Introduce One Way pavements

Encourage all pedestrians to walk on the pavement facing the oncoming traffic.

Why the contribution is important

All pedestrians moving in one direction (like that introduced in most supermarkets) will make the crucially important social distancing (2m) so much easier.

by Angus on May 05, 2020 at 03:45PM

Current Rating

Average rating: 4.1
Based on: 46 votes

Comments

  • Posted by JohnT May 05, 2020 at 15:59

    Great idea. I always end up walking in the road because so many approaching pedestrians don't appear to care about social distancing.

  • Posted by JingsCrivens May 05, 2020 at 16:14

    Great idea, and so simple to implement.

  • Posted by william May 05, 2020 at 16:21


    A good idea but I normally walk on the outside of the pavement facing oncoming traffic others coming down walk to the inside. My objection is trying to avoid Adults on Bicycles on the Pavement which I thought was not allowed. I would not walk in the park near to home as one has to avoid bicycles whizzing along the path. Some people are not being considerate when social distancing.

  • Posted by kathman May 05, 2020 at 16:38

    Good Idea. I also frequently walk on the road facing on coming traffic. It's safe than dodging cyclists on the pavements. Also the amount of joggers that come up behind you and whizz past inches away from you even when they have room to socially distance is shocking. If they approach from behind surely it's their responsibility to respect social distancing after all I don't have eyes in the back of my head.

  • Posted by vl3092 May 05, 2020 at 16:48

    Good idea, but don't know how it would be monitored in practice. People can't seem to even follow the arrows and one-way system in my local Tesco.

  • Posted by Meerykat May 05, 2020 at 16:49

    Seems a sensible idea

  • Posted by Welshy123 May 05, 2020 at 16:55

    This is a great idea. We go out with children for a daily walk and sometimes I need to walk on the road or we need to walk single file to pass others when there’s no other option. As traffic increases, walking on the road isn’t a great solution.

  • Posted by mcgeok May 05, 2020 at 17:14

    I think this is a great idea. I always try and walk to the left, but a lot of times this is not possible. Especially when there are cyclists on pavement,

  • Posted by MrsC May 05, 2020 at 17:28

    People can’t stick to the social distancing in shops or on the pavements as it is - not sure they would stick to this either. I worry it. Could cause tensions too.

  • Posted by gmacv123 May 05, 2020 at 18:00

    super idea

  • Posted by wrinkled May 05, 2020 at 19:25

    Simple and, if followed, effective

  • Posted by KTID May 05, 2020 at 20:23

    Go with the traffic flow, simple.

  • Posted by amw May 05, 2020 at 20:36

    Sensible and workable idea, Angus.

  • Posted by Practice2020 May 06, 2020 at 10:04

    Get cyclists off the pavement. Why not give them access to bus lanes which are currently underused at present.

  • Posted by JCSGleason May 06, 2020 at 13:56

    The level of policing that would be required to make this a reality would overwhelm the current system.

  • Posted by MrsLogan23 May 06, 2020 at 15:30

    Given that we all manage it in our cars, I'm sure we could manage it on foot. An excellent idea.

  • Posted by AudFish May 06, 2020 at 21:32

    Brilliant idea

  • Posted by timk May 06, 2020 at 22:56

    Should be the right hand pavement so if you need to step out to overtake, then you face traffic which is much safer

  • Posted by Wilsmce May 07, 2020 at 15:56

    We don't all have two pavements! Totally agree about cyclists (illegal anyway) and joggers

  • Posted by Josh May 08, 2020 at 09:20

    Remove a percentage of parking, where possible all on the same side of a road, and a lane of traffic on wider roads and make the one way system for motor vehicles, not people.

    Redistribute the space to people walking, jogging, scooting, or riding a bike, as our streets can support far far more people moving in those ways than if everyone takes to their cars as soon as they’re allowed.

    If we don’t give the space back to people outside of cars, we’ll have gridlock in our cities and no room to exercise.

  • Posted by acaringchap May 08, 2020 at 20:11

    I think this will cause more confusion to members of the public who have dementia or acquired brain injuries. Many people living well with dementia enjoy going out for walks to keep routine and active. By making pavement systems would definitely confuse a lot of people. I have seen it within shops people getting irritable when older people presenting with confusion trying to follow arrows on shop flooring. We don't want to cause any more distress to some people who have severe and enduring mental health problems.

  • Posted by larainedinburgh May 09, 2020 at 00:32

    Yes to this! We need to agree which side people will endeavour to stick to. It doesn’t need to be policed! The number of times I have to cross the road, backwards and forwards, to maintain social distancing...I’m going to get run over before I ever get Covid19.

  • Posted by conniel May 10, 2020 at 11:51

    I think this would be good to encourage, especially as traffic volumes increase, but it should not be enforced.

  • Posted by KimCheeko May 11, 2020 at 16:12

    A definite no to this idea - not practical or enforceable at all.

  • Posted by jon98 May 11, 2020 at 17:10

    Perhaps it would be useful to do as some councils already have done- close off some parts of roads or parking spaces and widen pavements so that pedestrians don't have to walk into oncoming traffic. This might allow more space for walkers, runners and cyclists instead of having to pass each other in close proximity. It may also reduce the need for this to be enforced.

  • Posted by LinzScot May 11, 2020 at 20:16

    Absolutely, makes perfect sense
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