New Yorkers don’t have “opinions” about sidewalk etiquette. They have opinions about scooped bagels, or “in line” vs. “on line,” or the 421a tax break.
When you ask New Yorkers about sidewalk behavior, they give you holy commandments.
E-bikes on sidewalks? Hell no. Strollers? Banished to Westchester. Dogs? Also to Westchester. A family of tourists walking side by side, taking in the sights and enjoying themselves? Jail.
It shouldn’t be this contentious — New York City has about 12,000 miles of sidewalks and ample public transit options, making it, in theory, North America’s pedestrian wonderland. There must be a way to make everyone happy.
So we asked our Instagram followers and newsletter subscribers: What’s the one sidewalk etiquette rule that’s essential for New Yorkers to follow?
According to about 400 of you: People need to keep to the right.
Or as Jeanmarie Lally in Manhattan told us: “WALK ON THE (BLANK)ING RIGHT SIDE OF THE SIDEWALK, FOR (BLANK)’S SAKE!!!!”
We received 412 responses to our survey, and almost every submission included some version of “sidewalks are a two-way street, so stay on the right.”
“I grew up here and it’s one of the first things we learned in elementary school,” said Andrew Tripp from Astoria. “When it’s followed, it makes everything less irritating.”
Move quickly and never stop.
Our respondents also didn’t show much compassion for slow walkers.
“New York streets operate like highways and if you’re walking slow as hell, I will definitely tailgate you until you move or abruptly jump in front of you to cut you off,” wrote Aaliyah Pasols from Long Island City.
If you are going to walk slower — or stop altogether — move as far to the right as you can.
Another automotive analogy, this time from Sydney Holmes in Queens: “Treat your body like a car. Would you stop in the middle of the street to answer a text if you were driving?”
But there is a sidewalk hierarchy. Those at the top can break some rules.
In addition to our survey, we put together a tournament-style bracket of sidewalk characters to determine the group most deserving of the right-of-way on city sidewalks: tourists vs. e-bikers; seniors vs. parents with strollers; joggers vs. dog-walkers; and teens vs. nine-to-fivers.
After thousands of round-one votes, tourists, dog-walkers, nine-to-fivers and seniors all advanced to the semi-finals.
“Strollers whose parents are treating them like Mad Max vehicles need to be shamed,” wrote Samuel Taylor in Bushwick. “Old people should get zero hate.”
The final round came down to seniors vs. dog-walkers.
And by a vote of 889-124, seniors came away with the top prize.
A tournament style bracket where Gothamist Instagram followers voted on who gets priority on New York City sidewalks. Seniors won.
“As a 9-to-5er, the only people on this list I’ll happily yield to are seniors,” said Instagram commenter Grace Tyson.
“Seniors get priority and deserve zero annoyances,” Molly Arnn wrote on our Instagram post.“Huge Strollers, fast e-bikes, wayward dogs, tourists — it’s ok to be annoyed at them. Be nice to old people.”
Three’s a crowd.
“If you’re in a group that insists on taking up the entire sidewalk, especially a more narrow one, I *will* play Red Rover and just walk in between your group,” wrote Devin Rutland in Brooklyn.
Our advice: Walk two by two — or even single file — while quietly taking in the scenery. This way, not only will you and your group have a smoother time getting where you’re going, you won’t run out of things to talk about by the time you get there.
Jaye M., who grew up in Brazil, said he gets why tourists love to violate this rule: In other places, walking is a recreational activity, not a way to commute. We’re different.
People walking on a sidewalk in Midtown, Manhattan
“Walking with a group is the norm in my country of origin, but here in New York City, we walk to go to work and run errands, not only for leisure,” he said.
Don’t spit.
It’s gross, and you never know where (or on whom) it’ll land.
There’s a kinder alternative to shouting “excuse me!”
Even if you don’t mean it, “excuse me” can easily be interpreted as an insult.
“Honestly, I used to be one of those people like, ‘Stay to the right, I have somewhere to be,’” said Cynthia Blumberg, a 34-year-old from the Bronx.
Blumberg started losing mobility at the start of the pandemic and now uses a wheelchair to get around, which has made her more empathetic towards sidewalk “obstructors.”
“The way I’d want to be [addressed] is, ‘Ma’am I’m so sorry, I just need to get by you,’” she said. “At least they’ve expressed their need. Some people need to get where they’re going.”
If you’re over 12, walk your bike.
The official Department of Transportation rule states that cyclists over 12 years old need to ride in the street.
And this does get enforced. According to NYPD records, 1,447 tickets were issued in 2023 for people riding bikes on sidewalks.
In the murkier territory of “unwritten rules,” Daniel Bunker of Morningside Heights nails it.
“If you insist on illegally riding a wheeled vehicle on the sidewalk, understand that you need to go nearly as slow as the people that are walking and respect them.”
That goes for you, e-bike delivery workers who are just trying to get a job done but also have heavy, speedy bikes that could really hurt somebody.
To you, the perfect pedestrian who does everything right: It’s also okay to slow down and chill for a second.
Here’s the deal. The city might be fun without tourists, but visitors are crucial to the economy. A dog on a long leash might get in your way, but at least they’re being cared for. Teens can’t spend all their time in Sephora. And not everyone is going to be simultaneously courteous and able-bodied enough to get out of your way.
Melody Kromenacker, a 30-year-old special education teacher who moved from Colorado to Queens in 2021, said living in a “walkable city” was a big incentive for coming here.
Then she got pregnant.
“In New York, everyone walks so quickly, you have to be really agile to be able to move around people,” she said. “When you can’t do that anymore, you just see that if people took one more second so they wouldn’t have to shoulder-check the pregnant lady, that would be great.”
Now, she’s the parent of a 1-year-old who’s learning to walk — and considering what it’ll take to keep her daughter safe (and out of the way) on the sidewalk.
“I never thought I’d be a leash parent, but I am wondering if I’ll end up becoming the ‘leash kid’ parent,” she said.
Daniel Shapiro and Emily Nadal contributed to this story.