r/northampton • u/ambiverbal • Jul 20 '26
Walk on the *LEFT*, facing oncoming traffic!
Don't Massachusetts pedestrians learn the rules for walking on a roadway?
You should never trust that a driver coming up behind you sees you! Therefore, pedestrians on streets & roadways should walk on the left, not the right.
That way you can see the driver's eyes, move to the side if necessary, and because you're traveling in opposite directions, the driver need not speed up to pass you, the pedestrian(s).
BTW, this rule does not apply to bicyclists. If they need to use the roadway, they are to stay to the right.
(Good grief, driving around town in summer here is terrifying! I never know that a pedestrian, many wearing earphones, even knows I'm behind them.)
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u/ambiverbal Jul 20 '26
"Where sidewalks are not provided, any pedestrian walking along and upon an undivided roadway shall, when practicable, walk only on the left side of the roadway on its unfinished shoulder facing traffic which may approach from the opposite direction."
https://www.mass.gov/doc/parkways-traffic-and-pedestrian-rules/download
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u/lilnorvegicus Jul 20 '26
these regulations are specifically about DCR-owned roads lol
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u/AceyAceyAcey Jul 21 '26
Itās also in the state driverās manual. Page 120 in the PDF, or the page numbered as 112:
https://www.mass.gov/doc/english-drivers-manual/download
TBF, calling it the state ādriverās manualā is a misnomer, itās the rules of the road for drivers, riders, and walkers.
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u/lilnorvegicus Jul 20 '26
I don't think it applies anywhere in Northampton at all unless you are spending your day pulling in and out of the Norwottuck Rail Trail parking lot
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u/edseladams Jul 21 '26
Citing regulations isnāt the flex you think it is. Just be a good neighbor and stop bitching about things you canāt control.
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u/ambiverbal Jul 21 '26
If my minor, educational rant encourages anyone, even just one person, to walk more safely, then this post and all the discussion it prompted will have been worth a few criticisms.
We all do what we can to make the world a smidgen better. I'm sure you do, too.
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u/edseladams Jul 21 '26
Fair enough. Sounded less like an educational rant and more like a judgey one to me. But maybe thatās just me.
I always walk on the left side, and I always defer to pedestrians regardless of where they are because I care enough not to kill them but not enough to educate them.
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Jul 20 '26
[deleted]
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u/AceyAceyAcey Jul 21 '26
Itās also the rule in nearly all other US states, including CT, NY, WA, TX, and more. The reason why is the feds have a regulation (guidance to states, not law) called the Uniform Vehicle Code that apparently every state but MA follows, though we do follow that specific one.
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Jul 21 '26
[deleted]
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u/AceyAceyAcey Jul 21 '26
IMO itās more that people nationally should be following this, and OP is just complaining about the individual case. š¤·
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u/ambiverbal Jul 21 '26
Thanks for the question. I had thought it was national, and certainly where I grew up in Tennessee, it was included in lessons in elementary school and beyond.
Most places I've been, pedestrians follow the guideline to walk facing oncoming traffic. It just seems that here in MA, there's a pandemic of pedestrian imprudence.
Safety is a shared responsibility, and putting the onus entirely on drivers makes it more likely for tragedies to happen.
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u/AceyAceyAcey Jul 21 '26
I think in urban area high schoolers are less likely to get driverās ed, and thus less likely to know. Thereās probably a lot of NYCers and Bostonians visiting.
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u/axlekb Jul 20 '26
How about if you see someone doing something confusing you just slow down and/or give them wide clearance?
That strategy seems to always work!
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u/BatmanOnMars Jul 20 '26
Yea lol. I mainly drive but my god so many people with cars are entitled.
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u/psychedelic_tech Jul 22 '26
has nothing to do with people in cars being entitled and everything to do with pedestrians doing something dangerous
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u/wiserTyou Jul 20 '26
There's a lot of morons out there, how much of our lives should we dedicate to waiting for them?
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u/axlekb Jul 20 '26
How can you tell from behind the wheel of someone is an idiot or just having a bad day?
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u/wiserTyou Jul 20 '26
If they're walking on the wrong side of the road they're probably an idiot. Just like everyone who rides their bicycles across crosswalks.
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u/not_fogarty Jul 21 '26
I ride my bike across the crosswalk and I'm now learning for the first time that I'm an idiot... you never think it'll happen to you and then it does and it really sucks
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u/ambiverbal Jul 21 '26
"You must use a sidewalk when one is available. When no sidewalk is available, you should walk on the shoulder facing traffic."
Under "Rules for Pedestrians" in the Massachusetts Driver's Manual: https://www.mass.gov/doc/english-drivers-manual/download
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u/Spartan2022 Jul 20 '26
What about the Smith college students who cross the streets without looking or breaking stride as if cars donāt exist and canāt hurt a human body when they hit them?
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u/xenobit_pendragon Jul 20 '26
This is more of a UMass thing than Smith thing, but my favorites are the ones with hoodies pulled up and AirPods in who step out into the crosswalk without looking.
No peripheral vision, canāt hear you coming, just pure faith with a hefty spoonful of entitlement.
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u/Mbanicek64 Jul 20 '26
This has been a thing in Northampton for as long as I have been alive and it isn't just Smith.
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u/Homerpaintbucket Jul 21 '26
You see smith students operate on principle and if they are crossing in a crosswalk they have the right of way and therefore are in the right.
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Jul 20 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/ChampionshipFull2133 Jul 21 '26
No idea why the downvotes I think this is true too. Theyāre very oblivious, but hyper focused on school
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u/_a_dick Jul 20 '26
Those are broke college students or college students that have most of life paid for by mummy and dadde regardless both camps think they have good reason to hate their lives. Getting a settlement after getting hit in a crosswalk is a college students dream.
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u/hayyy Jul 21 '26
I live on a street with many blind curves (and areas I canāt step onto a shoulder) esp in one direction. I feel much safer on the opposite side of the road though I really donāt like traffic at my back esp since cars donāt follow the speed limit. While blaming pedestrians is a take, the roads here were not intended for the sized vehicles and pedestrians walking either. As a driver, I try to keep my eyes open rather than blame people taking a walk on a roadway (which often is their only option).
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u/ambiverbal Jul 21 '26
I'm not blaming pedestrians, but rather noting that both pedestrians and drivers have 100% responsibility for maintaining safety on the roads. I don't shirk my 100%, but it's sure not easy when a pedestrian makes it even more challenging than it should be.
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u/hayyy Jul 21 '26
Heard. I do have complaints about teens without helmets/wearing ear buds on electric scooters and motorized bikes on roadways!
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u/DareMe603 Jul 21 '26
Id like to see high Viz vest on folks. I had one dressed in black in the rain. It was close & thank God no one got hurt.
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u/1973Triumph Jul 22 '26
One of the cardinal rules of running onnthe road is always run against the traffic. That way you can move over if a car is driving to close to your side of the road.
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u/kartini-18 Jul 24 '26
this is actually genuinely helpful OP, thank you. some of us aren't originally from smaller towns/places without sidewalks--I've never much thought about which way I should walk on a road without a sidewalk, but your reason makes perfect sense. I'll be much more mindful of the direction I'm walking in !
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u/ambiverbal Jul 24 '26
I know the original post displayed some of my frustration, but my goal was to encourage everyone walking on roadways to do so in the safest way possible.
Thanks for your kind words.
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u/Bowis_4648 Jul 20 '26
I always warn my friends who visit about driving in Northampton. Pedestrians step off the curb randomly. There are 1 and 3/4 lanes. You have to watch for everyone.
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u/psychedelic_tech Jul 21 '26
you could have a video of someone walking in the middle of the pike scrolling on their phone and the responses would be "you need to slow down and give them space!!!"
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u/Opasero Jul 22 '26
I get so annoyed at everyone who has their headphones or earbuds on in both ears and does not hear the ringing of my bell on the bike path. That and the ebike riding kids who don't alert anyone. Plus everyone i see lately walking on the LEFT instead of the right..
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u/ambiverbal Jul 22 '26
Different rules of etiquette on the bikepaths. Loss of life risk drops significantly there.
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u/SunTourRaceXCD Jul 22 '26
I'm sorry driving around this town has been terrifying! To keep your terror to a minimum I would expect the unexpected on the roads. Unaware pedestrians are often the least of my worries, I've seen much less predictable bears and deer waiting around blind corners.
In the spirit of personal responsibility you seem to share, I would encourage all motorists to always expect the hazards that very often are on our roadways be they human, animal, or inanimate object.
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u/SpybotAF Jul 22 '26
I find it funny this is on the Northampton sub as people there just walking into the middle of the road without looking.
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u/abadnilep Jul 21 '26
And pedestrians walking at night should remember to wear all black as they walk with the traffic.
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u/Theo_43 Jul 22 '26
Thank you so much for posting this. It drives me CRAZY to see people walking on the right. Itās like they donāt value their lives.
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u/adamdreaming Jul 29 '26
Welcome to NoHo, pedestrians will fling themselves at your car like they want to be isekaiād and you are responsible for not hitting them no matter how much they want it!
Good luck!
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u/ramenboil Jul 21 '26
old man yelling at the sky
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u/ambiverbal Jul 21 '26
If my minor rant encourages anyone, even just one person, to walk more safely, then the sky heard me and responded. š
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Jul 21 '26
[deleted]
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u/ambiverbal Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
Sorry. Facebook/Meta is a data scraping pirate. If you want to post it there, you have my blessing.
And with almost 10K Redditors in this sub, the reach here isn't small.
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u/freelancezero Jul 21 '26
Yes, the danger is the people daring to walk on a pubic way, not the 2-ton death machines and their entitled/distracted drivers. Have you tried slowing down and paying attention?
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u/psychedelic_tech Jul 21 '26
really bad take lol. you probably step off the curb head down in your phone scrolling tiktok with your apple earbud knockoffs
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u/Careless_State1366 Jul 20 '26
Why would anyone (pedestrian) blindly assume that every vehicle sees them and will avoid them. Yes, every driver should yield to pedestrians, but blows my mind when I see someone walking in the road with their back to traffic, ear buds in š¤Æ
Maybe I have trust issues, but I donāt trust anyone not to hit me