Left Side

By Lucas Soetaert

When we first left Heathrow airport, the first cultural difference I noticed was cars driving on the left side of the road. I knew this going in, of course, but it still felt like we were driving into oncoming traffic nonetheless. When navigating streets in London, many rules we grew up learning were turned around. Instead of looking right, left and right again, you have to look left, right, and left again. This is an important difference to remember, as I attest I almost got blindsided once or twice during my stay.

Additionally, crosswalks in London are less apparent than crosswalks in America. The indication for pedestrians to cross is sometimes absent, and other times not obvious. For example, sometimes there would be a small light on the opposite side of the street which indicates safe crossing, but I would sometimes not notice that indicator. I would often just wait for a brave soul to be the first to cross, and scamper across behind them. Jaywalking does not exist in the UK, so when it was safe, it was not uncommon to see people walk across streets, completely ignoring crosswalks. The main issue I had with traversing the city was the sidewalks.

Ultimately, people in London could not figure out which side of the sidewalk to walk on. This was a constant struggle. I would be walking along on the left side (which is what is supposed to be the accepted edge for walking) and along would come a crowd of people all walking on the right side directly at me. So I would have to dodge them by moving to my right side and continue on. Then, because I was now on the right side, I would inevitably come across locals determined to walk on the left side (once again, directly at me), and I would have to dodge them too. There was no winning.

I have the feeling the main cause of this issue is attributed to tourists, because they instinctively walk on the side of the road (or sidewalk) that they are used to driving on. But driving or walking on the right is not an American-only habit. The entire world aside from Britain, India, and Australia drives on the right.

I am sure most Americans are familiar with the entire world making fun of our temperature scale, month-before-day dating system, and imperial measurement system. But this is one of those few instances where Americans have a more widely used system than the rest of the world.

I am not advocating for the UK to change its traffic system, but it is understandable why London, a city of tourism, would experience a significant amount of chaos on the sidewalks due to foreigners forgetting which side to walk on.

At the airport terminal in Dallas some random lady asked if I was British based on my haircut. Apparently this woman and daughter had a bet going to see if I was British or American. I laughed and said I was as American as it gets.

They seemed nice enough but I was glad to be done with that conversation. When they called group 9 and I finally boarded, I was a little dismayed to find that I was seated next to them.

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Sam is a first year student at KU studying Visual Arts and Service Learning. She enjoys painting and sketching during her free-time and has participated in service learning organizations as a site leader, notably for Alternative Breaks. Her experience during Alternative Breaks consisted of packaging and supplying fresh products to marginalized, lower-class families residing in Detroit, Michigan. This opportunity has inspired her to branch off from only studying visual arts and continuing her service learning at KU. Traveling to London for the first time seemed frightening for her at first, but she was determined to explore, learn, and study European art during the Renaissance period from visiting both the British Museum and the National Gallery Museum. Her most favorite experience while in London was walking along the Tower Bridge and visiting Buckingham Palace to get a chance to see King Charles.

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Top 5 Experiences:

1. The Shard

2. Tower & London Bridge

3. Changing Of The Guards

And King Charles

4. St. Paul’s Cathedral

5. Portabello Market