Pedestrians Keep Right

I'm a firm believer that pedestrian "rules of the road" should mimic those of driving. So, when in a country that drives on the left, I'm ready to modify a lifetime of walking habits and also keep left. It's much harder to modify your pedestrian habits than driving habits. I wonder why. Maybe it's because you've been walking since before you can remember and these "rules" are embedded in a deeper part of your brain. Or maybe it's because we're more apt to go into a daze when walking and function on auto pilot. But for whatever reason, modifying your walking habits is pretty hard.

The folks in London know this and have actually painted onto the kerbside "Look Right" at pedestrian crossings. Too many tourists from Europe and the Americas were getting mowed down by busses or taxis as they blithely stepped into flowing traffic while looking the wrong direction. Russell even witnessed such a tragedy.

Here in Dubai, we drive on the right. So, as a pedestrian I follow the same rules. And about 70% of Dubai-ians agree with me. Thing is, there are so many expats from Britain, India, South Africa, and other left-driving countries that there is a huge population whose natural inclination is to walk on the left.

Walking down the sidewalk here is like playing chicken. Who will veer first? I try try try to stay right. But no matter what I do, there is always someone who is more determined to stay left. And short of a dodge 'em cars smash up on the pavement, I give way. It's especially irritating when it is a whole group heading my way staying to their left and requiring me to nearly leap to the other side of the sidewalk.

I wonder if they're just unaware that pedestrian courtesies are to walk on the right. After all, many people here don't have a license. So, they haven't had to make the shift in driving habits and maybe it just hasn't occurred to them to shift their walking habits.

There also seems to be a similar difference in the "rules" about whether to go clockwise or anti-clockwise when ice skating (or roller skating or horse racing). I don't know about you, but if I were to step onto a deserted ice rink and start doing some laps, I'd instinctively head to my right and start skating in an anti-clockwise direction. At the rink, there were an amazing number of people who seemed determine to head clockwise. Really, this was an exercise in frustration on their part. There was a wave of people all heading straight toward them. Even if your natural inclination would be to head off clockwise, wouldn't you modify this when you saw hundreds of skaters coming at you?

I really wonder what was going through their mind. "Hmmm - all these people are headed in the wrong direction. I wonder what has possessed them to adopt these strange practices. I will skate upstream against the crowd and see if I can convince everyone to turn around. Never mind that there are three foot high arrows pointing me in the anti-clockwise direction. Those sign painters were obviously confused."