Why No Rule Of Which Side To Walk In Thailand?

[JohanV]

Am curious if you remember what they did with buses, including school buses, when they changed driving directions. Did they have to retrofit doors towards the back of the bus on the new curb side?

Also, as per walking the main topic was pedestrian traffic on a sidewalk or hallway keeping right or left. I think numerous places have laws in terms of walking on the street, when no sidewalks, in terms of facing oncoming traffic. I seem to recall as a kid they used to want you to ride bicycles this way too but then remember the campaign to have bicycles follow the same traffic laws as cars. In fact, many a person can testify, in the US that a drunk driving charge while riding a bicycle carries the same penalties as driving a car ... including points against your driver's license and insurance rates.

Yes. Actually they did retrofit buses just like that. There was also a 'grace period' of I think two years or so when car dealers were still allowed to still sell their stock of left-side ( steering wheel on the right, that is ) cars. And, for some years there were a mix of left- and right-sided cars driving on the Swedish streets. Some people sold their old left-sided cars ( Volvos mostly, or Saabs ) to Britain and bought new ones on the continent.

And yes, I was of course referring to pedestrians walking on streets with no sidewalks. But Sweden is a big country with few people and long, long roads. So we have lots of people walking like that. In the countryside there are never any sidewalks except in the very village centres. And, as opposed to here in Thailand, people actually do walk some 2-3 km's or so to school or to the food shop - that's perfectly normal. Motorcycles are for teenage kids and invalids

Edited May 12, 2010 by JohanV

[JohanV]

Also, as per walking the main topic was pedestrian traffic on a sidewalk or hallway keeping right or left.

Oh, and to actually comment on the main topic ( sorry for drifting off-track ):

In Sweden most people who do reflect on pedestrian rules at all would probably claim that the traffic rules for non-sidewalk roads

are transferable to any indoor or side-walk situation. Which would then be keeping to the left. Having said that it should be pointed out

that in modern Sweden the number of people reflecting over or even being aware of pedestrian rules are very few and of a dying breed.

And, as we don't have much sun, the 'walk in the shade' rule can't be applied either..

So, I guess it's all down to the second law of thermodynamics:

"The total entropy of any isolated thermodynamic system always increases over time"

which translates to:

"whatever system of order you ever try to impose on a group of human individuals you can be sure it won't work, at least not for long"

Cheers

[VocalNeal]

Just wondering if anyone noticed that Thais/Asian walk in the shade. Regardless of what side of the road it is.

As for any Americans feeling superior because of Napolean. The reason you guys drive on the right is because when Henry was building the Model T he put the steering wheel on the left side because the starter motor was on the right and there was no room for the steering column.

You should not let your hostilities or insecurities about Americans get in the way of facts. The laws in America regarding driving (riding) to the right were around long before Henry Ford built a car (or was born).

If you are so sure about US history how come you don't know the Model T was hand cranked?

Just having a bit of fun

[jcbangkok]

Just wondering if anyone noticed that Thais/Asian walk in the shade. Regardless of what side of the road it is.

As for any Americans feeling superior because of Napolean. The reason you guys drive on the right is because when Henry was building the Model T he put the steering wheel on the left side because the starter motor was on the right and there was no room for the steering column.

You should not let your hostilities or insecurities about Americans get in the way of facts. The laws in America regarding driving (riding) to the right were around long before Henry Ford built a car (or was born).

If you are so sure about US history how come you don't know the Model T was hand cranked?

Just having a bit of fun

LOL, I didn't even catch that and was just responding to the notion Ford had anything to do with what side if the road folks drive in the US. But certainly there was no "starter motors" in the first Model T's.

[kevozman1]

One of the things I like about Thailand is the lack

of stupid rules and laws which have taken the fun

out life in many western countries.

[yabaaaa]

Your right its trivial better still why dont people look where they are walking isntead of at something else like their phone or a som tam stall, endless people walk into me, I see them coming 6 foot away so I stop dead in my tracks and let them hit me with a look on their faces of "Uhhhhhh" where'd you come from"

[JohanV]

One of the things I like about Thailand is the lack of stupid rules and laws which have taken the fun out life in many western countries.

That's very true.

Actually in all it's unregulated chaos Thailand is really a true liberal country - in it's original meaning that is.

Let's hope it's not being torn to pieces in the near future..

[Ijustwannateach]

This topic baffled me for a long time in Thailand, because being a rather large person it was hard for me to understand why people kept running straight into me, even if I had stopped for their protection- even in a tight alley with no room to be unsure about what was ahead, when they were looking straight ahead with their eyes on me.

I think the rule becomes 'zombie walker' vs. 'aware human being', utilizing 'avoidance of confrontation'. If you are a zombie walker (or talker, escalator stopper, etc.) you simply do whatever you want until it kills you. WHY people would be in this mode is a question I leave for another thread.

If you are an aware human being, you avoid collisions with the 'zombies' for the sake of 'avoidance of confrontation'. For many zombies, this is enough to keep them out of trouble, until they meet with an inanimate antagonist or someone (like a foreigner) who isn't aware of THIS particular convention, or someone who cannot avoid a collision. In those cases, also because of 'avoidance of confrontation', even though the zombies have no idea why they have just had a collision, they simply pick themselves up and attempt to continue doing whatever it is that they do after navigating around the suddenly visible obstacle.

[JohanV]

I think the rule becomes 'zombie walker' vs. 'aware human being', utilizing 'avoidance of confrontation'. If you are a zombie walker (or talker, escalator stopper, etc.) you simply do whatever you want until it kills you. WHY people would be in this mode is a question I leave for another thread.

Looking forward to that thread

Edited May 14, 2010 by JohanV

[Honolulu]

Okay. I confess. It's all my fault.

I always walk straight towards people.

To annoy them.

[IanForbes]

So what we are basically saying here is you keep your options open on what to do when being approached by this...

as compared to being approached by this...

or this...

[dumball]

My goodness , what a tempest in a teacup about something very little can be done about or needs to be done about , in general pedestrians tend to walk closest to thier current aim of desire i.e. food stalls when hungry , stores when they have a need to purchase and any whichway when out on just an amble to any place . Just go with the flow , don't worry , be happy erst the world passes you by .

[jcbangkok]

I guess one thing I have learned is that there are a number of heavily populated areas without a common courtesy understanding of which side of a sidewalk / hallway to walk. I've never been to London but boggles my mind that they are talking about passing a law to have a high speed walking lane on the sidewalk but have not considered a simple public awareness campaign that it is the norm in most places to have pedestrian traffic flow the same way vehicles do except when walking on an actual road. I mean wouldn't a high speed pedestrian lane with no direction to stay to the left or the right just cause more problems with people running into each other???

The other things that I find mind boggling .. but not as much since we know there are many people who just are negative and like to criticize and argue .. is some of the responses here. Especially considering the Original Post mentioned this was a trivial topic. But then there are those who simply cannot understand the concept of rules of common courtesy or the basic concept of pedestrian traffic on a sideway. Comments such as they walk to the side which has the store they want to visit make no sense unless we are to assume Thais only walk from one adjacent building to another ... but maybe this can be explained by the need to feel superior and argue.

Lastly, since airing this minor observation, I've paid more attention to pedestrian traffic as I take walks here on some of the crowded pedestrian areas ...

There does seem to be a tendency to move to the right by many but not by all. I've just noticed very few tend to move to the left. In fact, as you look at places such as the MRT & BTS, you will see they are mostly designed to keep people walking to the right .. the exception is some escalators which can be switched to move anyway.

However, I do notice that a good number of people walking on the sidewalk will not move anyway until the very last minute leaving the person approaching them baffled as which way to move. This includes two people walking side-by-side on a small sidewalk taking up the entire sidewalk. This is why you see many dances between Thais on the sidewalk as they try to pass each other. The decision to move to one side is not considered until the very last second even on a fairly empty sidewalk. There is clearly no thought going on in terms of courtesy or any real concern if you do bump shoulders. In most western society this would be seen as challenging or aggressive behavior but it seems clear to me that many Thais just don't have a real concept of consideration for others in many circumstances. Including walking but also in getting on elevators & trains and standing in line at a 711.

Thais have some very strong understanding of some unwritten rules such as being aggressive or raising your voice towards others in public. So, it is not they don't have considerations for others ... it is just a different culture where the thought of consideration for others don't come to mind in such situations as walking because they just believe this is the way it is done and there is no alternative. Kind of like London who can consider making high speed pedestrian lanes to help congestions but the thought of having people walk to one side doesn't occur to them as being the easiest way to speed pedestrian flow and clear congestion.

Certainly the US is not a model country for many things but I think you will find walking in most major cities fairly simple because it is taught in schools early on to walk to the right ... starting from your first walk down the hallway at school.

Bottom line it is a different culture and many things to Thais would seem very strange if they went somewhere else ... one I can think of is using a knife and not a spoon to cut your food

[jcbangkok]

If the guy on the left was a similar to many Thai's (and some farang posting here) he would not stop on the edge of the sidewalk to ponder but rather right in the center .. of course being sure to stand sideways to make sure he is optimizing his use of the sidewalk.

[david96]

In Thailand one drives on the left hand side, vehicles are right hand drive.

When walking keep to the right eg, on footpaths, marked areas for pedestrians, foot bridges. This seems to be the norm from observation.

[jybkk]

If the guy on the left was a similar to many Thai's (and some farang posting here) he would not stop on the edge of the sidewalk to ponder but rather right in the center .. of course being sure to stand sideways to make sure he is optimizing his use of the sidewalk.

As you and others mentionned before, I'm still baffled at how naturally Thai will stop at the most inconvenient spot.

It is clearly not on purpose but some kind of automatic mechanism. And it starts early: in the school where I work, I see everyday students get out of classroom, pickup their shoes from the rack that was cleverly placed it the widest part of the corridor, then walk to the narrowest part of the corridor and stop there to put them on.

It is sometimes a bit annoying when I'm in a rush, but I find it mostly very intriguing.

I pointed it to my thai wife and now she keeps on seeing it and getting upset at people standing on the way. Now, I'm the one having to tell her "jai yen yen".

As for rules of crossing other pedestrians, I think it would be overkill and, considering how cluttered most alleys are in Thailand, completely inapplicable.

[Berkshire]

Just one point: I've lived in the USA for over 40 years and I've never known there to be some sort of unwritten rule regarding which side to walk. Therefore, I must conclude that there isn't such a rule. Regarding this thread: You must be freakin kidding me.

[jaideeguy]

Another example is on the road.......NO RULES APPLY as to direction. I call them 'contrary sucidal drivers' and see it all the time.

I think the mentality is take the shortest route to anywhere!!!

[JohanV]

It is funny to see that even though there are many posts complaining about the meaninglessness of this thread it has reached four pages..

[jcbangkok]

Just one point: I've lived in the USA for over 40 years and I've never known there to be some sort of unwritten rule regarding which side to walk. Therefore, I must conclude that there isn't such a rule. Regarding this thread: You must be freakin kidding me.

I can only conclude that you probably get a lot of people upset when you walk in busy hallways and on busy sidewalks because kids are taught from an early age you walk to the right. If you don't believe me, just ask any person born and raised in the US in addition to watching the flow of pedestrians on any busy pedestrian way. It really is common knowledge and I have lived in 6 different US States and visited at least half .... just take a look to next time you are at a US airport and walking through the corridors or even next time you may be walking toward somebody in an empty hall or sidewalk and you will see they almost always will move to the right the moment they see some one approaching. In fact it is taken by most as an act of intimidation not do move to the right .... usually young punk tough guys will not yield if they happen to be feeling extra insecure that day.

[jcbangkok]

Maybe we can get this dubbed in different languages

[dmax]

wise up

[bina]

jerusalem has no right or wrong way;those with the strongest elbows or canes manage to walk thru to anywhere much faster then those that are polite. winter is the worst. we often choose to go w/o umbrellas because its just hazardous to others and the umbrellas get bent up by others shoving past with their umpbrellas... anon used to be polite and wait for all the elderly and women with strollers to go by first but i just GO... everyone here is either pregnant, or has a zillion children towing along with strollers, or people have all their groceries in small carts to drag behind, the kind that bash in to youir ankles or shins... most of us choose to swerve on to the streets to avoid heavy and slow, laden down pedestrian traffic...

coming form th states, never knew there was a right and wrong way to go on sidewalks, but then again, my father is from brooklyn where normal laws never applied.

i found bangkok just like here except here, people are ruder, and also, there are no lines at stores and stuff while getting handbags and stuff searched. the beggars are the same, the little old ladies are the same, the 'wiseguy' youth types are exactly the same just the language and physique is different.

felt right at home.

btw, my thai husband yelled at me for going up the stairs on the wrong side when crossing over the street in a over head passageway in bangkok. but he's from korat. maybe they are different indeed.

bina

israel

Try walking on this side walk in tel aviv i think, notice the wonderful car parking jobs...

[Berkshire]

Just one point: I've lived in the USA for over 40 years and I've never known there to be some sort of unwritten rule regarding which side to walk. Therefore, I must conclude that there isn't such a rule. Regarding this thread: You must be freakin kidding me.

I can only conclude that you probably get a lot of people upset when you walk in busy hallways and on busy sidewalks because kids are taught from an early age you walk to the right. If you don't believe me, just ask any person born and raised in the US in addition to watching the flow of pedestrians on any busy pedestrian way. It really is common knowledge and I have lived in 6 different US States and visited at least half .... just take a look to next time you are at a US airport and walking through the corridors or even next time you may be walking toward somebody in an empty hall or sidewalk and you will see they almost always will move to the right the moment they see some one approaching. In fact it is taken by most as an act of intimidation not do move to the right .... usually young punk tough guys will not yield if they happen to be feeling extra insecure that day.

No, never had a problem. Was never an issue. That's why I'm perplexed as to why you're bringing this up. You seem to be someone who finds things to get upset about. That's no way to live....

[jcbangkok]

Just one point: I've lived in the USA for over 40 years and I've never known there to be some sort of unwritten rule regarding which side to walk. Therefore, I must conclude that there isn't such a rule. Regarding this thread: You must be freakin kidding me.

I can only conclude that you probably get a lot of people upset when you walk in busy hallways and on busy sidewalks because kids are taught from an early age you walk to the right. If you don't believe me, just ask any person born and raised in the US in addition to watching the flow of pedestrians on any busy pedestrian way. It really is common knowledge and I have lived in 6 different US States and visited at least half .... just take a look to next time you are at a US airport and walking through the corridors or even next time you may be walking toward somebody in an empty hall or sidewalk and you will see they almost always will move to the right the moment they see some one approaching. In fact it is taken by most as an act of intimidation not do move to the right .... usually young punk tough guys will not yield if they happen to be feeling extra insecure that day.

No, never had a problem. Was never an issue. That's why I'm perplexed as to why you're bringing this up. You seem to be someone who finds things to get upset about. That's no way to live....

Did you go to school in the US that had hallways be in grade school all the way through college? If you did, you will know there is a VERY VERY understood etiquette of which side to walk. Again, I suggest you to ask some of your acquaintances as what perplexes me is your claim to have lived in the US for 40 years and be ignorant to something that every 8 year old understands unless you live out in the boonies somewhere. As for getting upset ... you might want to read the OP.

[jcbangkok]

jerusalem has no right or wrong way;those with the strongest elbows or canes manage to walk thru to anywhere much faster then those that are polite. winter is the worst. we often choose to go w/o umbrellas because its just hazardous to others and the umbrellas get bent up by others shoving past with their umpbrellas... anon used to be polite and wait for all the elderly and women with strollers to go by first but i just GO... everyone here is either pregnant, or has a zillion children towing along with strollers, or people have all their groceries in small carts to drag behind, the kind that bash in to youir ankles or shins... most of us choose to swerve on to the streets to avoid heavy and slow, laden down pedestrian traffic...

coming form th states, never knew there was a right and wrong way to go on sidewalks, but then again, my father is from brooklyn where normal laws never applied.

i found bangkok just like here except here, people are ruder, and also, there are no lines at stores and stuff while getting handbags and stuff searched. the beggars are the same, the little old ladies are the same, the 'wiseguy' youth types are exactly the same just the language and physique is different.

felt right at home.

btw, my thai husband yelled at me for going up the stairs on the wrong side when crossing over the street in a over head passageway in bangkok. but he's from korat. maybe they are different indeed.

bina

israel

Try walking on this side walk in tel aviv i think, notice the wonderful car parking jobs...

Thanks for sharing. This has actually been eye opening to me in terms of understanding other congested areas in the world, even the more modernized cities, don't have some kind of etiquette. The one thing I will disagree with though is Brooklyn having also lived there ... I do agree with the fact that anything goes but I bet you just didn't notice that civilized (lack of a better word) people moved and walked to the right. Of course there is times when people shove there way through area in a chaotic fashion but it is very well known for those growing up in the vast majority of the US to veer to the right when approaching people. But again have to agree that many areas of NY people tend to want to live by their own rules and have a sense of superiority towards others. Every day you is a challenge to stand your ground even in the most trivial of circumstances.

[Berkshire]

Just one point: I've lived in the USA for over 40 years and I've never known there to be some sort of unwritten rule regarding which side to walk. Therefore, I must conclude that there isn't such a rule. Regarding this thread: You must be freakin kidding me.

I can only conclude that you probably get a lot of people upset when you walk in busy hallways and on busy sidewalks because kids are taught from an early age you walk to the right. If you don't believe me, just ask any person born and raised in the US in addition to watching the flow of pedestrians on any busy pedestrian way. It really is common knowledge and I have lived in 6 different US States and visited at least half .... just take a look to next time you are at a US airport and walking through the corridors or even next time you may be walking toward somebody in an empty hall or sidewalk and you will see they almost always will move to the right the moment they see some one approaching. In fact it is taken by most as an act of intimidation not do move to the right .... usually young punk tough guys will not yield if they happen to be feeling extra insecure that day.

No, never had a problem. Was never an issue. That's why I'm perplexed as to why you're bringing this up. You seem to be someone who finds things to get upset about. That's no way to live....

Did you go to school in the US that had hallways be in grade school all the way through college? If you did, you will know there is a VERY VERY understood etiquette of which side to walk. Again, I suggest you to ask some of your acquaintances as what perplexes me is your claim to have lived in the US for 40 years and be ignorant to something that every 8 year old understands unless you live out in the boonies somewhere. As for getting upset ... you might want to read the OP.

Man, are you some kind of nutjob or what? How many times do we have to go over this? I'm telling you honestly how it is/was in the US--all the way from kindergarten through high school, through college, through grad school, through working life--and you keep insisting that it's not true. Your experience is simply not the same as everyone else. And you continuing to challenge what my life experience has been makes absolutely no sense.

Edited May 20, 2010 by Berkshire

[jcbangkok]

A quick google search re: sidewalk etiquette in the US

http://sidewalketiquette.com/rules/stay-to-the-right/

http://www.kulturblog.com/2006/04/sidewalk-etiquette/

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2231687075

http://technorati.com/lifestyle/article/si...-etiquette-101/

Edited May 20, 2010 by jcbangkok

[jcbangkok]

Man, are you some kind of nutjob or what? How many times do we have to go over this? I'm telling you honestly how it is/was in the US--all the way from kindergarten through high school, through college, through grad school, through working life--and you keep insisting that it's not true. Your experience is simply not the same as everyone else. And you continuing to challenge what my life experience has been makes absolutely no sense.

Wow, calm down fella. No reason to get so worked up over a trivial topic but as I repeatedly say to you ... check with others. I've even provided some links here for you. I personally cannot fathom how you lived 40 years int he US and are clueless about this but not sure why you want to keep insisting your ignorance to proper etiquette makes something untrue that the VAST majority of people in the US are aware of. Too each his own, I am certainly not upset at your lack of knowledge on this topic and suggest you not get yourself all worked up about my view or posts ... not even sure why you keep posting here if it is something that doesn't concern or effect you.

Edit: The fact that you say you no longer live in the US may be part of the problem IMO as this simple rule of common courtesy may have been forgot if you live somewhere now where the same courtesy doesn't apply.

Edited May 20, 2010 by jcbangkok

[Berkshire]

A quick google search re: sidewalk etiquette in the US

http://sidewalketiquette.com/rules/stay-to-the-right/

http://www.kulturblog.com/2006/04/sidewalk-etiquette/

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2231687075

http://technorati.com/lifestyle/article/si...-etiquette-101/

jc, this only proves that there are others in the world as anal-retentive as you are. They're not normal. I can honestly say that I've never even heard of a conversation involving "sidewalk etiquette." By observation, going with the "flow of traffic" seems to be the order of the day. Frankly, I'm a tad embarrassed to even be having this discussion right now. Board Gods, forgive me!