Keep to Left or Right?

revhappy · Post by **revhappy** » Wed, 20 Jan 2010 5:31 pm

Hi Guys,

As people here drive on the left side of the road, shouldn't they also walk on the left side? In my office corridor I find people mostly walking on their right side and I being from India having always walked on the left side almost bump into them and have to move to their left. Is it only me who feels this way or do all singaporeans always walk on the right side?

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Wed, 20 Jan 2010 5:41 pm

Have you ever heard the saying "when in Rome......"?

If you want to walk like you are in India, go to India. This is Singapore. Here we are training them to walk on the right. Especially on escalators. Some of that apparently carries over onto the sidewalk. I find Singaporeans generally walk willy-nilly over the entire sidewalk usually taking up the entire width of the way.

revhappy · Post by **revhappy** » Wed, 20 Jan 2010 5:48 pm

The example of escalators doesnt make sense here. On escalators, people who are slow stay to the left and people who are fast overtake from the right. Same as on the roads here in Singapore. So that logic makes sense.

But crossing over in a pathway is a different thing.

I never said I want to walk like in India. I just wanted to know what the norm is.

durain · Post by **durain** » Wed, 20 Jan 2010 6:59 pm

the norm is walk when there is a clear path.

road.not.taken · Post by **road.not.taken** » Wed, 20 Jan 2010 7:16 pm

or right into me...

Post by **nakatago** » Wed, 20 Jan 2010 7:39 pm

...or be slow, oblivious and space-hogging in consideration of those in a hurry behind you

therat · Post by **therat** » Wed, 20 Jan 2010 11:35 pm

U want the government to come out a walking standard procedure for us to follow?

If don't follow, FINE

since this is a FINE city

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:05 am

Nah, he just want everybody to walk like they do in India. Which probably includes walking & talking at the top of their lungs on mobile phones on trains & buses as well.

Guess what one of my pet peeves on buses & trains is! Besides the BO express on the NE Line and the Jurong East to Outram Park run on the west-east line in the evenings that is.....

Post by **x9200** » Thu, 21 Jan 2010 5:56 am

road.not.taken wrote:or right into me...

Pretend you do not see them - normally they will give you the way. Other configuration - they won't. Of course it is not completely risk free

road.not.taken · Post by **road.not.taken** » Thu, 21 Jan 2010 6:21 am

x9200 wrote:
road.not.taken wrote:or right into me...
Pretend you do not see them - normally they will give you the way. Other configuration - they won't. Of course it is not completely risk free

Pretend you don't see someone who deliberately changes direction so that they are on a collision course with you and then somehow not notice when they step on you? No, I'd rather stay the course and use my elbows, knees or 20lb handbag to run interference. I don't need anyone to give way, just a bit of self-awareness is all it takes.

Post by **x9200** » Thu, 21 Jan 2010 7:26 am

road.not.taken wrote:
Pretend you don't see someone who deliberately changes direction so that they are on a collision course with you and then somehow not notice when they step on you? No, I'd rather stay the course and use my elbows, knees or 20lb handbag to run interference. I don't need anyone to give way, just a bit of self-awareness is all it takes.

Fortunately nobody changes direction to be on a collision course with me (guess I am less attractive

) but walking through most places in Singapore requires well developed slaloming skills anyway. Everybody walks completely chaotic and expecting you to change your path, so yes, I need from time t time somebody to give me way just for statistical sense of sanity.

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Thu, 21 Jan 2010 8:56 am

x9200 wrote: Fortunately nobody changes direction to be on a collision course with me (guess I am less attractive ) but walking through most places in Singapore requires well developed slaloming skills anyway. Everybody walks completely chaotic and expecting you to change your path, so yes, I need from time t time somebody to give me way just for statistical sense of sanity.

All you need to do is work on your vacant stare state. It seems to work a treat. You know, walk like they do. Seemingly oblivious to their surroundings.

Funny enough, their subconscious mind seems to register the vacant stare on a primal level and often times they will shift if you but stay your course. Of course it helps if you are swinging a 14kg hardcase samsonite briefcase as well. It's a well know fact that they don't have any spatial awareness at the best of times and when they are walking in groups of ONE (witness a lone Singaporean with a mobile phone) or more, then they also prove the additional admonition that most cannot do more than one thing at a time effectively.

therat · Post by **therat** » Thu, 21 Jan 2010 9:13 am

sundaymorningstaple wrote:Nah, he just want everybody to walk like they do in India. Which probably includes walking & talking at the top of their lungs on mobile phones on trains & buses as well.

Guess what one of my pet peeves on buses & trains is! Besides the BO express on the NE Line and the Jurong East to Outram Park run on the west-east line in the evenings that is.....

Then we throw away all the traffic light b'coz they bother it.

I'm been living in Singapore for 30 over yr.
Only been to little India once. And it is in the afternoon, once the sky getting dark. I tell my family, let get out from here.

Post by **x9200** » Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:03 am

sundaymorningstaple wrote: All you need to do is work on your vacant stare state. It seems to work a treat. You know, walk like they do. Seemingly oblivious to their surroundings.

This is more-less what I suggested saying to pretend you do not see them coming. On the other hand I think r.n.t meant a bit different situation and actually this happens frequently too - they can change direction or stop every single milisecond and there is no way to predict it. And yes, I often too stay on course and prepare for impact. Not that I am particularly proud of such behaviour but damn, 10 mins walk along Orchard or near any popular shopping spot can trigger the worst instincts if you have a bad day.

sundaymorningstaple wrote:Funny enough, their subconscious mind seems to register the vacant stare on a primal level and often times they will shift if you but stay your course. Of course it helps if you are swinging a 14kg hardcase samsonite briefcase as well. It's a well know fact that they don't have any spatial awareness at the best of times and when they are walking in groups of ONE (witness a lone Singaporean with a mobile phone) or more, then they also prove the additional admonition that most cannot do more than one thing at a time effectively.

Unfortunately I can only agree with you. This is exactly how I see it too. This lack of awareness that there may be some other people around sometimes is ridiculous - I had a situation when somebody tried to help me to open a door because I was doing it a bit slower knowing that I may hit someone behind.

road.not.taken · Post by **road.not.taken** » Thu, 21 Jan 2010 2:19 pm

therat wrote:Then we throw away all the traffic light b'coz they bother it.

I'm been living in Singapore for 30 over yr.
Only been to little India once. And it is in the afternoon, once the sky getting dark. I tell my family, let get out from here.

And just when things on the board we getting stale and boring

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