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Over the course of the last year, I have observed a change in driving habits in Rochester. Driving has become more discordant and chaotic. Pedestrian habits seem to reflect this. Not so much along the sidewalks of the city of Rochester, but more along the walkways and hallways on the RIT campus.
I remember high school and how odd it was that everybody walked on the right side of the hall. No matter what the hallways may be like from day-to-day, they would always end up walking on the right. My high school adhered to the law of the jungle, except in the hallways.
My first few years at RIT didn't show any change in the "walk on the right rule." However, this fall has been different. It's been almost catastrophic. Not only is the right-hand side no longer sacred, neither is anything else. I'd like to point out what I've been seeing:
Problem 1: Game of chicken
Here, person A is minding his own business, so to speak. He's walking on the right-hand side like I would expect. Person B is walking on his left-hand side. Person A doesn't want to collide with person B, so he walks further to his right. Person B matches this by moving more to the left. Person B is acting innocent, whether you believe it or not. They end up going off the road, and meeting. They both quietly say, "Excuse me," and end up eventually getting by each other.
Problem 2: The "Yeah, Boy"
Here's a quarter-mile classic. You have three homeboys, meandering back-and-forth on the way to pimpin' their ho's. They're chillin' and just letting their feet take them wherever it might. They are a hard group to get around since they walk all over the damn place. It is made worse when they look intimidating.
Problem 3: I am an engineer, and it is only logical to take the shortest distance between two points in a straight line
Persons A, B, and C are doing a good job at the complicated task of walking. Person D decides that RIT does not pave where it should, and is cutting across. Person D probably looked at the two places he needed to be on a map, and drew a straight line across them. This person is probably always late to class. They are always in hurry. They think that people who get in their way are stupid and walk too slow.
Problem 4: Is this London???
This doesn't really seem so bad, but everybody's walking on the wrong side! That is, except for person G. This person seems not to have a damn clue what the hell is going on. He started his stroll and just realized that he's walking against the tide. Often, person G is me. So if you see some guy with an Intel backpack on one shoulder, and a laptop carrying case on another, tell them you read the article. Another clue: He'll probably have been knocked over by persons F and E.
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