You’re walking to work, making good time, and then… someone steps in front of you, moving at a snail’s pace. Or a tourist blocks your path to snap a picture. Or some knucklehead in front of you is focused on their Blackberry, not where they’re going.
We’ve all been there. If just the thought of any of these scenarios makes you reach the boiling point, though, you may have a problem. Apparently, you don’t have to hit the road to feel the rage.
Researchers say “sidewalk rage” is real.
Aggressive walkers can express their frustration in different forms and intensity levels – ranging from staring down a slow walker to physically bumping into them. Experts say acting out on sidewalk rage may be a sign of a psychiatric condition known as “intermittent explosive disorder.”
“I am one of those sidewalk ragers, it just drives me crazy,” Joe Camposo, of Westbury, confessed to 1010 WINS’ John Montone. “It’s either move or get out of the way. I have no patience.”
Two women from Brooklyn told Montone they’ve been victims of sidewalk rage getting pushed, knocked down and elbowed.
Researchers are conducting studies to determine what sets people off and how it can be curbed – especially since the sidewalks aren’t getting any less crowded.
According to a study conducted by the NYC Department of City Planning, the city was listed as having the highest population density in the country with 26,403 people per square mile in 2000.
According to the study, the average speed of walkers in Lower Manhattan is 4.27 feet per second – tourists clocked in at 3.79 ft/s, smokers at 4.17 ft/s, cell phone users at 4.20 ft/s, men at 4.42 ft/s, and woman at 4.1 ft/s.
So, if you can’t get rid of all those people in your way, then you have to get the anger out of your head.
Frank, from the Upper West Side, suggests getting away for a while. He admits that he used to be an aggressive walker until he spent a few years in Los Angeles.
“You kind of calm down over there, you mellow out,” Frank said.
If you can’t take a vacation from the mean streets of New York City then take a deep breath and realize those slow walkers aren’t out to get you.
(Source: 1010WINS)
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19 Responses
Everything has to be a disorder now. It’s just impatience, bad middos, and narcissism.
The real problem is the sidewalk vendors in Manhattan – it seems they really increased in the last few years, and make already narrow sidewalks half as passable.
how about an express lane for walkers.
What next? Not-holding-the-door-open rage? Let’s study that, too!
Where is Yonason W. when we need him?
I’m also suffering from “intermittent explosive disorder”, I believe. I frequently have short outbursts of extreme anger against traffic violators who disrespect my rights as a pedestrian (like failing to stop at a pedestrian crossing), or people who get on a bus from the back door without paying.
Just yesterday, I was standing in line (with some 30 other people) at Malcha mall to get on a crowded bus. While I got on, three CHAREIDI women got on from the back door, WITHOUT paying. They were not with carriages or anything like that, nor were they physically disabled – and this was not a Mehadrin line. I got so mad I instantly bumped into one of them quite violently. I got mad, because I, who stand in line and pays, is then forced to STAND all the way while they sit.
I’m serious here…
#7 maybe you should see someone seriously
What is the halacha of looking at a blackberry while walking on a public street, if the looking slows down the walking? I’m asking a serious question and would love to see some well-reasoned, Torah-text-supported answers.
@6 what happened to giving the benefit of the doubt? Maybe they were with a fourth person who paid for all of them, and they got on the back so as not to unnecessarily make more traffic in line to pay?
What happened to Dan Lchaf Zcus? Many, if not most riders on the bus in Israel have an unlimited pass. And dont forget, this is Israel,where Chareidi passengers are,and can be trusted. I have lived here for most of the past 30 years,and I can attest to this. For Tznius purposes, women with a free pass will often get on in the back.
what a stupid article grow up, learn some Middos.
#8 — Reb Yeruchum zt”l, the Mirrer mashgiach and a talmid of Kelm, spoke about this. He called it gezel.
Let’s have the street bike lanes include the fast walkers.
#6 calm down most ppl. that travel and use busses in israel for any transportation like shopping/doctor/any errends/bank/ whatever bec.lots of them do not own cars so they have this pass that they pay 250 shekels a month and its unlimitted so relax and maybe see anger managment its a thearpy for ppl. like u
I’ll confess I have John Montone rage (or is it an allergy?)
I find him extremely annoying and immediately change stations when he’s on. I had the same reaction to Paul Harvey.
Daniel Breslauer — As mentioned earlier, most likely those women either had a “Chodshi Chofshei”, or had someone else pay, or payed later on. It is actually quite common on Israeli buses for people to get on in the back to help make loading up quicker at crowded bus stops, and then deal with payment at some point during the ride (often just passing up their cartis).
When I take inter- city buses, I always get on at the back when it’s crowded. I know that when we reach the next city and everyone is getting off it will be much more roomy, and I give the driver my cartis to punch on my way off.
Even when entering the front door, if it’s crowded the driver will often tell people to move back without paying so everyone can get on and he can drive off, and then he trusts that over the course of the ride everyone will pay — only in Israel!!
And of course there is the beautiful R’ Krohn story:
A very young Yerushalmi boy got on a crowded bus and eventually made it to the driver with his cartis to be punched. The driver looked at him and said “I already punched your card.” The boy insisted that this was not the case, but the driver was in a rush and refused to discuss it. A few minutes later he saw that the boy was crying, and asked him what was the matter. The boy tearfully explained “ani lo yachol — zeh genaivah!!!” (“I can’t do this, it’s stealing!”)
The highly moved bus driver punched his card.
May we all be zoche to be mechanach our children to understand the severity of an aveirah as this boy felt!!!
It doesn’t matter whether a person has a Chofshi Chodshi or not. On Israeli buses, you are NOT allowed to get on via the back door (except on ‘Mehadrin’ lines). This was the 31, or the 6 – absolutely not ‘Mehadrin’ lines, at Malcha mall – absolutely not a chareidi neighborhood. Absolutely nothing justifies such behavior. For me, if a person illegally gets on a bus via the back door, in my eyes THEY ARE NOT ON THAT BUS and it is my fullest right to walk straight into them and ignore their existence.
This is of course quite different from the ‘sidewalk rage’ described in the article. In this case, the ‘chareidi’ women are disgusting criminals who make me sick. The rules are clear – you get on from the FRONT. I don’t care if you’re the Prime Ministers’ wife or the wife of the Rosh Yeshiva of Ponevitzh. Note these were completely healthy women of around 40-50 years old, who pretty much ran for the back door and immediately got on from there. The total lack of respect they show to others, who DO stand in line they way one is supposed to, is extremely insulting and highly angers me.
I never got angry at people walking slowly on a sidewalk…. Sure it’s frustrating sometimes when you get stuck behind a group of very slowly walking people and you almost can’t pass them – but I never ever felt a need to get mad at that!
By the way, #7, if you think you need to tell yourself to see someone, then yes, you may indeed want to consider doing that. 🙂
Very clever line. I was being serious you should consider it; as that amount of rage is not healthy.