Rules OFF the road
Kicking Sidewalk Rage to the curb
By Kelcie Kawano
DO YOU EVER find yourself feeling fitfully angry when faced with a crowded mall? Have you entertained thoughts of Spartan-kicking slow walkers into oncoming traffic? Are you tempted to knee small children in the face when they weave madly as you navigate a busy street? Does stopping abruptly in front of a pushy businessman sound appealing? Would you give a stern, four-letter tongue lashing to the group of tourists snapping selfies in the center of a walkway? If you answered yes or been on the receiving end to any of the above examples, then congratulations, friend—you’ve just had a taste of 'sidewalk rage.’
What is it? Sidewalk rage can best be described as "feelings of aggressiveness and anger" towards other pedestrians. Aside from the missing two-ton cocoon of airbags and steel, a pedestrian experiences the same types of negative thoughts and many of the same hostile feelings or behaviors exhibited by a motorist with 'road rage,' Similarly, there is another form of aggression referred to as 'pedestrian rage,' however, this focuses more heavily on walker-driver conflict. Sidewalk rage is used to characterize those negative interactions that occur in strictly in pedestrian populations.
Is this common? In a London survey of 510 people, 89% reportedly encountered sidewalk rage; of those participants, 33% admitted to feelings of irritability and rage while the remaining 66% had been the target of an aggressive walker. In short, sidewalk rage, like all forms of aggression associated with other forms of transportation, is rather common. This holds especially true in the hustle and bustle of large cities where time is money, tempers are short, and there is little margin for error regarding punctuality.
How to spot it. Sidewalk rage manifests in many ways, some more obvious than others. This includes but is not limited to: muttering or bumping into people, uncaringly hogging a walking lane, or behaving in a hostile manner (e.g. gesturing, making unpleasant experessions, purposely infringing upon another person's space). Although verbal or physical altercations are the most noticeable, other elements, such as hostile thoughts or feelings, cannot be identified at a glance.
Are you afflicted? Dr. Leon James, a professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, developed a 15-point Pedestrian Aggressiveness Syndrome Scale (PASS) that can be used to determine a person's propensity and sidewalk rage severity.
FEEL AT RISK? Sidewalk rage can be characterized by the following traits:
- Having denigrating thoughts about other pedestrians
- Walking by a slower moving pedestrian and cutting back too soon (feels hostile or rude)
- Feeling competitive with other pedestrians
- Acting in a hostile manner (staring, presenting a mean face, moving faster or closer than expected)
- Feeling stress and impatience when walking in a crowded area (crosswalk, staircase, mall, store, airport, street, beach, park, etc.)
- Walking much faster than the rest of the people
- Not yielding when it's the polite thing to do
- Walking on the left of a crowded passageway where most pedestrians walk on the right
- Muttering at other pedestrians
- Bumping into others
- Not apologizing when expected (after bumping by accident or coming very close in attempting to pass)
- Making insulting gestures
- Hogging or blocking the passageway, acting uncaring or unaware
- Expressing pedestrian rage against a driver (like insulting or throwing something)
- Feeling enraged at other pedestrians and enjoying thoughts of violence
A COMMON COMPLAINT made by locals, those who journey a maze of crowded city streets on their daily commute, is about the plodding pace set by tourists—the oblivious visitors looking skyward at the impressive Manhattan skyline or ambling down the middle of a sidewalk, nose buried in his travel guide. The average New Yorker walks at a breezy 4.27 feet per second while a tourist averages 3.79 feet per second. Considering those statistics, it's no wonder locals have little patience for a dawdling pack of sightseers.
Are you a
sidewalk rager?
A
Rage against
tourists