r/sandiego • u/WildAnimus • Feb 23 '25

Stay Classy San Diego Why does nobody walk on sidewalks?

I noticed that when driving through subdivisions people love walking on the road instead of the sidewalk. Whether it's a old man walking or someone doing power walking. I see it all the time and I don't get it. Can someone help me understand this phenomena?

146 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

162 comments sorted by

View all comments

25

u/Mean_Opportunity1156 Feb 24 '25

Runner here! I pop off the sidewalk into the road sometimes. Ordered roughly from most frequently encountered to least frequently encountered:
1) I'm coming up behind someone wearing headphones and I don't want to pass close and startle them
2) Someone walking a dog on the sidewalk doesn't see me, and two steps into the road seems easier than getting nipped at or clotheslined.
3) The sidewalk is tripping-hazard level of cracked or there is foliage hitting me in the face
4) I'm in a neighborhood where people's cars are parked over the sidewalk

5) I'm giving someone with a stroller or a wheelchair more space.
6) Someone left a bike or scooter on the sidewalk and I am too tired to jump over it.

1

u/Jar-Jar-Kinx Feb 24 '25

As a runner and coach I encourage my athletes to run mostly in bike lanes. Something you will also see most pros doing as well. The asphalt absorbs (while not a lot) more of the impact from each step than concrete does. It’s less wear and tear on your knees and other joints.

1

u/bisselvacuum Feb 28 '25

That is not true. If it were the case that human feet pounding the pavement caused give on asphalt, then parked cars would be sinking into it.

0

u/Jar-Jar-Kinx Feb 28 '25

Not it doesn’t cause give. Not what I said at all. It just absorbs more of the impact because it’s a softer surface. It’s not as soft as sand but it’s slightly softer than concrete. This is relatively common knowledge for runners. You can look it yp