Where do you score on the Pedestrian Aggressiveness Syndrome Scale? Are you a victim or perpetrator of "sidewalk rage"? The Wall Street Journal has touched a raw nerve that many of us have. Either we are hostile to everybody else on the sidewalk who is slower or just in our way, or we are hostile to the other inconsiderate jerks who bump past us on foot or on bike.
- Wall Street Journal: Researchers Study Sidewalk Rage
One researcher, Leon James, AKA DrDriving, has a 15-point self-test for Pedestrian Aggressiveness Syndrome Scale. Symptoms include feeling competitive with other pedestrians, thinking denigrating thoughts of other walkers, and expressing rage against drivers.
Are we just angrier and ruder in general, or are other walkers actually moving slower nowadays? As the population ages, yes, they slow down. There were other interesting findings in the NYC Department of City Planning's "Pedestrian Level of Service Study, Phase 1," from 2006. You can expect the following people to walk slower: smokers, people talking on cell phones, and tourists. Meanwhile, those of us using headphones walk 9% faster. If you walk in areas where people are talking, gawking and smoking, you may experience more sidewalk rage.
- Sidewalk Rage: some suggestions to help cool your heels.
- Mind Your Trail Manners: how to walk softly, with or without a big stick.
- Race Manners: how behave at walk/run events
I believe that because of how fast-paced our environment is, we unconsciously feel more stressed, thus, our reactions towards those walking slowly more angry.
The attitude your expressing is one of anger toward somebody who is also angry. How do you expect anything to ever change with this kind of thinking process
Excellent and enlightening article. Certainly gives me another view of the hostile and aggressive behavior people can exhibit when others are “in their way.”