Chaos on the Sidewalks

            Everyone has experienced the rage that stems from trying to travel on the sidewalks. Wherever you go, there always seems to be people all over the walkways doing their own thing. Where is the order? Which way are they walking? Why aren’t they moving? These personal questions are usually followed by anger or frustration. I propose a solution to the sidewalk chaos problem that will create peace, increase efficiency, and just make peoples’ lives better overall. Cities and universities need to create basic rules, direction arrows and specific speed lanes on the sidewalks.

            When it comes to the topic of sidewalks, most of us will readily agree that there is a problem with the organization. Where exactly does this problem begin? A majority of the sidewalk drama is caused by those who are walking in the “wrong” direction of the sidewalk. The misdirection of these walkers tends to create frustration in those who are trying to travel around them. In America, we drive on the right side of the road, so most would think that our walking patterns should follow those rules. However, that is not the case. While observing people walking college campus or city sidewalks, there always seems to be a fair amount of walkers, both natural citizens and tourists, walking on the left side versus the right. Every day on my way to class at Saginaw Valley State University, I am constantly weaving my bike between students on both sides of me, large groups traveling in packs, and the every so often campus car. Most people would agree that sidewalks are a confusing concrete abyss overcrowded with people. In fact, the total amount of sidewalks in America is unknown, but New York City alone has almost 13 miles of sidewalk (“Infrastructure” 1). Taking that amount into consideration, imagine how many US citizens and college students’ days are ruined by overpopulated walkways, or slow moving people that cause them to be late to their classes or appointments. In fact, one scientist from the University of Hawaii created a scale to help people better understand their level of sidewalk rage (Wang 1). Dr. Leo James created the “Pedestrian Aggressiveness Syndrome Scale”, which varies from non-aggressive pedestrian rating to the chance of having Active-Aggressive Sidewalk Rage (James 15-16). In order for a pedestrian to find their aggressiveness level, they have to answer 20 questions about their sidewalk experiences. James found that the average person scored a 12, and this diagnoses them with slightly above “moderate pedestrian rage” (James 15). This is not an issue that should be pushed to the side, it needs to be solved. Picture how much better peoples’ lives could be if their walk to work or class was orderly and paced the way they want it.

http://giphy.com/gifs/disney-angry-annoyed-VwZ9csqW18neM

            Once that picture of perfection is in your mind, imagine what it would be like if that vision came true. There are three basic points in my proposal to better the sidewalker’s experience.  The creation of lanes is my first idea of to solve this problem. No two people are alike, and the same goes for the speed that people walk. Some always feel in a rush to get somewhere, which results in them powerwalking constantly, while others tend to take casual strolls around town, just daydreaming about life. Throw bicycle riders into the mix and the walkways are just a mess. Thus the importance of the walk/ride lanes. There would be a total of six lanes on the sidewalk. The outside lanes on each side would be assigned to the bike riders. This way it is easy for bike riders to turn corners on the sidewalk. It also provides them a quick escape if something happens and they need to avoid a person, baby stroller, or pet. The next two inside lanes would be appointed to tourists, slow walkers, people on cell phones, or those who enojy casual strolls. Last but not least, the two middle lanes. These lanes are designated to those who always seem to be running late or have somewhere to be. To put it another way, the middle lanes are for those who are on the same level as Speedy Gonzales when it comes to speed. Two lanes for each category are required because each lane is for a different direction. Feet and bike traffic would travel along the same rules of automobiles, which is to keep to the right when moving.  Along the same lines as the lane designation, my next solution for sidewalks is to keep bikes off the sidewalks when available. If there is enough room on roads to have a bike lane, there should be one. The less variety of traffic on sidewalks the better. One less sidewalk lane would also allow more room for walkers to walk, or allow the city to lessen the width of the walkways. My third and final solution to the sidewalk problem would be to make a list of sidewalk etiquette. Marc Santora, writer for the New York Times, saw this problem over a decade ago and already created a simple list of seven rules that walkers should follow religiously in his article “Think You Own the Sidewalk”. Santora’s rules go as follows: keep to the right, do not stop suddenly, do not walk in large groups, do not move slow, remember to keep space between others and don’t step on heels, keep pets on a short leash, and last but not least stay off of your cellular device (1-2). Each rule creates a different level of sidewalk order that will increase the walking efficiency. Higher efficiency will produce a continuous flow of people which will increase travel time and lessen pedestrian related stress.

            At this point in my paper multiple people would argue against my proposed solution to the sidewalk issue. The objectors would include those people who drive cars, come from small towns, and those who don’t worry about the crowded sidewalks. They would argue that the need for sidewalk organization is pointless, and that there is no problem that needs to be fixed. However, I would like to point out a major flaw in the car driver’s argument. How would they feel if there were no lines on the road? Would you feel safe? If roadways did not have set rules about direction, speed, and lanes there would always be accidents occurring. This same exact scenario applies to the walkways. There needs to be rules to create order and make people’s daily lives more peaceful. In response to those who come from small towns that don’t understand the frustration that occurs on college or city sidewalks, let me put this into a scenario that would be relatable. Coming from a small town myself, and I would compare sidewalks to small dirt roads. Think about driving home after a long day of work and you get stuck behind a combine; all you want to do is be home in your bed but you have to wait until there is an opportunity to pass this slow moving vehicle.

Traffic Jam Behind Tractor

Then add about three or four more combines to the mix and you can understand the stress people feel about traveling on crowded sidewalks.  As for those slow walkers, they should try to pay attention to what is occurring around them while they are walking at their leisurely pace down the sidewalk. Those people who seem to walk around in their own world seem to cause the most stress for people who feel the need to get to places. This goes back to Dr. James’s scale about pedestrian aggressiveness. James nicknamed those people who score high on his scale as “ragers”. These people always see fault in those walking around them. It is no shocker that another doctor claimed that ragers are most infuriated by slow walkers, because to them, “slow walkers are breaking the rules of civility” (Wang 2). More organized sidewalks would help those ragers get control of their emotions and protect those on leisure strolls from being yelled at.

            Therefore, the next discussion is about how my solution to the sidewalk is feasible. Let’s first discuss the creation of lanes. The width of each of the lanes would vary depending on the size of the sidewalk. Almost all major sidewalks on the Saginaw Valley State University Campus are a minimum of 12 feet wide (“SVSU” 91). When the lanes are created, each of the six lanes would be 24 inches wide. According to a study done at Harvard, the average adult human’s width is 18 inches wide (“Human Figure” 1). That proves that the creation of lanes would give people plenty of space to walk without feeling claustrophobic.  For the city of New York, the minimum requirement for sidewalks an “unobstructed clear path of 8 feet” (“Geometry” 20). If we were to keep all six lanes, this would only give people 15 inches to move around, however in the city, bikers are not allowed to ride on the sidewalk. When bike lanes are not available, the biker is allowed to act as a car on the road (“Bicyclists” 1-2). The lack of bikers on the sidewalk increases the walkers’ space from 15 inches to 24 inches.  I was unable to find a total number of miles of sidewalks on the SVSU campus. However, I did find a website that was able to give me reliable information about paint costs that would give any estimate of the total cost for New York City. An estimated cost for painting lines for lanes on New York City sidewalks would come to a grand total of around $2,856,148 (“Traffic” 1). This number seems small when compared to the cities estimated budget for 2016, which totals up to $77.7 billion (De Blasio 1). Once lanes are created, the rules must be instated. A specific list of sidewalk etiquette could be made up by the city or university. After a set of rules is decided on, they must be made available to the public. The set of rules could be posted on signs along the street, printed in brochures for future college students, or printed in the daily paper. These rules could be enforced by parking enforcement officers (PEOs), or the campus police. PEOs are already walking the streets of the city, so they are the prime candidate to monitor the sidewalks as well. The same goes for the campus police, these officers are constantly roaming the campuses, and that gives them the ability to enforce the sidewalk etiquette rules. 

            Ultimately what is at stake is here is peoples’ peace of mind. With the organization of sidewalks comes reduced frustration and quicker pathways to work and classes. Less stress and quicker travel will better peoples’ days and decrease their chances of stress related medical issues. My solution is capable of becoming a reality because the people want to see it happen. I recently conducted a survey on my Facebook account about whether or not people would like to see lanes become a common occurrence on sidewalks. Over 65% of the people voted in favor of adding lanes to our sidewalks (Bishop 1). When the people strongly support an issue, it is worth looking into. The world is a stressful place, but our sidewalks don’t need to be.

Works Cited

"Bicyclists." NYC DOT. The City of New York, 2015. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

Bishop, Olivia. "Would You like Designated Lanes on Sidewalks?" Facebook. Polls for Pages, 16 Nov. 2015. Web. 18 Nov. 2015. <https://apps.facebook.com/my-polls/view/h7xdxrprkf2deyx1gcxa>.

De Blasio, Mayor Bill. "To the Citizens of the City of New York." (2015): n. pag. Council.nyc.gov. The Council The City of New York, 14 Apr. 2015. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

"Geometry." Street Design Manual 2.0 (2013): n. pag. NYC.gov. 13 Oct. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

"Human Figure Average Measurements." Human Figure Average Measurements. Faculty of Arts & Sciences-Harvard University, 2001. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

"Infrastructure." NYC DOT. The City of New York, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

James, Dr. Leo, and Dr. Diane Nahl. "The Psychology of Sidewalk Rage: A Community Crisis in the Making." Drdriving.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

Santora, Marc. "Think You Own the Sidewalk?; Etiquette by New York Pedestrians Is Showing a Strain." The New York Times. The New York Times, 16 July 2002. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

"SVSU Master Plan." (2012): n. pag. Svsu.edu. Saginaw Valley State University. Web. 18 Nov. 2015. <https://www.svsu.edu/media/campusfacilities/docs/Campus%20Master%20Plan%20-%20Final%20Aug.%202012.pdf>.

"Traffic & Marking Zone Paints and Striping Paint Accessories." Pavecoat. Paving Maintenance Supply Inc., 2015. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

Wang, Shirley S. "Get Out of My Way, You Jerk!" WSJ. The Wall Street Journal, 15 Feb. 2011. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.