By Gus Saltonstall
My most glaring omission from my first half-rant on proper pedestrian etiquette?
Don’t text and walk.
We all know don’t text and drive, but again, the rules of the road can apply to Upper West Side pedestrians.
If you are looking at your phone while walking, you cannot see what is in front of you. We have all experienced that moment, where you see somebody headed directly at you with their head buried in a phone.
It can become a strange game of chicken. You can move out of their way, but that almost feels like letting the electronic-rectangle-obsessed person win. I’ve fought against the urge and curiosity of letting the incoming person get as close as possible, just to see at exactly what point they will notice they are about to walk into someone.
You can also let out a cough or fake sneeze of some sort to try to get their attention.
If you need to text or look at your phone for an extended period of time, step off to a section of the sidewalk where people are not walking through.
Among the more than 440 comments connected to the first rendition of this column, many good suggestions centered around stairs and escalators.
When you get off an escalator within a train station or at a grocery store, don’t immediately stop.
As mentioned in the previous sudden-stopping section, this can lead to a rear ending, as there will probably be people behind you.
But there are moments where escalator and stair etiquette differ.
Escalators, as opposed to stairs, only travel in one direction, which means that the flow of traffic is all moving the same way.
Because of this, escalators should have two lanes of travel, one for people enjoying the ride up, and another for people that might be in a hurry and want to walk forward.
Do not park yourself in the travel lane of an escalator, stand on the right side where people are stationary, and let those pedestrians who want to pass move forward on the left side.
But, this does not ring true for stairs.
Stairs, and especially those at subway entrances, have people walking in both directions. People are entering and exiting. Generally, this means there is only enough space on the staircase for one line in either direction.
When walking up or down stairs to the subway, do not try to jump around people moving in the same direction as you; in all likelihood, especially during rush hour, you will be met by someone coming in the opposite direction, and it could cause a collision.
If you are in a line moving up or down a subway staircase, simply stay in the line, the few seconds it might save by jumping into the other side of oncoming traffic is almost never worth it.
Proper subway etiquette justifies its own separate piece, but there is one cardinal sin of all straphanger malpractices.
When entering a subway car, let the passengers exiting get off the train first.
There is too much congestion if both the group exiting the train, and the group entering the train, try to do so simultaneously. People that are exiting the train need to get off, and the train will still be there when they do; if you try to jump into the subway car as quickly as possible, you are making the entire boarding and exiting process more difficult for all involved.
In summation, here is the growing pedestrian etiquette guidebook.
- Keep to the right.
- Try your best to stay in your lane.
- Don’t stop without warning.
- Don’t park yourself at exits.
- Stagger your walking if you are part of a larger group.
- Holding hands with someone doesn’t give you an excuse to ignore others.
- Don’t become so committed to walking fast that you become dangerous.
- Be mindful of the leash stretching, if you are walking a dog.
- Be friendly.
- Be extra aware of those pedestrians with children, those with a disability, or who might have trouble walking.
- Don’t text and walk.
- Don’t stop immediately upon getting off an escalator.
- Know the difference between the right and left lane on an escalator.
- Don’t try to pass those in front of you when walking up or down stairs.
- When entering a subway car, let the exiting passengers off first.
Please, keep any other recommendations coming in the comment section.
And, as always, walk like an Upper West Sider!
Read More: Walk Like an Upper West Sider: A Half-Rant on Pedestrian Etiquette
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Good luck.
This is so great, Gus!👏 I’m strictly a pedestrian and follow this etiquette pretty naturally–the “electronic-rectangle-obsessed” “sudden-stoppers” 😁 (not to mention oblivious tourists walking three or more abreast) drive me to distraction! If only they would read this and respond accordingly!
May I add?
Parents should not allow small children to use scooters, unsupervised, on crowded sidewalks.
(I am a parent so am familiar with getting kids around🙂
Also have older relatives and neighbors who’ve been hit)
Yes! I experienced a painful and bloody anklebone collision with a toddler who couldn’t manage her scooter. Parents didn’t even ask if I was OK.
When some oblivious person is approaching me and their head is buried in their phone, I simply stop. I stand still and every time they walk around me. I look at their eyes when I stop, but needless to say they rarely look up.
I do the same, but often will also say sharply, but politely, “Wake up!”. That, at least, draws their attention away from the screen for a fraction of a second, perhaps long enough to regain awareness that, no, you are not alone on this street.
Not walking – but regarding sidewalks…..
how about?
If a trash can is full, instead of leaving more trash to overflow, take the trash to the next block and likely an emptier trash can….
You need to do a piece on stroller etiquette. These rules you listed here are spot-on, but can apply to the entire city. There seems to be more parents/nannies with strollers in the Upper West Side than in any other Manhattan neighborhood. And a lot of them need a crash-course in etiquette and sidewalk manners.
Like what? What would be different than “general” sidewalk etiquette?
And since you went there, we also need pieces on walker etiquette, wheelchair etiquette and 2-cane etiquette. Because, you know…there seems to be more of those on the UWS.
Good point. At the least, not to take up the entire passable part of the sidewalk with two or more strollers abreast.
I agree- They are like weapons.
Keep right, eyes up
Nothing new here, but some peopke (children, men) need to be reminded regularly. Maybe a comment on crossing the street? This is more a matter of safety as opposed to etiquette.
Nah, 55+ year-olds, especially women, need to be reminded way more. They seem to think they own the place and are never ever at fault.
How’s that for flagrantly generalizing about entire groups?
Another fun article. One thing I’d like to add is the people who exit the train and immediately stop in front of the doorway, thus blocking the people behind them trying to exit. You can usually spot them standing there looking around as if they’re waiting for the paparazzi to arrive and capture the moment.
Important to note that some folks, having good peripheral vision, seem NOT to know you’re there but actually do move off or over when they’re close enough to do so, but that doesn’t help me since I can’t know that, and if I see that THEY don’t seem to be seeing ME….. very frustrating. And yes, I do stop in my tracks, and let them figure out how to go around me….. that’s how I realized that the peripheral vision thing is a THING…. not that it’s any comfort.
Can you please have this printed up in big type and post it around town – include a QR Code so readers/walkers can access the fine print – might get people’s attention? Also would be good to have the bar code access the article in different languages. And how about a flyer to be given to all arriving tourists? Maybe at hotels? Or in the taxi line at the airports? Walking civility needs to be improved all over town!!
Here’s one: Don’t sit on the subway stairs, especially near the hand rails. Many people, myself included, need to use the hand rails to keep our balance when going up or down the stairs. It can be dangerous for us to try to walk around the person lounging there.
So true. That also applies to the stairs to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (I know, I know: East Side, but same concept.) My old knees can make it up that broad and noble staircase but I really need these brass handrails, next to which there are usually people lounging, sunning, lunching, phoning, taking selfies. Folks, if you are startled and offended by my reaching over your body to grab the rail, I’m just being a cranky old New Yorker.
The museum is on the west side, the east side starts across 5th Ave.
All of Central Park is on the west side.
There is a n entrance on the left you can just stroll into and take the elevator up. Why climb the darn stairs?
Because it’s (a little bit of) exercise.
Yes! This is so rude. Also, why would you sit on filthy subway stairs? At the uptown 96th platform, I’ve recently noticed that people stand/wait for the train right at the bottom of the stairs (the ones that lead up to 95th St. exit). They block the stairs so neither people exiting trains, nor people coming down can get through. WHY?!? (And completely oblivious to the traffic jam they’re causing.)
People that sit on the subway stairs are of a type: selfish, self-centered, and entitled. They are not oblivious to the traffic jams and inconvenience they’re creating; they relish it.
Don’t exit a building or store without looking to see if you’re cutting someone off. I’ve had many near-misses from people not looking when they exit a building or store.
When an iphone junkie unseeingly approaches me, my custom is to say loudly: “Heads up!” No one takes offense; they usually briefly look up, move to their right, perhaps smile a bit sheepishly, and continue on their way.
I do exactly the same thing. Works every time! We shouldn’t really have to do this, though.
Perhaps a summary of common threads:
1. You are *not* the only one here.
2. You do *not* have to be first (on the train, up the stairs, etc., etc.)
Most of these infractions would disappear if people would only respect the existence of other people, as well as their need to get somewhere just like you.
Maybe I missed this one in the earlier post .
Take backpack off back before entering subway. You can put it on the front of you or at your feet. Makes it better for those stuffed next to or below you. : )
And in narrow-isled stores, too!
Yes, but especially on crowded buses, backpacks have a habit of smashing those with seats in the head.
I actually have come to truly enjoy messing with the walk-and-texters! They’ll never stop, so may as well enjoy it. I just charge along in that game of chicken until they jolt back into some semblance of awareness. It’s great
When texting pedestrians collide with me I always say”Oh, I’m sorry. I was watching where I was going.” It’s usually a few beats before they get the insult/reprimand.
The only reson fro screed like this is because the sidewalks are too small. They are too small because too much space has been handed over to cars, a vehicle owned by just 20% of people who live in Manhattan. Stop fighting for scraps, that the space back from cars.
Ulrika Andersson,
Just a few of multiple examples observed just this weekend:
1. There were literally no vehicles in sight for at least 2 blocks yet a guy on Citibike going the wrong way and looking at his phone grazed a pedestrian.
2. An Uber stopped its turn to allow pedestrians to cross – and a bicyclist came whizzing by out of nowhere to turn even though pedestrians were crossing; the bicyclist just missed a pedestrian.
3. Bicyclists who did not bother to dismount by the street fair on Columbus Avenue.
People can walk and use the bus/subway
Respectfully I do not agree.
Actually it is high-rise development (luxury in this area) which has increased crowds.
Similarly most vehicles are commercial, particularly ecommerce delivery and Uber
So less development and less ecommerce would have an impact.
Worth noting that there are cars in Tokyo – yet people are polite.
Of course in Amsterdam, there are few cars and many bicycles and bicycles have the right of way. Thus Amsterdam is not easy for pedestrians in many ways
Dog poop on the middle of a West Side sidewalk is unrelated to cars.
Or using the example of Central Park – there are no cars yet little kids on scooters bump into people.
Great additions
+Cutting perpendicularly across a sidewalk without regard for natural foot traffic
Please don’t sit on the bottom few steps leading to the subway platforms. Many of us need to use the handrail to go up and/or down and you’re selfishly blocking our way.
Thank you Gus! Please share these points with the NYC Tourism Bureau, for out-of towners and international visitors. I suspect they’d be glad to get our rules of the road.
When we had dog poo on the sidewalks we never had these other problems.
Mr. Saltonstall you are my hero for writing this although I take exception to your titling it walk like a UWS, if only, because even in the photos it is obvious that they are no different in their oblivious walking habits than anywhere else. You would think observant and considerate people would have all these drills down but noooooo. Sigh!
If there was a police officer who ticketed people for every violation of these rules and directed the money to the MTA, we would not need congestion pricing as there would be tons of money for repairs!
One other one – when crossing the street, move as quickly as possible. The cars do not want to hit you so will stop, but if they are trying to turn, it helps to move so they can go. And if you are crossing against a light, you really need to hustle – again, they don’t want to hit you so will stop, but they have the right-of-way. I don’t care how much you hate cars – these are the rules.
As much as people should defer to those getting off trains, those getting off need to move it. Courtesy goes both ways.
After riding the subway today I have one more rule I would like to suggest for subway riders. Don’t sit with your legs crossed sticking out in front of you or with your legs straight out and blocking the space in front of you. A little situational awareness goes a long way. Someone can’t stand there if your legs are out like fence posts.
On subways: Please do not stand right in front of an empty seat, blocking access for those interested in sitting there.
On buses: Keep your cellphone conversations short and your voice low.
On both: When playing music on headphones or though earbuds, keep your rock/rap/heavy metal volume down.
(I have never overheard
Mozart or Mingus.)
I enjoy seeing historical photos of NYC on my Facebook feed. There was a time when people actually cared about what they looked like when they left the house. The slovenly appearance of every person in this photo is very depressing. I can easily understand how courtesy and civility have become things of the past.
Thanks Uncle Joe.
Send more, we need them.
Right of Way: When crossing at crosswalk with two parties approaching from perpendicular paths, the party on the course with an activated Walk symbol has the right of way. It is the responsibility of the party on the course with a Stop red hand to not obstruct the Walk party. This rule encompasses both near-corner pre-crossings as well as far-corner arrivals.
My neighbor lets their dog pee on the sidewalk at the very entrance of our building. So every morning there’s a puddle we need to hop over. Where does one draw the line on where owners should allow their pets to use the loo?
If you’re a smoker, before you exhale, make sure it’s not on someone’s face or near children.
I would like for people on a sidewalk who are visiting with each, some with strollers, to step to the side. They cover the whole walk then get angry when you say “excuse me”.
If there is a narrow spot on the sidewalk, don’t stop there! Seems like people love to congregate in spots where tree wells, staircases, dining areas, etc.
I would add a note about dog walkers as well. You know…the ones that constantly stop and start walking with their dogs and do not pay attention to other pedestrians.
They race up and pass, then stop at a tree, so you navigate around them….and then 10 seconds later they are right on top of you again. And then they stop…and the whole annoying constant “who is passing you” dance continues.
Just go slow with your dog if they are excited to smell everything….no need to play this nonstop passing game.