Home › Forums › West Seattle Rants & Raves › Share the sidewalk
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September 3, 2015 at 12:41 pm #827284
miwsParticipantHaving similar balance issues to Jan, when I come up against the oncoming 2 or 3 abreasters that look like they aren’t going to budge, I just bolden my stance and let body language tell them I ain’t gonna budge, one of them is gonna have to step behind the other, or over onto the parking strip.
I spent too many years, many of them Downtown, moving onto the parking strip, practically jumping a fire hydrant, or scrunching myself up so they could pass without doing any of that themselves.
Mike
September 3, 2015 at 4:44 pm #827285
GAnativeParticipantI don’t have mobility issues and walk on Alki a lot and the number of people that walk abreast and don’t move over for 1 person is amazing. I walk on the far right of the path and if it looks like they aren’t going to make room I just stop and make them walk around me.
September 3, 2015 at 4:48 pm #827286
GAnativeParticipantAnd having a wheelchair isn’t any better. My mother was here visting earlier this summer and she does have mobility issues so I rented a wheelchair for her. As I was pushing her and keeping up with the flow of pedestrian traffic people would step around us and stop right in front of the wheelchair.
September 3, 2015 at 5:05 pm #827287
FranciParticipantI’m kinda surprised at the number of folks on this thread who find the request for what I consider to be a common courtesy, somewhat offensive and unfriendly. I was raised to be aware of my surroundings, movement of others in a public space – especially those that may not be as agile.
Please help me understand why having an awareness of others around you is so appalling? I’m sitting here wondering what would happen if two groups approaching each other walking abreast would do? Does each expect the other to step aside?
September 3, 2015 at 5:28 pm #827288
SmittyParticipantI agree, it’s one of those forgotten courtesies (like holding doors for people, letting others off the elevator and men taking the portion of the sidewalk closest to the street).
If it helps, it is worse in Europe – primarily because of tourists (of one particular decent of which I will not name). 4 to 5 abreast basically forcing everyone else to the street. It turned into a game of chicken for us with me leading the charge. Almost knocked a person off his feet when I walked right through their wall…..I have to admit – it’s kind of fun.
September 3, 2015 at 10:43 pm #827289
miwsParticipantI’m sitting here wondering what would happen if two groups approaching each other walking abreast would do?
I imagine plenty of brain synapses firing n increasing rapidness, as the two groups stand facing off, none of them knowing what to do, or where to move.
Soon, smoke coming all of the ears, and finally; heads exploding.
And Franci, I’ve always been aware of my surroundings too. Not just in recent years when it’s been important for my own safety, but long before, to make sure I wasn’t hindering others.
Mike
September 3, 2015 at 11:23 pm #827290
anonymeParticipantOn several occasions while approaching a clueless wonker, or a wall of them, I’ve been known to loudly announce “TWO-WAY SIDEWALK HERE” and continue my collision course trajectory.
September 4, 2015 at 1:23 am #827291
miwsParticipantHeh, anonyme. :-)
I think I’ve share here before, that many many years ago before WSB was born, I went on a 1/2 joking, 2/3 serious, rant somewhere on the net, (memory fails on exactly where), that it’s a “SideWALK!”, not a “SideSTAND!”, “SideBIKE!”, “SideRUN!” “SideSKATE!”. (There may have been one or two more).
(And yes, I know we share with bikes. Just not Standers, or Abreastwalls). ;-)
Mike
September 4, 2015 at 3:22 am #827292
metrognomeParticipantmiws — I hate to be contrary, but in my experience, what you described in post 31 will happen only in a PSA produced by a personal injury attorney. What will happen in real life will be … absolutely nothing. No glint of recognition of the impending crash, no visible hint of understanding of basic physics, i.e. what happens ‘should a body meet a body comin’ thru the rye*,’ no attempt to perform appropriate maneuvers to avoid the crash, no break in the (vapid) conversation or InstaFaceTweeting.
Once the dust settles, there will be numerous lawsuits: the city and the cement manufacturer will be sued because the concrete was too hard; the smart phone / watch / eyeglasses maker will be sued for not providing built-in airbag or a collision avoidance warning app; Google and other e-map providers will be sued for not marking the route as dangerous; the provider of the spilled coffee will be sued on the ‘grounds’ that it didn’t provide spill-proof, recyclable cups, and on and on. Faux Noise will do a series on the dangerous consequences of living in a liberal city and blame Obamacare, marriage equality and the impact of the nearby gun-free cupcake store as the reason why the conservative pedestrians weren’t able to defend themselves. Donald Trump will get thousands of free hours of air time by promising to Make American Sidewalks Great Again, but will offer no details on how this will be achieved.
And life will go on …
*the early Scots had at least a rudimentary knowledge of physics as the complete lyrics can be translated as: ‘Should a body meet a body/Coming through the rye/Should a body kiss a body/Need a body cry?’
**there is a great cartoon about 2 people walking a breast, which I can’t post here. use your imagination.
September 4, 2015 at 4:07 am #827293
JeannieParticipantOh, JoB, I was making a joke! I was referring to the electric chair, as in capital punishment, not an electric wheelchair. So, when you wrote “an electric chair of some kind is beginning to look better all of the time,” one could be facetious and think, “Hell, yeah, if those people hogging the sidewalk don’t move aside for others…punishable by electric chair.”
So absolutely no disrespect intended. Just a joke taken the wrong way. I have the utmost respect for you. Keep on being a stubborn lady – we’re the best kind!
September 4, 2015 at 4:28 am #827294
JoBParticipantSeptember 4, 2015 at 4:31 am #827295
JoBParticipantjeannie..
it never occurred to me to get them an electric chair.. ;-)
though i have never felt so empowered as when pushing friends in wheelchairs..
i shout out that they should watch out because i am not very good with this thing ;)
it’s amazing how fast people move out of your way…
September 4, 2015 at 4:56 am #827296
desertdwellerParticipant@JoB: SERIOUSLY? This whole discussion is so terribly hyperbolic. Thank you for adding even more hyperbole to the post.
September 4, 2015 at 5:09 am #827297
JKBParticipantYes, let’s just stick to parabolic. It’s better to remain asymptotic than to let your frustum show through.
September 4, 2015 at 5:51 am #827298
JanSParticipantso, last night I was at Admiral Safeway, had just checked out. I turned right to head to the door, but first wanted to stop and put my change away. I moved my cart over to the left as far as I could, so as to not block anyone. There was a young, very healthy looking man walking towards me. As he passed me he looked at me and said”Do you also drive on the wrong side of the road?”…to which I answered with a smile “Yes, always”. I suppose he wanted that thoroughfare to be just like a road, and I should have stayed to the right. Really surprised me. I wanted to say “You’re young and strong…walk around me, dammit”…but I didn’t.
Now…get off my lawn !! ;-)
September 4, 2015 at 6:54 am #827299
JeannieParticipantHa! Good for you, JanS!
September 4, 2015 at 10:41 am #827300
littlebrowndogParticipantDesertdweller, I hope you mean that you will share this thread not only with families who have children but also families who have elderly members and families who have members with mobility problems spanning the entire age range, from toddlers through seniors. Family units are comprised of people of all ages and all degrees of mobility, not only those with children and such accoutrements as strollers. My husband who has had a stroke is as much a part of a family as my neighbors’ young children. And wouldn’t it be great if we could tell all families who inquire “Yes, WS is very family friendly.”
September 4, 2015 at 2:16 pm #827301
miwsParticipantSeptember 4, 2015 at 2:17 pm #827302
miwsParticipantJan, did you have your emergency flashers on?
If not, I can kinda see the guy’s point. ;-)
Mike
September 4, 2015 at 3:47 pm #827303
desertdwellerParticipantWoah now everyone. Before the post meandered to its current subject, the original poster was very specific and commented on young families with strollers, kids, etc.
THAT’S what I was responding to — but yes, let’s all assume that I meant that families don’t include the elderly or infirm. It’s much easier in a thread like this to assume that I don’t include the elderly or infirm in my family than to give me the benefit of the doubt.
September 4, 2015 at 4:40 pm #827304
JoBParticipantdesertdweller
hy·per·bo·le hīˈpərbəlē/Submit noun
exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
synonyms: exaggeration, overstatement, magnification, embroidery, embellishment, excess, overkill, rhetoric;
Really? it may suit your self interest to think that i am exaggerating but I don’t have that luxury…
neither do the other people with mobility issues that are currently having difficulty navigating our local streets because younger more fit adults with or without children don’t choose to make room for them.
You have plenty of luxury and plenty of choices. As in this instance, you could have stepped back and said gosh i didn’t realize that this was creating such a large problem.. i will be more careful in the future. Instead you reverted to insults.
Most days i would let that pass.. but i just came back from yet another doc appt yesterday that gave me a heads up that i had best be spending a little more time educating myself on electric wheelchairs and i am not feeling charitable towards people who write off other people’s misery by assuming that they are making a big deal out of nothing and that it’s somehow their own fault.
put on your big girl panties and grow a little compassion.
One day you may be in need of it.’
September 4, 2015 at 5:04 pm #827305
desertdwellerParticipantJoB I don’t think you’re reading what I’m writing. Nowhere, in any of my comments, did I speak about people with mobility issues. My comments were in reference to the original post, which spoke about children and families.
And, since you’re making so many assumptions about me, I should add that I’ve had mobility issues since I was 18 due to a chronic back problem. Maybe it’s time for you to stop assuming that everyone young and fit, myself included, is completely able bodied.
Nowhere did I resort to insults…I merely said that I felt like I was being attacked because you and others seemed to think that I didn’t include the elderly and infirm as part of a family structure.
I know it’s much easier to assume the worst of people, but maybe it’s time to take a step back and not make assumptions about your fellow West Seattle-ites.
September 4, 2015 at 5:26 pm #827306
JoBParticipantdesertdweller..
and you don’t think referencing the comments I made about people trying to deal with mobility issues as hyperbole isn’t an insult?
think again.
at no point did i ever exaggerate the issues. In fact, i underreported the distress this causes people with mobility issues rather than exaggerated…
if you bothered to read my posts or those of the other people who talked about the difficulty of navigating our city streets and actually took them at face value you would realize that this is a very real problem… whether you choose to recognize it or not.
it’s a problem for people who are fit but the throngs of people blocking the sidewalks without any consideration for others is a much larger problem for those who try to have as normal lives as possible in spite of some pretty severe mobility issues.
and let’s be clear.. far from making comments or assumptions about your physical state … what i had to say spoke entirely to your lack of compassion for others.
“i am not feeling charitable towards people who write off other people’s misery by assuming that they are making a big deal out of nothing and that it’s somehow their own fault”
labeling my posts hyperbole .. by definition.. is writing off the misery of others by assuming that they are making a big deal of of nothing..
I can’t tell you how many times i have prayed that assumptions like those you made were my reality or were the reality of other people i know who struggle with similar issues….
but no matter how much i wish it…
it just plain isn’t so..
September 4, 2015 at 5:39 pm #827307
JoBParticipantAnd i find i have one more thing to say
West Seattle is family friendly
but it should also be elder friendly
the two are not incomaptible
September 4, 2015 at 9:04 pm #827308
JKBParticipantdd, it could just be JoB’s leftover momentum from another thread. Once the torches gutter out and the pitchforks are put down, the rhetoric level will return to its normal dull roar.
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