DEAR MISS MANNERS: I used to be leaving an underground transit station and making my technique to the escalator to go as much as the road once I seen a tall younger man gaining quickly on me from behind.
We’ve got an unwritten rule that you simply stand on the precise facet of the escalator when you simply wish to trip, and transfer to the left if you wish to stroll up the transferring stairs. I started to float rightward, however he got here galumphing up on the precise facet of me. I stretched out my proper hand to take the handrail, saying to him, “May I please get on the escalator?”
With nice annoyance, he stepped round to my left facet and handed me, sternly proclaiming over his shoulder, “Move out of the way for people walking faster than you!”
I might solely muster the feeble and not-quite-sensical response, “Not if you pass on the right! This is America!”
I’m a fairly match and lively girl who will flip 50 this fall. The younger gentleman seemed to be in his 20s and was carrying enterprise apparel.
What’s the etiquette for “faster walkers”?
GENTLE READER: Though your query pertains to strolling, each kind of car has its personal etiquette for passing, and analyzing the widespread options among the many totally different methods is instructive.
You remembered two of the foundations: 1. that the overtaker — who has the higher view — has the first accountability to keep away from colliding with the overtaken; and a pair of. that there’s a appropriate facet for passing somebody.
Sadly, you forgot the equally, if no more, essential shared obligation to keep away from a collision. The principles of crusing specific this gracefully by requiring the overtaken to carry their course — in different phrases, to not do one thing shocking that makes it tougher for the overtaker to stop a collision.
Grabbing the handrail solely to stop the 20-something from passing on the mistaken facet made a collision extra doubtless, and was subsequently the more severe infraction.
He, in fact, ought to have handed on the right facet, and in addition slowed down.
And whereas Miss Manners realizes that nobody ended up on the bottom, she doesn’t consider that two strangers yelling at each other satisfies the objective of avoiding a collision.
I’m of the kind who prefers figuring out variations utilizing speech and never the written phrase, particularly when the 2 people dwell in shut proximity.
This individual is able of authority. I’ve repeatedly requested — to no avail — that we both speak in individual or over the cellphone when she has gripes.
GENTLE READER: There are, however you aren’t going to love a very powerful one: The boss will get to set the foundations.
