Brina Crellin ‘29
Guest Writer
I have given up moving out of the way for people on the sidewalks. I always walk on the right side, with the flow of traffic, yet people seem to be baffled by this. I have bumped shoulders with random people, gotten dirty looks, and even had my phone almost knocked out of my hand when I was standing to the very right side of the sidewalk trying to text someone quickly. Yet, the right side of the sidewalk where I walk is the correct way. I walk the same direction as the flow of traffic.
You go visit a big city. Which side of the sidewalk do people walk on? The right. Which side of the road do we drive on? The right. This seems to be a difficult concept for us students to understand. We all believe that we do not need to move out of the way for people. That is just going to lead to head on collisions, especially since people have a tendency to look down on their phones as they walk. Not only is this an issue on the sidewalks and roads, this seems to be a problem in the hallways, too. I am weaving in and out of people trying to walk to class. Things would be much more sufficient for everyone if we all followed the common traffic rules many of us learned in drivers-ed.
Adding on to this, for the sake of everyone’s sanity, please stop walking in straight lines that take up entire sidewalks. I promise that your group does not need to walk four in a row. Yet when I refuse to move out of the way for these large groups of people, I am the one given dirty looks. I am just one person taking up the right side of the side walk; you are four people taking up an entire sidewalk. I refuse to walk in the grass just so you can keep your perfect line. These issues are common courtesy. You would not walk like that on a city sidewalk, would you? You would not expect someone to step into the roadway for you, would you? No. For some reason, this is a difficult concept for many students to understand.
I despise trying to maneuver my way around people who are walking slower than me (which is fine!) when they are standing in a line. What am I supposed to do in that situation? On multiple occasions I am tempted to step on the back of these people’s shoes.
For the sake of people’s sanity, be courteous when walking around campus. You and your friend group are not the only people walking around. There are other people outside of your bubble. Walk on the right side of the sidewalk, look around to make sure you’re not blocking someone, and please stop walking in lines. It will make everyone happier.
Featured image courtesy of College of the Holy Cross
Copy Edited by Sophia Mariani ’26
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