Sidewalk Rage

Does walking make you angry? Pedestrians on crowded sidewalks have often reported sidewalk rage -- feelings of aggressiveness and anger towards other walkers.

Do You Have Sidewalk Rage?

• A poll of 510 workers on London's crowded Oxford Street found that 89% of them reported experiencing sidewalk rage. Of those, 33% said they were the ones enraged, and 66% felt they were the victims of the rage of others. The survey was conducted by the group Operation Tugboat, as reported in Daily Mail, December, 2000.

• A poll on this web site found that 51% of the walkers responding said they were angered by slower walkers, and 6% reported being the target of the sidewalk rage of others.

• Psychologist Dr. Leon James proposed a Pedestrian Aggressiveness Syndrome Scale, with 15 points to self-diagnose your level of sidewalk rage. They include feeling impatient when walking in a crowded area, feeling competitive with other pedestrians and having denigrating thoughts about other pedestrians. No supporting peer-reviewed research is cited by Dr. James as of February, 2011.

Factors the May Incite Sidewalk Rage

A survey of Londoners in 2008 found their greatest frustrations were in the crowds, slower walkers, getting jostled by other walkers, and being accosted by street vendors. Nurofen pavement rage survey

Both environmental and human factors can irritate pedestrians. The New York City Pedestrian Level of Service Study, Phase 1, 2006 analyzed pedestrian behavior on their crowded sidewalks. On average, this is how walking speed was influenced by pedestrian factors:

Faster Walkers:

• Pedestrians who were walking to work.
• Men
• People between ages 14 and 65
• People walking alone
• People wearing headphones
• People walking during the morning commute time

Slower Walkers:

• Tourists and shoppers
• Women
• Children under age 14 and seniors over age 65
• People walking in groups of 2-4 people
• Smokers and people using cell phones were slightly slower than average
• People walking at mid-day

Impeded Walkers: The NYC survey noted people who were visibly impeded and unable to walk at their desired speed. They noted this happened more frequently to women and to those walking in groups. Solo walkers were more able to walk efficiently and avoid impediments. Here are common impediments:

• Crowds of other walkers
• Street crossings
• Queues for buses, subway entrances, attractions
• Sandwich board signage on the sidewalk
• Street vendors, buskers, panhandlers, hawkers
• Poles, planters, hydrants, park benches, paper boxes
• Dogs on long leashes
• People on wheels: skates, skateboards, bicycles, vehicles

Avoiding Sidewalk Rage

1. Separate different users: Many greenway paths have rules for joint use by bikes and pedestrians to help keep them separated and avoid conflicts. London groups have proposed marking out fast lanes and slow lanes for walkers on their major shopping streets during prime shopping weeks.

2. Choose less-crowded sidewalks when possible. Is there an alternate route that is less crowded? It may be worth a slight detour. Use online mapping programs to research new routes. Walking Route Planner

3. Choose a less-crowded time of day when possible. Walking commuters may not have a choice, but if you walk for fitness, walking the dog, touring or shopping, look for a quieter time of day for your excursions.

4. Seek Help: If sidewalk rage has become a problem in your life and you can't avoid the irritations of being a pedestrian, seek help. Using Anger Management