehicle and stay nearby, behind the vehicle (so if someone hits it, it won't run over you)


Key: Complain about this post

Write an Entry

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. It has been compiled and recompiled many times and under many different editorships. It contains contributions from countless numbers of travellers and researchers."

Write an entry
Read more