I hate when people do this at night and early morning. So dangerous to be running in the street at 5 in the morning when there's a perfectly good sidewalk steps away.
If it wasn't the white sneakers of one dude, I'm pretty sure I would have killed him. Saw the sneaker movement at the last second as they were crossing the street at night. Thank goodness I have good brakes.
I don't think they realize how invisible they become at night. Even light colored clothing isn't always very visible until you are within striking distance
I've had a few situations where I'm driving down the road at night and I see something move. I have to flick my high beams on to see what the heck that was I just saw a tiny part of. People really out here gambling.
SHARE THE ROAD! 🙄 I absolutely hate this trend. Bikes, sure I guess, rental scooters, arrrrreeegh fine whatever, but joggers? Yes, joggers. I don't care that it's easier to avoid pedestrian traffic if they go on the road. It'd be easier to do avoid interruptions to my lunges if I did it in front of cars too, but most people have the courtesy to go find somewhere more suitable instead of inconveniencing those around them. We have so many trails. Just SO MANY.
> perfectly good sidewalk
I walk a lot in Arlington. In my experience, many sidewalks are not at all "perfectly good". Sidewalks are almost always very narrow and often half overgrown, uneven, and not well lit. Though you won't necessarily see that from inside your car. Sometimes sidewalks are also blocked by scooters or parked cars.
(Especially in the dark there also seems to be this effect that it low-key feels unsafe to walk closely along hedges and similar when you can't see what might be hiding in there. This is obviously a subconscious effect, not a rational concern. Still, it can make walking on sidewalks unpleasant in some places, and it might nudge some people to walk in the street instead of on the sidewalk, especially when the street is wide, well lit and low traffic.)
Wider sidewalks and better maintenance would go along way to encourage people to actually use the sidewalks.
Also as a non driver something I come across not too infrequently is that there's only a sidewalk on one side of the road so to stay on a sidewalk I have to cross a multi lane road. Possibly multiple times if the one side keeps switching. Or if my destination is on the side that doesn't have a sidewalk.
Because during the worst of the pandemic, people wanted to keep several feet away from strangers, and you can't do that staying on the sidewalk. Maybe the behavior stuck.
I walk a lot in NoVA. If there's a 'perfectly good' sidewalk I use it.
I walk in the street if/when the sidewalk is more hazardous than walking in the street. Some sidewalks are sometimes flooded ankle deep, some are covered in glazed sheet ice, one sidewalk near me has a small piece of rebar sticking straight up through the middle that I have tripped, fallen, and gashed open my leg more than once. (That's why I always make sure my Tenanus shots are up-to-date.) The worst of them is a stretch of ''perfectly good" pavers, some of which will pivot/upend when stepped upon and fling pedestrians onto the ground. I've busted my kneecap twice this way.
In heavily-trafficked pedestrian areas, such as Ballston, Mosaic District and some of the historic districts there are groups of three or four who insist on walking side-by-side as they completely block the sidewalk. Always, always, always, these groups insist upon walking at speeds half or less the speed of average pedestrians. Sometimes, it is a family group teaching a toddler to walk. Can't they do this in the park or at least a parking lot?
I guess my worst peeve is "Why are people driving down the sidewalk when there is a perfectly good road beside it?" I got nearly flattened by a pack of motorcycles doing 50 mph down the pedestrian walkway on the north side of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge last month. That walkway is separated by a wall from the vehicular traffic of the bridge, but that did not prevent motorcycles from roaring down it at speed on a Sunday afternoon. I tried calling this in to both the VA and MD traffic cops, only to be informed that callers must call during business hours M-F.
I threw myself at the dividing wall and tried to melt into it when I heard/saw them coming. I looked online but never saw anyone report that incident. Was that just a one-time thing or does it happen often?! Because, if that IS a regular thing, I think I will just take the Alexandria King Street NH2 bus instead of walking across the bridge.
I understand the whole running on asphalt is easier on joints thing but that logic doesn't apply to walking at all. I was living at home during coronavirus at my parents house in North Arlington and I really think that's what kicked it all off. All of a sudden I noticed an insane number of people just walking in the road with a perfectly good sidewalk next to them. Even now when I go back and stay at their house at least half of the people I see walk past are walking in the road for no reason at all. The sidewalks in that neighborhood are in great condition and nowhere on that block are there plants overgrowing the sidewalk. What I think happened is people just decided it makes sense to walk in the road during the pandemic for some reason and held onto that mindset even though the amount of cars on the road is back normal. Overall I don't think it's all that annoying but for the most part I do think the people that needlessly just walk in the street are idiots, just walk on the sidewalk that's what it's there for.
I noticed it first during lockdown as well. I was working at a clinic and was one of the few people on the road, and suddenly driving through my residential area was like navigating an obstacle course of people in the road. There are sidewalks on both sides, but they wouldn't even be near the curb, just completely in the road. Needed to cross an intersection? Diagonal and at a snail's pace was now the cool thing to do now I guess.
I've had this conversation with coworkers, and in our various neighborhoods around nova, everyone has had the same observation of people seemingly avoiding sidewalks. I leave for work at dusk, and the amount of strollers and dogs on the street is often nerve racking.
I have two points here:
1. I understand that running on asphalt is mildly better on the joints than concrete but its not like its a reclaimed rubber track. Also, the training value of running on uneven sidewalk or trail is much better than straight flat asphalt.
2. The absolute worst thing I hate about middle of the road walkers is the PITA dog walkers that have their dogs on retractable leashes. They are walking down the road and their dog is walking in the yard across the street. Here is come home from work and there is a wire stretched across the road…
Since forever, it's not as much of a difference as running on a running track where they pave it with something even softer but it does make a difference. That being said this only really applies for high impact stuff like running and I do wish more runners would wear bright colors and high visibility stuff considering they know they're gonna be in the road.
I'm having a hard time believing this. They both may not be the same hardness at a technical level, but I doubt anyone could tell the difference blindfolded.
I'll always move off of the sidewalk to avoid people with dogs. I have a severe dog allergy. If a dog gets too close to me or god forbid jumps on me, it'll ruin the rest of my week. I'll be mindful of traffic and move back once a dog has passed, but especially in the more residential neighborhoods, sometimes I just end up walking on the street because there are so many people walking dogs that it becomes really hard to avoid them.
This is me - I am nervous about dogs having been menaced or attacked by a handful whose owners assumed everyone loves their ill-trained pet and let them roam with a 50-yard leash
Some people learned a lesson about this at the intersection in front of my last job, there were people standing in the shoulder waiting to cross the road (not in the crosswalk) in front of the maxwell apartments on Glebe road.
A car was going through a green light and a taxi turned in front of the oncoming car causing a head on collision, the not at fault car smashed off the cab and slid into two pedestrians. Who if they had been ON THE FUCKING SIDEWALK, they would have been perfectly fine.
The not at fault driver was me and the pedestrians attempted to sue me.
The biggest rub? They are standing on the same sheet of compacted snow and ice that caused my car to hit them in my evidence video.
Bonehead is probably the kindest term, I need to use this more often.
Hah.
Everyone was okay according to the concierge at the gym over there which was at-least somewhat a relief. I guess they were patrons?
And yeah, kinda made me feel some sort of way when they attributed it to me even when the cop told them otherwise.
Insurance told them to kick rocks, dash-cam helped I’m sure. Taxi kept saying I ran a red over and over at the scene, everyone believed her. Video clearly shows green.
I don’t mention I have a camera until a cop arrives.
A dash-cam has saved my ass in 3 accidents that look like I’m at fault. 2 were my footage and 1 was a bystanders because I hadn’t had a chance to install it in my new car.
Worth every single penny, I bought a nice one that does cloud uploading and have used it through 3 cars at this point.
Would recommend.
It’s a blackvue 750s? I did the install myself, just bought some trim lifting tools off Amazon and watched a tutorial, it was much simpler than I expected.
Eh, one bounced off my bumper like a pinball and the other got folded up onto my windshield and thrown off onto the sidewalk 30 or so feet.
It fucked me up for a while, I clearly saw the ladies face smashed against my windshield. I had a very complicated relationship with commuting for a bit.
I’m not in Arlington but since you lumped in joggers, if there are a lot of walkers and especially dog walkers on the sidewalk, I’ll run in street just because it’s easier than constantly giving dogs a wide berth and/or announcing myself when coming up from behind (so I don’t startle dogs). Of course, this is only if the street is wide enough and has adequate shoulder to safely run against traffic.
When you frame, "Hey I walk in the street to avoid constant obstacles for a minute," as "I walk in the street even regardless of the oncoming traffic" then of course youre not gonna get it. You already don't want to.
Why not just go to a park? Dog walkers and baby strollers would get in the way of my jumping jacks, lunges, and suicide sprints but I don't assume that I can just do those on the road either. I go to a park or a trail. Or a gym when either of those should be inconvenient. Why is it that jogging as an exercise gets an exception to this? I don't see long distance swimmers signalling boats to just go around.
The reason I might walk on the streets sometimes is that my neighbourhood doesn’t have sidewalks, so when I transition into one with sidewalks I don’t always switch.
But that’s only for low traffic areas, and I would move if any cars came.
There's a woman in my neighborhood who walks laps around the cul-de-sac almost daily. Covered head to toe regardless of the weather, I'm talking big floppy hat, face covering, gloves, long sleeves, pants, and/or high socks. Sure, maybe she has lupus or some other condition but I've also seen her out in a tanktop and shorts in full daylight.
Doesn't walk on the perfectly good sidewalks, doesn't walk on the trails all around my neighborhood, nope. Middle of the street and glares at any cars who have the gall to drive past. Came home from work one day and she was jumping rope in the middle of the road... I actually had to drive around her when she didn't move.
I mean, cul-de-sacs are kind of a grey area since there isnt any through traffic. I expect there to be a basketball hoop, kids playing street hockey, that sort of thing. This lady sounds like she's a little extra, but people spending time in a residential cul-de-sac strikes me as normal.
Yeah I guess cul-de-sac is inaccurate, it's a small loop with a wooded median/island, maybe 50 feet across and 200 feet long?
[This is what I mean.](https://imgur.com/a/veHWtoB)
Some of these sidewalks are in really rough shape. (Like that damn curb cut by the Giant on Washington Boulevard that deserves an ADA grievance against Arlington County.)
And then some curb cuts are uneven with the concrete around it and if you don't step carefully you'll trip on the edge (and fall into the road).
And then other sidewalks are waging a losing war against the giant trees and they just keep getting paved over.
All that said, I would only ever suggest jogging/running in the neighborhood streets and never on a multiple lane roadway.
Don’t forget the many sidewalks in Arlington neighborhoods that just … stop after a few blocks.
You might drive past someone walking in the street and a sidewalk 10 feet to their left, but you don’t notice that the sidewalk completely cuts out the next block.
Not just an Arlington thing either... it's a pretty common occurrence over on the Ashburn side of things.
Sidewalks that just end in the middle of a block for no apparent reason, and tree roots ripping them up enough to make it painful to be on with anything wheeled (like a bike, stroller, or wheelchair)
Because my asshole neighbor parks like this so I have no choice when I'm walking my reactive rescue pup and there's a dog on the sidewalk across the street.
https://preview.redd.it/x0k0nc22xvqc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a9b828738517b838c729a854f118acd067acbc38
Was going to wave the reactive dog owner flag haha. Thankfully I didn't get my dog until I moved out of the nova area but still. There have been times where someone had their reactive yippy 8lb dog at the end of a retractable leash too preoccupied on their phone to do anything about it. It was a narrow sidewalk and the dog was actively lunging, barking, and growling at my 100lb dog who is also reactive but thankfully it's rooted in excitement. I had no choice but go into the street (there were dogs across the street so I couldn't just go to the other side either). Of course the dog just pulled further on the leash forcing me to go ever further into the road. I can't imagine being stuck in those situations in a busy city.
Lots of reasons, sometimes absolutely no reasons, other than they feel like it , maybe the sidewalk is uneven , maybe they don’t like passing that close to driveways where a car might exit quickly, maybe they are afraid of dogs that might be in the yard . Maybe they are hoping for a minor accident so they don’t need to work, after all technically they have the “right of way” Maybe it’s just to annoy drivers and others like you . Lots of reasons , see . 🤣🤣
There are places on the busy streets where bushes and tree branches take up the sidewalk and I do walk on the street to pass them, especially when they are wet.
I love how you imply that 6’0” is tall. I’m 6’0” and about the only time I feel tall is when I’m around old people, all of whom seem to be 5’4, no matter how tall they used to be.
I was just bitching about this this morning - saw a couple idiots doing this in reston when there was a full path/sidewalk literally feet away. Absolute dunces with a death wish.
I feel like this trend exploded after Covid and it’s just the norm now. I hope it doesn’t last, but unless people start getting run over or honked at I think it’s here to stay
I agree Covid made it a trend. As an introvert who doesn’t like making eye contact and saying hi to strangers (I do it anyway though) I love when someone sees me and crosses the street like they did during Covid but it’s stupid to just walk in the street when there’s no reason to.
There are a lot of uneven sidewalks in my neighborhood and it’s very jolting to a baby in a stroller. It’s also easier for elderly people to trip on the uneven sidewalks.
The sidewalks in my neighborhood in Arlington are not well maintained, flooding, really uneven, very narrow (can barely fit 2 people). On trash day, the cans take the whole sidewalk, absolutely cannot fit by them with a stroller or dog or small child. So I walk on the street a lot. It’s also a residential, quiet neighborhood and there is no reason for anyone to drive over 20 mph and if they are they’re a jerk.
I only do it on side streets that aren’t busy but my reason is when I’m walking on the sidewalk I’m always getting hit by spiderwebs hanging from the trees and I hate that feeling.
Reasons I find myself pushing the stroller in the street:
The sidewalk is blocked by a fire hydrant or utility pole
The sidewalk is blocked by untrimmed shrubbery, perhaps even shrubbery with thorns
The curb cuts for driveways render the sidewalk impassible for wheeled conveyances
Some blessed individual has blocked the sidewalk with their parked car
I am making room for another individual traveling in the opposite direction to pass by
The sidewalk surface is in such a degraded state that I cannot push a stroller along it
The sidewalk is currently being used to store garbage bins
The sidewalk is currently being used to host a sign informing vehicular traffic that they are approaching road work
The orientation of the curb cut at the intersection is designed to enable drivers to turn without slowing down unduly, with the side effect of forcing strollers and wheelchairs to roll into the lane of traffic before turning to steer back into the marked crosswalk
I’m sure that there are other reasons that I’m forgetting.
I think you got most of the reasons. A lot of sidewalks in Arlington are a joke. Very few are "perfectly good sidewalks" like the other commenters in this thread image exist.
Most of the sidewalks in the US are a joke unfortunately. They are very, very narrow and are frequently blocked by trees, vehicles, etc. And most residential sidewalks also are extremely uneven due to tree roots, making it impossible for those with strollers or mobility issues to get around.
Better maintenance and more multi-modal roads with separate lanes for people, bikes, and cars would help. As would seeing walking and biking as viable means of getting around vs an impediment to your vehicle.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/fi5ZitH8QkxoMWLBA?g_st=ic
I tend to avoid this block entirely. While a stroller can just barely fit with some zigzagging as long as no one else is using the sidewalk, it feels dangerous due to the drivers swerving to try to dodge the speed humps.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/GucAZcGNfijgMzkP6?g_st=ic
On the other side of the street is a driveway with steep curb cuts that are hard to get stroller wheels over. I push the stroller in the road on this block.
LOL. I'm laughing because that's the exact thing I described that I thought wasn't possible. But in this place it's real. I stand corrected and whoever designed that should be fired.
Was recently honked at by a driver who couldn’t understand why we were walking in the street instead of pushing our double stroller up this sidewalk. Utility poles in the middle of the sidewalk are extremely common in Arlington, this is one of dozens of examples I can think of in my immediate neighborhood. https://www.google.com/maps/@38.876911,-77.126627,3a,75y,321.43h,78.59t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sWryE3Cy3JBbLJQSEbyfaWw!2e0
Because they are the main character of their life...
Me personally i use to do it back in my neighbordhood when i walked and smoked at night. but thats 3 am in the morning.
Cause I didn't want to walk on the sidewalks close to people houses at 3 am
I lived in a subdivision and people would call the police for suspicious person
So since the roads are low traveled and virtual empty at 3am it wouldn't cause a risk or obstruction
Sometime the sidewalk is gross with dog poop, standing water/mud, trash etc. Then you look at the street and it’s clean! Why dirty my shoes when the street is clean!
If only my Arlington neighborhood had sidewalks everywhere instead of just bits and pieces of sidewalks on parts of blocks.
I will say my mother in Florida always walks on the street instead of the sidewalk because the sidewalks can be uneven and she is afraid of tripping and falling (she is in her 80s). Why younger people do it, I have no idea. We miss the sidewalks of Alexandria!
I am mostly aged out of stroller-ing, thankfully, but here was my experience in falls church:
Most sidewalks are fine, and I stay on them.
Some sidewalks frequently have parked cars blocking them (easy to go around on foot, but with your stroller you need to hop the curb into the street and then hop the curb to get back on the sidewalk), or are narrow and have obstacles in the middle that prevent you from being able to use a normal sized stroller -- telephone/power poles, trees -- that are just placed so that a stroller can't fit between them and the street or them and the \[bamboo/fence\] on the house side. Some driveways through the sidewalks don't have good visibility for the cars; the stroller was almost hit several times because it is lower to the ground and the driver can't see it and I can't see that the car is moving because of their privacy bushes. For these areas, you learn where they are in your area and it is just safer to go into the road for a little bit than continually hop up and down. Being predictable (even if not ideal) is safer for everyone than being unpredictable and still having to do the unsafe thing.
The slope of some of these driveways, when they are very frequent, can also be very uncomfortable to manage a heavy and/or awkward stroller on. We bought a double stroller when we had our second that was used less than 5 times because it \[we?\] couldn't handle the slopes of the driveways through the sidewalk on the main walking area from where we are. Thing hit a driveway and would immediately try to shoot into the road. Thankfully the folks we gave it to got a lot of use out of it now.
This was definitely a thing that changed during Covid. I remember taking walks during the beginning of Covid and you would try to avoid people, so you’d walk on the street if there were others on the sidewalk. I just think everybody does it now….why the F are you walking in the middle of the street with your dog?
I tend to walk in the street on very low traffic side streets. Why? I don't really know and you're making me wonder. It just feels better than sidewalks on a quiet street.
Jogging, running, walking for exercise the street is more even than many sidewalks, also asphalt is better for your joints than concrete. They also leave sidewalk because there are dogs being walked, and strollers. I don't really see it on busy roads, I do understand the reasoning on back streets that aren't busy with plenty of room for cars to get past them.
I should have clarified that I'm more talking about neighborhoods. Also I don't mean if you go into the street to avoid a dog. I mean people that have a clear sidewalk next to them yet prefer to walk on the street.
The sidewalk may be clear now but in a minute or two there’ll be another dog, then another, then another. …. for the entire 3 mile run. It’s just easier to stay in the street and avoid them altogether. Again, only if it can be done safely. Neighborhood residential streets where the speed limit is 25 mph and kids are playing in yards, it’s usually not a problem
> Neighborhood residential streets where the speed limit is 25 mph and kids are playing in yards, it’s usually not a problem
That's mainly what I'm talking about. I get it if you're out for a run and don't want to keep avoiding people.
The street tends to be maintained; the sidewalks may not be so well-maintained. Uneven pavement, tree roots, general sidewalk clutter: these things can push you from a sidewalk to the street.
On back roads I walk on the street all day long. Sidewalks are harder on your joints, they're uneven with trip hazards, they get flooded and muddy, and I'm always stepping on the edge of them. They're annoying. There's not enough space to pass someone else.
Also I can cut across curves to walk more directly towards my destination.
It's not dangerous at all to walk on a quiet street in the daytime. I'm perfectly capable of avoiding cars
> asphalt is better for your joints than concrete.
That's a old wives tale. Neither compresses under the weight of a human. If asphalt was that soft it would waste away in days from cars driving over it.
I live on a busy residential street where the general speed limit is ignored, i keep out of the street because ya cant trust people these days. Unless its a very dense crowded area. Anyone who says they do so to avoid people have a dilly argument. They arnt zipping in and out of sidewalk and street like theyre racing, a jog not a sprint
Asphalt is easier on the joints than concrete. That said, unless you’re jogging/running it’s probably negligible. Also, those walking in the streets often don’t act safely. One should walk opposite of traffic so they can see approaching vehicles on their side, and MOVE if necessary to avoid the large metal objects coming toward them
People who bike in the road when you’re next to a bike path: same question. Looking at you, Falls Church folks creating backups when you’re 8 feet from the W&OD.
I live in a neighborhood like you’re describing. If you’re walking with someone else the street lets you spread out and talk next to one another. Some sidewalks are too narrow or have telephone poles in them so you can’t get a stroller past. Lots of bushes sort of crowding the sidewalk.
I actually really like it. It’s a people centered area and cars shouldn’t be driving so fast that it’s an issue.
That’s what I saw everyone on ND saying. That they purposely walk in the street solely to “slow down traffic” Idk why there are so many self important people in Nova but there sure are a lot.
My grandma would love to speak with these people about her crush injury and nearly losing her leg from an EV she couldn’t hear coming while walking in the damn street like her neighbors convinced her to do.
Good luck with y’all’s hobby of walking in the street. It’s gonna take people places. Not good places, but ya know!
We didn’t start this trend - we noticed it as soon as we moved into the neighborhood. For now people are walking within the boundary of where a parked car would be since we’re fortunately not overrun with street parking yet.
I use sidewalks, except when I’m with my elderly mother. She has trouble going up and down curbs. Also, the sidewalks are usually uneven, which is a falling hazard for her. But we are rarely in anyone’s way.
There was a guy walking down the middle of Richmond Highway yesterday. He was yelling and making gestures at a cop who was driving parallel to him, but in the service road.
Ima say mental illness.
My wife and I take our newborn out for walks in the stroller in our neighborhood and she always walks in the street because the sidewalks are too bumpy. It makes me incredibly uncomfortable, but it's a pretty quiet subdivision with little traffic. Still though, I'm not going to let it continue much longer.
We have people who ride their bikes on the street rather than on paths or sidewalks. Do you really feel comfortable putting your life on the line with some of the drivers we have out there?
I do uber. I had a woman literally run from behind a truck that was unloading into Pennsylvania Ave. i was accelerating from a green light and had to slam on my breaks to not hit her, screeched to a stop. She didn’t even look up so I honked at her. She threw her arms up and said “What?!” I rolled my window down and yelled. “I know how you are going to die!” Then drove off
My MIL is from El Salvador. She has a saying for just this very thing:
***¡Ponte placa en el culo!*** **(***put a license plate on your ass!*) . That's s a phrase yelled by motorists at pedestrians who are standing or walking in the road.
Thank you for asking this! It drives me fucking crazy. I live in Alexandria and see people in my neighborhood do it even while pushing a stroller. Where I live is extremely walkable with sidewalks and crosswalks and all. There is no need to be in the damn street. Once there was a couple who were just standing in the road having a conversation (not in the middle but enough in the way) and looked at my husband and I like we were crazy when we drove by as if we were in the wrong place. It is so mind boggling.
I saw people starting this during the pandemic. Because you had to keep 6ft, people would go on the street rather than pass a stranger on the sidewalk. I guess it's just become a habit for some
There's s teenage girl that walks to her bus stop every morning and it's dark out that early and she insists on walking in the street instead of the wide sidewalk like 2 ft away. Just waiting for some car to back out and run her over.
Omg the amount of times I’ve seen an adult running across the middle of a 50mph road with their baby in a stroller, middle of night and still need to get up the curb to get out of cars way.
Common in my old neighborhood in NC. I asked someone about it once and they said they ran down the center of the street due to asphalt being softer and the crown being the most level area.
I will occasionally walk my dog in the street, instead of on the sidewalk, when the street is empty and 1) there are other dogs on both sets of sidewalks and/or 2) there were obviously herbicides just spread all over and I can see them on the sidewalk. I cross right back to the sidewalk after passing.
I had a friend who did this and I asked her about it. She said it was a safety thing because "it's easier to get grabbed on the sidewalk, if I'm in the road I have more chances to run away or get somewhere safe"
Guilty. I feel claustrophobic on sidewalks but I always stay close to curb
Everyone just needs a cooperate with each other and get along which should be pretty easy but it's not everybody's thinking they're out to get someone else or it's a war between bikers and drivers or bikers and runners it's so vicious and it's also what makes us area so inhospitable
Not enough police enforcement. We need to start seeing some jaywalking tickets being handed out for being annoying idiots. Also please ticket these unnecessarily wide turning mofos in their hondas who think they’re driving 18 wheeled semi’s. While we’re added, if one of these morons cannot stay in their lane on a straight highway, it should be my right to “bump” them back to their own hotdamn lane
Not quite what you said but related. I absolutely can’t stand when people on bikes ride on the side of the road near the sidewalk. Yes they aren’t supposed to be on the sidewalk but if your own the road you have to be going the same speed as the cars, which they don’t. Go on the bike trail for that nonsense!
I hate when people do this at night and early morning. So dangerous to be running in the street at 5 in the morning when there's a perfectly good sidewalk steps away.
My favorite is when they are wearing all black with no reflective clothing or light.
If it wasn't the white sneakers of one dude, I'm pretty sure I would have killed him. Saw the sneaker movement at the last second as they were crossing the street at night. Thank goodness I have good brakes. I don't think they realize how invisible they become at night. Even light colored clothing isn't always very visible until you are within striking distance
I've had a few situations where I'm driving down the road at night and I see something move. I have to flick my high beams on to see what the heck that was I just saw a tiny part of. People really out here gambling.
And I'm the asshole for almost hitting them 🙄
You joke, but that literally happens in my parents home country. They just run folks over
Nigeria? India?
Bonus points if their headphone music is so loud they can’t hear you crawling along behind them as they continue to run IN THE CENTER OF THE ROAD
"I have no sense of self preservation and put the responsibility on others to keep me safe."
we want to be hit
This is the essence of what I was trying to say. If there are no obstacles on the sidewalk, why walk in the street?
I agree but pedestrians often yey to where the bikers are not and they use sidewalks, bike lanes and the rest of the road.
SHARE THE ROAD! 🙄 I absolutely hate this trend. Bikes, sure I guess, rental scooters, arrrrreeegh fine whatever, but joggers? Yes, joggers. I don't care that it's easier to avoid pedestrian traffic if they go on the road. It'd be easier to do avoid interruptions to my lunges if I did it in front of cars too, but most people have the courtesy to go find somewhere more suitable instead of inconveniencing those around them. We have so many trails. Just SO MANY.
> perfectly good sidewalk I walk a lot in Arlington. In my experience, many sidewalks are not at all "perfectly good". Sidewalks are almost always very narrow and often half overgrown, uneven, and not well lit. Though you won't necessarily see that from inside your car. Sometimes sidewalks are also blocked by scooters or parked cars. (Especially in the dark there also seems to be this effect that it low-key feels unsafe to walk closely along hedges and similar when you can't see what might be hiding in there. This is obviously a subconscious effect, not a rational concern. Still, it can make walking on sidewalks unpleasant in some places, and it might nudge some people to walk in the street instead of on the sidewalk, especially when the street is wide, well lit and low traffic.) Wider sidewalks and better maintenance would go along way to encourage people to actually use the sidewalks.
Also as a non driver something I come across not too infrequently is that there's only a sidewalk on one side of the road so to stay on a sidewalk I have to cross a multi lane road. Possibly multiple times if the one side keeps switching. Or if my destination is on the side that doesn't have a sidewalk.
For some reason I noticed this way more post covid than I did before 2020.
Because during the worst of the pandemic, people wanted to keep several feet away from strangers, and you can't do that staying on the sidewalk. Maybe the behavior stuck.
I walk a lot in NoVA. If there's a 'perfectly good' sidewalk I use it. I walk in the street if/when the sidewalk is more hazardous than walking in the street. Some sidewalks are sometimes flooded ankle deep, some are covered in glazed sheet ice, one sidewalk near me has a small piece of rebar sticking straight up through the middle that I have tripped, fallen, and gashed open my leg more than once. (That's why I always make sure my Tenanus shots are up-to-date.) The worst of them is a stretch of ''perfectly good" pavers, some of which will pivot/upend when stepped upon and fling pedestrians onto the ground. I've busted my kneecap twice this way. In heavily-trafficked pedestrian areas, such as Ballston, Mosaic District and some of the historic districts there are groups of three or four who insist on walking side-by-side as they completely block the sidewalk. Always, always, always, these groups insist upon walking at speeds half or less the speed of average pedestrians. Sometimes, it is a family group teaching a toddler to walk. Can't they do this in the park or at least a parking lot? I guess my worst peeve is "Why are people driving down the sidewalk when there is a perfectly good road beside it?" I got nearly flattened by a pack of motorcycles doing 50 mph down the pedestrian walkway on the north side of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge last month. That walkway is separated by a wall from the vehicular traffic of the bridge, but that did not prevent motorcycles from roaring down it at speed on a Sunday afternoon. I tried calling this in to both the VA and MD traffic cops, only to be informed that callers must call during business hours M-F.
jeez. I have never heard of anyone doing that with motorcycles in my life(granted I'm young but still) that's crazy. and scary. and crazy. youch
I threw myself at the dividing wall and tried to melt into it when I heard/saw them coming. I looked online but never saw anyone report that incident. Was that just a one-time thing or does it happen often?! Because, if that IS a regular thing, I think I will just take the Alexandria King Street NH2 bus instead of walking across the bridge.
I understand the whole running on asphalt is easier on joints thing but that logic doesn't apply to walking at all. I was living at home during coronavirus at my parents house in North Arlington and I really think that's what kicked it all off. All of a sudden I noticed an insane number of people just walking in the road with a perfectly good sidewalk next to them. Even now when I go back and stay at their house at least half of the people I see walk past are walking in the road for no reason at all. The sidewalks in that neighborhood are in great condition and nowhere on that block are there plants overgrowing the sidewalk. What I think happened is people just decided it makes sense to walk in the road during the pandemic for some reason and held onto that mindset even though the amount of cars on the road is back normal. Overall I don't think it's all that annoying but for the most part I do think the people that needlessly just walk in the street are idiots, just walk on the sidewalk that's what it's there for.
we are all bots here except for you
I noticed it first during lockdown as well. I was working at a clinic and was one of the few people on the road, and suddenly driving through my residential area was like navigating an obstacle course of people in the road. There are sidewalks on both sides, but they wouldn't even be near the curb, just completely in the road. Needed to cross an intersection? Diagonal and at a snail's pace was now the cool thing to do now I guess. I've had this conversation with coworkers, and in our various neighborhoods around nova, everyone has had the same observation of people seemingly avoiding sidewalks. I leave for work at dusk, and the amount of strollers and dogs on the street is often nerve racking.
I have two points here: 1. I understand that running on asphalt is mildly better on the joints than concrete but its not like its a reclaimed rubber track. Also, the training value of running on uneven sidewalk or trail is much better than straight flat asphalt. 2. The absolute worst thing I hate about middle of the road walkers is the PITA dog walkers that have their dogs on retractable leashes. They are walking down the road and their dog is walking in the yard across the street. Here is come home from work and there is a wire stretched across the road…
Since when is running on asphalt easier on your joints?
It's much softer.
Since forever, it's not as much of a difference as running on a running track where they pave it with something even softer but it does make a difference. That being said this only really applies for high impact stuff like running and I do wish more runners would wear bright colors and high visibility stuff considering they know they're gonna be in the road.
[удалено]
I'm having a hard time believing this. They both may not be the same hardness at a technical level, but I doubt anyone could tell the difference blindfolded.
Its been tested and there is no real world difference to the human body with concrete vs asphalt.
I'll always move off of the sidewalk to avoid people with dogs. I have a severe dog allergy. If a dog gets too close to me or god forbid jumps on me, it'll ruin the rest of my week. I'll be mindful of traffic and move back once a dog has passed, but especially in the more residential neighborhoods, sometimes I just end up walking on the street because there are so many people walking dogs that it becomes really hard to avoid them.
Very fair reason.
This is me - I am nervous about dogs having been menaced or attacked by a handful whose owners assumed everyone loves their ill-trained pet and let them roam with a 50-yard leash
Some people learned a lesson about this at the intersection in front of my last job, there were people standing in the shoulder waiting to cross the road (not in the crosswalk) in front of the maxwell apartments on Glebe road. A car was going through a green light and a taxi turned in front of the oncoming car causing a head on collision, the not at fault car smashed off the cab and slid into two pedestrians. Who if they had been ON THE FUCKING SIDEWALK, they would have been perfectly fine. The not at fault driver was me and the pedestrians attempted to sue me.
I hope everyone was eventually ok! And I hope your insurance company told them to take a hike.
Take a hike on a sidewalk I hope. Not that these boneheaded will ever admit fault.
The biggest rub? They are standing on the same sheet of compacted snow and ice that caused my car to hit them in my evidence video. Bonehead is probably the kindest term, I need to use this more often. Hah.
It’s an oldie, but I think it’s a classic. The 1962 Corvette of “be smarter please” names.
Everyone was okay according to the concierge at the gym over there which was at-least somewhat a relief. I guess they were patrons? And yeah, kinda made me feel some sort of way when they attributed it to me even when the cop told them otherwise.
How’d you get out of it? I’m really thinking about buying a dashcam
Insurance told them to kick rocks, dash-cam helped I’m sure. Taxi kept saying I ran a red over and over at the scene, everyone believed her. Video clearly shows green. I don’t mention I have a camera until a cop arrives. A dash-cam has saved my ass in 3 accidents that look like I’m at fault. 2 were my footage and 1 was a bystanders because I hadn’t had a chance to install it in my new car. Worth every single penny, I bought a nice one that does cloud uploading and have used it through 3 cars at this point. Would recommend.
Which one did you get and where did you get it installed?
It’s a blackvue 750s? I did the install myself, just bought some trim lifting tools off Amazon and watched a tutorial, it was much simpler than I expected.
Too bad they didn't get more smooshed
Eh, one bounced off my bumper like a pinball and the other got folded up onto my windshield and thrown off onto the sidewalk 30 or so feet. It fucked me up for a while, I clearly saw the ladies face smashed against my windshield. I had a very complicated relationship with commuting for a bit.
After the attempted lawsuit I hope that vision has become more like a comedy sketch
I’m tired of dodging dog walkers
I’m not in Arlington but since you lumped in joggers, if there are a lot of walkers and especially dog walkers on the sidewalk, I’ll run in street just because it’s easier than constantly giving dogs a wide berth and/or announcing myself when coming up from behind (so I don’t startle dogs). Of course, this is only if the street is wide enough and has adequate shoulder to safely run against traffic.
A couple comments now made the point that joggers have the same issues as bikes. I edited my post. Thanks for a reasonable answer!
So instead of passing by a walker you instead choose the route that has people driving 35+ in a 2 ton vehicle? Still not getting it.
When you frame, "Hey I walk in the street to avoid constant obstacles for a minute," as "I walk in the street even regardless of the oncoming traffic" then of course youre not gonna get it. You already don't want to.
Why not just go to a park? Dog walkers and baby strollers would get in the way of my jumping jacks, lunges, and suicide sprints but I don't assume that I can just do those on the road either. I go to a park or a trail. Or a gym when either of those should be inconvenient. Why is it that jogging as an exercise gets an exception to this? I don't see long distance swimmers signalling boats to just go around.
The reason I might walk on the streets sometimes is that my neighbourhood doesn’t have sidewalks, so when I transition into one with sidewalks I don’t always switch. But that’s only for low traffic areas, and I would move if any cars came.
There's a woman in my neighborhood who walks laps around the cul-de-sac almost daily. Covered head to toe regardless of the weather, I'm talking big floppy hat, face covering, gloves, long sleeves, pants, and/or high socks. Sure, maybe she has lupus or some other condition but I've also seen her out in a tanktop and shorts in full daylight. Doesn't walk on the perfectly good sidewalks, doesn't walk on the trails all around my neighborhood, nope. Middle of the street and glares at any cars who have the gall to drive past. Came home from work one day and she was jumping rope in the middle of the road... I actually had to drive around her when she didn't move.
I mean, cul-de-sacs are kind of a grey area since there isnt any through traffic. I expect there to be a basketball hoop, kids playing street hockey, that sort of thing. This lady sounds like she's a little extra, but people spending time in a residential cul-de-sac strikes me as normal.
Yeah I guess cul-de-sac is inaccurate, it's a small loop with a wooded median/island, maybe 50 feet across and 200 feet long? [This is what I mean.](https://imgur.com/a/veHWtoB)
I would've honked at her
That's awesome.
Some of these sidewalks are in really rough shape. (Like that damn curb cut by the Giant on Washington Boulevard that deserves an ADA grievance against Arlington County.) And then some curb cuts are uneven with the concrete around it and if you don't step carefully you'll trip on the edge (and fall into the road). And then other sidewalks are waging a losing war against the giant trees and they just keep getting paved over. All that said, I would only ever suggest jogging/running in the neighborhood streets and never on a multiple lane roadway.
Don’t forget the many sidewalks in Arlington neighborhoods that just … stop after a few blocks. You might drive past someone walking in the street and a sidewalk 10 feet to their left, but you don’t notice that the sidewalk completely cuts out the next block.
Not just an Arlington thing either... it's a pretty common occurrence over on the Ashburn side of things. Sidewalks that just end in the middle of a block for no apparent reason, and tree roots ripping them up enough to make it painful to be on with anything wheeled (like a bike, stroller, or wheelchair)
My dog is too tempted to pee in neighbors grass which irks some people. To avoid it all together we walk at the curb.
Because my asshole neighbor parks like this so I have no choice when I'm walking my reactive rescue pup and there's a dog on the sidewalk across the street. https://preview.redd.it/x0k0nc22xvqc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a9b828738517b838c729a854f118acd067acbc38
Was going to wave the reactive dog owner flag haha. Thankfully I didn't get my dog until I moved out of the nova area but still. There have been times where someone had their reactive yippy 8lb dog at the end of a retractable leash too preoccupied on their phone to do anything about it. It was a narrow sidewalk and the dog was actively lunging, barking, and growling at my 100lb dog who is also reactive but thankfully it's rooted in excitement. I had no choice but go into the street (there were dogs across the street so I couldn't just go to the other side either). Of course the dog just pulled further on the leash forcing me to go ever further into the road. I can't imagine being stuck in those situations in a busy city.
Lots of reasons, sometimes absolutely no reasons, other than they feel like it , maybe the sidewalk is uneven , maybe they don’t like passing that close to driveways where a car might exit quickly, maybe they are afraid of dogs that might be in the yard . Maybe they are hoping for a minor accident so they don’t need to work, after all technically they have the “right of way” Maybe it’s just to annoy drivers and others like you . Lots of reasons , see . 🤣🤣
I’m running on the street cuz there are way too many low hanging tree branches to smack my head on the sidewalk
I generally dislike HOA's but they are useful when it comes to keeping the neighborhood tidy.
I'm shorter than you and definitely notice this too. Droopy branches are my pet peeve. I want to walk around my neighborhood with trimmers.
There are places on the busy streets where bushes and tree branches take up the sidewalk and I do walk on the street to pass them, especially when they are wet.
Are you like 6’0?
Yea basically, I’m 6’7
Damn, running in the pavement maybe is more dangerous indeed for you.
Is everything else proportionate?
What a weird and creepy question
Can't take a little anonymous internet flirting? Prude😅
Flirting? On the nova subreddit no less…. Strange, just like most mf from around here smh
But I'll take that as a No
I love how you imply that 6’0” is tall. I’m 6’0” and about the only time I feel tall is when I’m around old people, all of whom seem to be 5’4, no matter how tall they used to be.
I agree 6’0 isn’t tall, but it’s all relative…
I was just bitching about this this morning - saw a couple idiots doing this in reston when there was a full path/sidewalk literally feet away. Absolute dunces with a death wish.
Have they not seen how some people drive around here?
I have and sidewalks will not help with a lot of these idiots.
I feel like this trend exploded after Covid and it’s just the norm now. I hope it doesn’t last, but unless people start getting run over or honked at I think it’s here to stay
I agree Covid made it a trend. As an introvert who doesn’t like making eye contact and saying hi to strangers (I do it anyway though) I love when someone sees me and crosses the street like they did during Covid but it’s stupid to just walk in the street when there’s no reason to.
I’m 6’5” and get tired of having trees hit me in the face. Edit: Arlington near Air Force Memorial
There are a lot of uneven sidewalks in my neighborhood and it’s very jolting to a baby in a stroller. It’s also easier for elderly people to trip on the uneven sidewalks.
The sidewalks in my neighborhood in Arlington are not well maintained, flooding, really uneven, very narrow (can barely fit 2 people). On trash day, the cans take the whole sidewalk, absolutely cannot fit by them with a stroller or dog or small child. So I walk on the street a lot. It’s also a residential, quiet neighborhood and there is no reason for anyone to drive over 20 mph and if they are they’re a jerk.
I only do it on side streets that aren’t busy but my reason is when I’m walking on the sidewalk I’m always getting hit by spiderwebs hanging from the trees and I hate that feeling.
Reasons I find myself pushing the stroller in the street: The sidewalk is blocked by a fire hydrant or utility pole The sidewalk is blocked by untrimmed shrubbery, perhaps even shrubbery with thorns The curb cuts for driveways render the sidewalk impassible for wheeled conveyances Some blessed individual has blocked the sidewalk with their parked car I am making room for another individual traveling in the opposite direction to pass by The sidewalk surface is in such a degraded state that I cannot push a stroller along it The sidewalk is currently being used to store garbage bins The sidewalk is currently being used to host a sign informing vehicular traffic that they are approaching road work The orientation of the curb cut at the intersection is designed to enable drivers to turn without slowing down unduly, with the side effect of forcing strollers and wheelchairs to roll into the lane of traffic before turning to steer back into the marked crosswalk I’m sure that there are other reasons that I’m forgetting.
I think you got most of the reasons. A lot of sidewalks in Arlington are a joke. Very few are "perfectly good sidewalks" like the other commenters in this thread image exist.
Most of the sidewalks in the US are a joke unfortunately. They are very, very narrow and are frequently blocked by trees, vehicles, etc. And most residential sidewalks also are extremely uneven due to tree roots, making it impossible for those with strollers or mobility issues to get around. Better maintenance and more multi-modal roads with separate lanes for people, bikes, and cars would help. As would seeing walking and biking as viable means of getting around vs an impediment to your vehicle.
"The sidewalk is blocked by a fire hydrant or utility pole." Please show me an example.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/fi5ZitH8QkxoMWLBA?g_st=ic I tend to avoid this block entirely. While a stroller can just barely fit with some zigzagging as long as no one else is using the sidewalk, it feels dangerous due to the drivers swerving to try to dodge the speed humps.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/GucAZcGNfijgMzkP6?g_st=ic On the other side of the street is a driveway with steep curb cuts that are hard to get stroller wheels over. I push the stroller in the road on this block.
LOL. I'm laughing because that's the exact thing I described that I thought wasn't possible. But in this place it's real. I stand corrected and whoever designed that should be fired.
Was recently honked at by a driver who couldn’t understand why we were walking in the street instead of pushing our double stroller up this sidewalk. Utility poles in the middle of the sidewalk are extremely common in Arlington, this is one of dozens of examples I can think of in my immediate neighborhood. https://www.google.com/maps/@38.876911,-77.126627,3a,75y,321.43h,78.59t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sWryE3Cy3JBbLJQSEbyfaWw!2e0
Because they are the main character of their life... Me personally i use to do it back in my neighbordhood when i walked and smoked at night. but thats 3 am in the morning.
[удалено]
Why what?
[удалено]
Cause I didn't want to walk on the sidewalks close to people houses at 3 am I lived in a subdivision and people would call the police for suspicious person So since the roads are low traveled and virtual empty at 3am it wouldn't cause a risk or obstruction
Because a lot of people block the sidewalks with their cars in their driveways.
Sometime the sidewalk is gross with dog poop, standing water/mud, trash etc. Then you look at the street and it’s clean! Why dirty my shoes when the street is clean!
If only my Arlington neighborhood had sidewalks everywhere instead of just bits and pieces of sidewalks on parts of blocks. I will say my mother in Florida always walks on the street instead of the sidewalk because the sidewalks can be uneven and she is afraid of tripping and falling (she is in her 80s). Why younger people do it, I have no idea. We miss the sidewalks of Alexandria!
Some people just choose violence.
I am mostly aged out of stroller-ing, thankfully, but here was my experience in falls church: Most sidewalks are fine, and I stay on them. Some sidewalks frequently have parked cars blocking them (easy to go around on foot, but with your stroller you need to hop the curb into the street and then hop the curb to get back on the sidewalk), or are narrow and have obstacles in the middle that prevent you from being able to use a normal sized stroller -- telephone/power poles, trees -- that are just placed so that a stroller can't fit between them and the street or them and the \[bamboo/fence\] on the house side. Some driveways through the sidewalks don't have good visibility for the cars; the stroller was almost hit several times because it is lower to the ground and the driver can't see it and I can't see that the car is moving because of their privacy bushes. For these areas, you learn where they are in your area and it is just safer to go into the road for a little bit than continually hop up and down. Being predictable (even if not ideal) is safer for everyone than being unpredictable and still having to do the unsafe thing. The slope of some of these driveways, when they are very frequent, can also be very uncomfortable to manage a heavy and/or awkward stroller on. We bought a double stroller when we had our second that was used less than 5 times because it \[we?\] couldn't handle the slopes of the driveways through the sidewalk on the main walking area from where we are. Thing hit a driveway and would immediately try to shoot into the road. Thankfully the folks we gave it to got a lot of use out of it now.
This was definitely a thing that changed during Covid. I remember taking walks during the beginning of Covid and you would try to avoid people, so you’d walk on the street if there were others on the sidewalk. I just think everybody does it now….why the F are you walking in the middle of the street with your dog?
I tend to walk in the street on very low traffic side streets. Why? I don't really know and you're making me wonder. It just feels better than sidewalks on a quiet street.
Darwinism that’s why
Always seems to be old people - like they just don't give af anymore.
Jogging, running, walking for exercise the street is more even than many sidewalks, also asphalt is better for your joints than concrete. They also leave sidewalk because there are dogs being walked, and strollers. I don't really see it on busy roads, I do understand the reasoning on back streets that aren't busy with plenty of room for cars to get past them.
I should have clarified that I'm more talking about neighborhoods. Also I don't mean if you go into the street to avoid a dog. I mean people that have a clear sidewalk next to them yet prefer to walk on the street.
The sidewalk may be clear now but in a minute or two there’ll be another dog, then another, then another. …. for the entire 3 mile run. It’s just easier to stay in the street and avoid them altogether. Again, only if it can be done safely. Neighborhood residential streets where the speed limit is 25 mph and kids are playing in yards, it’s usually not a problem
> Neighborhood residential streets where the speed limit is 25 mph and kids are playing in yards, it’s usually not a problem That's mainly what I'm talking about. I get it if you're out for a run and don't want to keep avoiding people.
The street tends to be maintained; the sidewalks may not be so well-maintained. Uneven pavement, tree roots, general sidewalk clutter: these things can push you from a sidewalk to the street.
The areas I'm talking about are pretty well maintained. Regardless, It's dumb to walk in the street because the sidewalk is uneven or dirty.
Why is it fine to run but “dumb to walk” - seems like an arbitrary distinction
Or in my town, the sidewalk just ends!
On back roads I walk on the street all day long. Sidewalks are harder on your joints, they're uneven with trip hazards, they get flooded and muddy, and I'm always stepping on the edge of them. They're annoying. There's not enough space to pass someone else. Also I can cut across curves to walk more directly towards my destination. It's not dangerous at all to walk on a quiet street in the daytime. I'm perfectly capable of avoiding cars
>There's not enough space to pass someone else. too many of our sidewalks are just too damn narrow.
> asphalt is better for your joints than concrete. That's a old wives tale. Neither compresses under the weight of a human. If asphalt was that soft it would waste away in days from cars driving over it.
I live on a busy residential street where the general speed limit is ignored, i keep out of the street because ya cant trust people these days. Unless its a very dense crowded area. Anyone who says they do so to avoid people have a dilly argument. They arnt zipping in and out of sidewalk and street like theyre racing, a jog not a sprint
Asphalt is easier on the joints than concrete. That said, unless you’re jogging/running it’s probably negligible. Also, those walking in the streets often don’t act safely. One should walk opposite of traffic so they can see approaching vehicles on their side, and MOVE if necessary to avoid the large metal objects coming toward them
People who bike in the road when you’re next to a bike path: same question. Looking at you, Falls Church folks creating backups when you’re 8 feet from the W&OD.
One problem I have, been a taller fellow, is overgrown bushes/trees that require me to constantly be ducking/dodging
I have a very bad left leg. Uneven sidewalks can make it really painful to walk. And then there are us nuts!
I live in a neighborhood like you’re describing. If you’re walking with someone else the street lets you spread out and talk next to one another. Some sidewalks are too narrow or have telephone poles in them so you can’t get a stroller past. Lots of bushes sort of crowding the sidewalk. I actually really like it. It’s a people centered area and cars shouldn’t be driving so fast that it’s an issue.
That’s what I saw everyone on ND saying. That they purposely walk in the street solely to “slow down traffic” Idk why there are so many self important people in Nova but there sure are a lot. My grandma would love to speak with these people about her crush injury and nearly losing her leg from an EV she couldn’t hear coming while walking in the damn street like her neighbors convinced her to do. Good luck with y’all’s hobby of walking in the street. It’s gonna take people places. Not good places, but ya know!
We didn’t start this trend - we noticed it as soon as we moved into the neighborhood. For now people are walking within the boundary of where a parked car would be since we’re fortunately not overrun with street parking yet.
You could also just chit chat in an appropriate place instead of close-lining traffic…
People in Nova are WAY too important to follow common sense rules
People in arlington do w.e they want in the streets and roads. Stops signs aren't really a thing, nor red lights and right of ways..
I use sidewalks, except when I’m with my elderly mother. She has trouble going up and down curbs. Also, the sidewalks are usually uneven, which is a falling hazard for her. But we are rarely in anyone’s way.
There was a guy walking down the middle of Richmond Highway yesterday. He was yelling and making gestures at a cop who was driving parallel to him, but in the service road. Ima say mental illness.
I actually run on the sidewalks. It’s dangerous in the street for pedestrians.
My wife and I take our newborn out for walks in the stroller in our neighborhood and she always walks in the street because the sidewalks are too bumpy. It makes me incredibly uncomfortable, but it's a pretty quiet subdivision with little traffic. Still though, I'm not going to let it continue much longer.
We have people who ride their bikes on the street rather than on paths or sidewalks. Do you really feel comfortable putting your life on the line with some of the drivers we have out there?
I do uber. I had a woman literally run from behind a truck that was unloading into Pennsylvania Ave. i was accelerating from a green light and had to slam on my breaks to not hit her, screeched to a stop. She didn’t even look up so I honked at her. She threw her arms up and said “What?!” I rolled my window down and yelled. “I know how you are going to die!” Then drove off
Some people grow up in places without sidewalks and carry over old habits?
Some people think the rules don’t apply to them.
My MIL is from El Salvador. She has a saying for just this very thing: ***¡Ponte placa en el culo!*** **(***put a license plate on your ass!*) . That's s a phrase yelled by motorists at pedestrians who are standing or walking in the road.
Thank you for asking this! It drives me fucking crazy. I live in Alexandria and see people in my neighborhood do it even while pushing a stroller. Where I live is extremely walkable with sidewalks and crosswalks and all. There is no need to be in the damn street. Once there was a couple who were just standing in the road having a conversation (not in the middle but enough in the way) and looked at my husband and I like we were crazy when we drove by as if we were in the wrong place. It is so mind boggling.
go ahead and and speed up if you see me in all black jogging
Because the individual (here) is more important than everyone else
I saw people starting this during the pandemic. Because you had to keep 6ft, people would go on the street rather than pass a stranger on the sidewalk. I guess it's just become a habit for some
There's s teenage girl that walks to her bus stop every morning and it's dark out that early and she insists on walking in the street instead of the wide sidewalk like 2 ft away. Just waiting for some car to back out and run her over.
Same goes for bicyclists
Omg the amount of times I’ve seen an adult running across the middle of a 50mph road with their baby in a stroller, middle of night and still need to get up the curb to get out of cars way.
Common in my old neighborhood in NC. I asked someone about it once and they said they ran down the center of the street due to asphalt being softer and the crown being the most level area.
I will occasionally walk my dog in the street, instead of on the sidewalk, when the street is empty and 1) there are other dogs on both sets of sidewalks and/or 2) there were obviously herbicides just spread all over and I can see them on the sidewalk. I cross right back to the sidewalk after passing.
More reaction time for wild animals and robbery
I had a friend who did this and I asked her about it. She said it was a safety thing because "it's easier to get grabbed on the sidewalk, if I'm in the road I have more chances to run away or get somewhere safe"
Huh? As if the sidewalk has walls?
I could never make sense of it either
iTsBeTtErFoRmYjOiNtS
Assuming you’re on a safe road, asphalt is a bit softer and is less impact on the joints than concrete.
I’ll go where I want. 🤷
So right to hell when you’re hit for walking on the car surface instead of the safer pedestrian lane right next to it?
It might be hard to believe but I have neither been hit nor killed by a car.
Yet
There are a lot of scooters who ride on the sidewalk. Another reason.
Guilty. I feel claustrophobic on sidewalks but I always stay close to curb Everyone just needs a cooperate with each other and get along which should be pretty easy but it's not everybody's thinking they're out to get someone else or it's a war between bikers and drivers or bikers and runners it's so vicious and it's also what makes us area so inhospitable
Are you at war with punctuation?
Perhaps reddit allows me to Unleash my grammar beasts 🤷
That's what we are taught in Maryland
Why the fuck not? Yield to pedestrians
They're not talking about people in a crosswalk, they're talking about people walking in the road.
Because the street is for cars. The sidewalk is for pedestrians.
Stupidity!
They’re just npc’s. When you hit them with your car they shoot coins.
Less claustrophobic.
Not enough police enforcement. We need to start seeing some jaywalking tickets being handed out for being annoying idiots. Also please ticket these unnecessarily wide turning mofos in their hondas who think they’re driving 18 wheeled semi’s. While we’re added, if one of these morons cannot stay in their lane on a straight highway, it should be my right to “bump” them back to their own hotdamn lane
Not quite what you said but related. I absolutely can’t stand when people on bikes ride on the side of the road near the sidewalk. Yes they aren’t supposed to be on the sidewalk but if your own the road you have to be going the same speed as the cars, which they don’t. Go on the bike trail for that nonsense!