April 30-Day Challenge: 14th Daily Limerick - The 'Right' Side of the Road

When you drive on the left every day,

You'd run the same, wouldn't you say?

But you stick to the right,

Seem surprised, get a fright,

When stubborn lefties refuse to give way.

Photo by JuditK (FlickR)

Seems logical, doesn't it?  Anyone who has ever walked the pavements and ridden the escalators, let alone run anywhere in Singapore will understand.  When I first arrived in Singapore I spent my time weaving in and out of the pedestrian traffic, giving way, dodging all over the pavement and getting extremely frustrated.  The 'eureka' moment came when I realised that I was actually a lot bigger than most of the people I was giving way to (yes, even the guys - I'm tall, ok!?).  So I stopped dodging, and walked straight.  No problem, let them move.

When running it's a little more interesting.  There's usually a 'face off' moment - you've seen each other from a distance, you're both sticking to the same line (me on the left, them on their right (my left)), and you privately make the decision on whether you're going to move or not.  The longer I live in Singapore, the less frequently I budge off my line (usually only for grannies, or people loaded with shopping bags).

Yes, I realise this makes me seem like an irate pavement hogger, but after two years, no one has been able to explain to me why everyone insists on driving on the left, but running on the right.  Perhaps I'm being wildly inconsiderate to some unknown rule, but I doubt it.  If you know the rule, please let me know!

Ah well, getting worked up about it is a bit like beating your head against a brick wall - you're the only one who gets hurt.