Here’s a tip for folks walking in a large group together: you don’t own the sidewalk, so you need to make way for other pedestrians. It sounds silly to write it (and probably read it) because it’s so obvious, but you would be surprised how many sidewalk hogs are out there. You’ve seen them. A group walk abreast of one another and fan out across the public sidewalk, oblivious to the rest of us trying to get around them. It’s like a game of chicken on foot. To be polite, they should switch to single file or at least double file in the crowd. Otherwise, someone is forced off the curb just to make way for the gang who won’t separate. This act of common courtesy applies to more than city sidewalks; it also includes malls, boardwalks, zoos, parks…any place where large amounts of people are moving.
A good rule of thumb to use in judging whether this applies to your group or not is the “pack” rule. If you are more than two people, you are a pack. Therefore, it is your responsibility to make room for others to travel around you. So, change to single file until traffic passes. If you don’t, you’re likely to get shoulder bumps from other angry pedestrians.
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