Monday, June 25, 2007
(3:00 PM) | Adam Kotsko:
The Vexed Question of Pedestrian Traffic
Following up on my post on generalizations, I think it might be helpful to clarify the question of pedestrian traffic. First, here's why I think that there are clear social norms regarding pedestrian traffic in the US: the pedestrian norms are directly modeled upon vehicular traffic norms. That is, everyone should ideally stay to the right, with faster traffic passing on the left. When people have an opinion on the matter, it is almost always that foot traffic should follow the pattern set on the highway. In official settings where foot traffic norms are specified (signs in the subway stairwells, etc.), it invariably follows the same pattern. It's true that not everyone follows this, just as it's true that not everyone perfectly follows the highway norms (you often find slower cars in the left lane, though people drive on the correct side of the road nearly all the time). But it is understood to be a norm that is binding on everyone, though unenforceable -- those who complain about people not following the norm are generally thought to be within their rights and feel that they are being reasonable in their complaints. I am 100% confident that a survey of Americans would bear this out -- it is unquestionably the hegemonic view. "Everyone knows" it is the norm.Not being an insider to UK culture, I cannot say for sure what the rationale is behind the apparent lack of a set pattern for UK pedestrian traffic, or whether there is some hegemonic norm in place that my American eyes keep me from seeing. And so I ask all my UK readers: does such a norm exist? Or is this something that people generally don't worry about?
