Walking...

[delusional]

I have a question for all those people that aren't American. You know how Americans drive on the right side of the road and everyone else drives on the left. Well I noticed that people also walk on the right side. So do people in Europe or whatever walk on the left side? I wanna know!

 

[Sheepo]

Me too!

 

[AKIRA]

not in a mall, everyone seems to walk in every direction, i see some people who are in a glitch and keep walking into walls like they're going to walk through it or soemthing

 

[Seppo]

You know how Americans drive on the right side of the road and everyone else drives on the left.

I can't tell if you're joking or not, but in most european countries they drive on the right side. It's only those silly brits who want to be different and decided to drive on the left side. ooh look at us we're too good to drive on the right side

 

[delusional]

I can't tell if you're joking or not, but in most european countries they drive on the right side. It's only those silly brits who want to be different and decided to drive on the left side. ooh look at us we're too good to drive on the right side

I had no idea...

 

[Reginald]

I tend to walk on the left.

The reason that the proper side to drive on is the left is because of people playing horsies and stabby-swords in the olden days. Everyone was right handed so they passed them on the left. Simple.

 

[Druckles]

It's nice to walk on the opposite side of the road to the cars. It usually applies to country lanes and the like. It's so they can see you coming, and you can see them coming. Otherwise you might have a big ass truck on your back.

But there's also tradition behind it.

But then people tend to walk on the left to attempt to be organised... it doesn't really work.

 

[Dan]

It seems that for the most part it is the island nations that still drive on the left. England, Japan, Australia. Because it wouldn't work well if you drove across the border and started driving on the other side.

A quick history search shows that the reason that people drive on the right is because of the Americans and French. In France only the nobles were allowed to ride on the left so that they could force the oncoming peasants off of the road and had their right arm free for hitting people. After the French revolution there were no more nobles so everyone had to go on the right side. And when Napoleon conquered most of Europe he spread the trend around. Hitler also enforced it onto countries that hadn't changed. And also, wagons carrying goods with a pair of horses tended to have the driver sit behind the left horse, so he could drive both horses with his right hand. That made it more sensible to drive on the right so that you can see oncoming traffic. It has slowly snowballed across most of the rest of mainland Europe, Asia, and America.

On a world scale, the ratio of right driving people to left driving people is about 2:1. India makes up most of the left drivers.

 

[delusional]

At my old High School it was usually crowded and everyone stayed to the right when walking, but I wasn't sure if it has to do with how we drive or it was just that way for some odd reason.

 

[ríomhaire]

I can't tell if you're joking or not, but in most european countries they drive on the right side. It's only those silly brits who want to be different and decided to drive on the left side. ooh look at us we're too good to drive on the right side

The Romans drove on the left. The left was the original side to be on. It's everyone else who's different. Not us.
<_<
>_>

edit: Here, we drive on the left and walk on the right. It's safer to walk on the opposite side of the road to where you would drive.

 

[Nemesis6]

If we have to walk in on side of the sidewalk, I'm the last one to find out, apparently.

 

[Druckles]

It's also traditional, from sword-wavy times. As Reggie said.

 

[Acepilotf14]

I've stolen into this thread!
America ftw!

 

[xcellerate]

yay?....wtf characters

In days of old logic dictated that when people passed each other on the road they should be in the best possible position to use their sword to protect themselves. As most people are right handed they therefore keep to their left. This practice was formalised in a Papal Edict by Pope Benefice around 1300AD who told all his pilgrims to keep to the left.

Nothing much changed until 1773 when an increase in horse traffic forced the UK Government to introduce the General Highways Act of 1773 which contained a keep left recommendation. This became a law as part of the Highways Bill in 1835.

Reasons to travel on the right are less clear but the generally accepted version of history is as follows: The French, being Catholics, followed Pope Boneface's edict but in the build up to the French Revolution in 1790 the French Aristocracy drove their carriages at great speed on the left hand side of the road, forcing the peasantry over to the right side for their own safety. Come the Revolution, instincts of self preservation resulted in the remains of the Aristocracy joining the peasants on the right hand side of the road. The first official record of this was a keep right rule introduced in Paris in 1794

OK, that explains the UK and France but what about the rest of the world ?

Britain's imperial expansion (all of the pink bits on old maps) spread the keep left rule far and wide. This included India, Australasia and much of Africa (Although many African countries changed to the right later when they became independent).

France also had quite an empire after the revolutionary wars and the keep right rule spread through much of modern day Europe and to colonies such as Egypt. The connection with the USA is thought to be General Lafayette who recommended a keep right rule as part of the help that he gave the Americans in the build up to the war of Independence. The first reference to keep right in USA law is in a rule covering the Lancaster to Philadelphia turnpike in 1792.

But what about Japan ? well in the 1850's Gunboat diplomacy forced the Japanese to open their ports to the British and Sir Rutherford Alcock, who was Queen Victoria's man in the Japanese court persuaded them to adopt the keep left rule.

part 2:

Very early motorcars followed the principle of a horse driven carriage and the chauffeur was seated in the middle. Once the owners of the vehicles realised what fun they were to drive they wanted their wife/companion to sit with them so the decision had to be made, which side !

The side of the steering wheel followed the tradition in the country so that the first cars (Benz in Germany) were left hand drive as they drive on the right. The major exception to this was that racing cars were almost always right hand drive because it was better suited to circuit racing. In the USA Pierce-Arrow were an example of this and in Europe, most pre 1950 Italian Sports cars are Right Hand Drive, including all pre 1956 Lancia's. Remember also that every Bugatti is Right Hand Drive.

I know of only 2 cars with a centre steering wheel. The prototype Amphicar and the current McLaren F1 (There are one or two other differences between these vehicles, I think top speed comes into it, but I would summarise by saying that the F1 is not best suited to use in a river !!)

And so to the future. Despite Euro-pressure the consensus is that Britain, or any other Drive on Left country, will never change. Two reasons, traffic density make the switch impractical (the last time it was successfully done was in the 1950's with less than 10% of current levels, and, probably the main reason, good old Sir Rutherford Alcock ! The Japanese are the worlds largest car producers, they need to produce vehicles for their own market and need to export so will always produce left and right hand drive vehicles thereby guaranteeing a supply for the rest of the world.

 

[Raziaar]

I walk on whatever side I want to.

What I hate though, are these incredibly stupid laws where you have to ride your bike WITH traffic.

I not only prefer to ride my bike on the sidewalk, but going against traffic. Why? Because I like to see who's approaching me on my side. I have read too many stories online on bicycling forums about people who have been hit from behind while riding their bikes by drivers, and killed.

Not to mention, it's scary as **** riding on the road with traffic, especially considering most people never give you a wide enough birth. **** riding on the road, I'm sticking to the sidewalk until they give us a huge bicycle lane as standard, because people in automobiles often can't be trusted to respect cyclists.

 

[Dog--]

In my school between classes it gets packed, people walk on the right side of the hall. Everywhere else I just walk wherever it's convenient. I tend to walk against 'traffic' in my school, but it's because I'm small and can maneuver between people and get to my locker more quickly..


I'm the same way on bikes, raz. Against traffic on the sidwalk. Only way to feel safe.

 

[Naurgul]

People drive on the right side of the road in most countries, mine included. What I find funny though, is that once someone scolded me for being on the left side while climbing the stairs at university.

 

[TimoJay]

In Japan we pretty much walk on any side we like. If you find yourself about to run into someone, both take a step to the left. I'm sure it's the opposite in America..

As for riding with traffic, I don't what you people worry about. I drive a moped, and since it's slower than cars, I just keep to the side and cars pass me by EXTREMELY close. but I've never been hit by a car.. as long as you dont ride your bike like a idiot, you will be fine.

 

[Naurgul]

In Japan we pretty much walk on any side we like. If you find yourself about to run into someone, both take a step to the left. I'm sure it's the opposite in America..

As for riding with traffic, I don't what you people worry about. I drive a moped, and since it's slower than cars, I just keep to the side and cars pass me by EXTREMELY close. but I've never been hit by a car.. as long as you dont ride your bike like a idiot, you will be fine.

Hey, there's a rule for that? Here, we just resolve it as we go. Some people continue their course, others take a step to the left, others to the right. This can even lead to awkward situations when each person helplessly takes a step to a random direction, but they end up facing each other again and again. It's like some sort of strange sociopathic dance.

I too ride a bike to university, by the way... but only when it's daytime... and only when the weather is good. I've been in dangerous situations a couple of times but I guess I'm still alive.

 

[Danimal]

I can't tell if you're joking or not, but in most european countries they drive on the right side. It's only those silly brits who want to be different and decided to drive on the left side. ooh look at us we're too good to drive on the right side

We drive on the left side too.

And I don't really understand the question, I thought you could walk which ever way you wanted?!

 

[Raziaar]

In Japan we pretty much walk on any side we like. If you find yourself about to run into someone, both take a step to the left. I'm sure it's the opposite in America..

As for riding with traffic, I don't what you people worry about. I drive a moped, and since it's slower than cars, I just keep to the side and cars pass me by EXTREMELY close. but I've never been hit by a car.. as long as you dont ride your bike like a idiot, you will be fine.

Yep, it's opposite in america that I find. People generally tend to sidestep to the right if they're about to run into somebody. Or occasionally you get the awkward moments when both side step in one direction, they blush, then sidestep again in the same direction, blush, then finally uncomfortably part ways when both sidestep in different directions.


Oh, and I'm sure it's different in japan. Vehicles are a SUPER danger to pedestrians, motorcyclists, and bicyclists alike here.

 

[Emporius]

You will find that there are people walking on both sides of the road

 

[hungryduck]

I thought that in europe they only walked on ceilings....

 

[Ridge]

I was driving to work one day and found this car in the lane next to mine going the opposite direction...needless to say havoc ensued and everybody slammed on their brakes....the driver kept going into oncoming traffic and then made a right turn against all the other cars going his direction on the right side to turn onto a side street...

But then again, people in Colorado turn into ****tards once they get behind the wheel and lose all intelligence...

 

[NeptuneUK]

I suppose Britain forced the Indians to drive on the left too...

 

[Unfocused]

You know how Americans drive on the right side of the road and everyone else drives on the left.

*face palms*

 

[Pesmerga]

I walk on whatever side I want to.

Oooh such a rebel!

 

[ríomhaire]

In Ireland it's actually legislated that if you're walking along a road with no footpath (pavement/sidewalk) that you should always walk on the right-hand side of the road, ie, against traffic, unless you're in a group of 20 or more, in which case you walk with traffic.

 

[Druckles]

As I said - to do with seeing cars

 

[Kakashi]

Everywhere I go, whether it was in high school or I'm at the mall, everyone keeps to the right just as if we were on the road.