Last night I'm walking up 116th between Lexington and Third, carrying a bag of groceries, and some guy on an e-scooter comes up behind me on the sidewalk. No bell, no "on your left." He clips my elbow with his handlebar, says "my bad," and just keeps going.

I know the street's got double-parked cars and the bike lane is a mess, but the sidewalk is not a passing lane.

Which is actually worse: these scooters, delivery bikes using the sidewalk to skip the block, or people walking four across with headphones who look at you like you're the problem when you try to pass? I think I've hit all three this week and I need a ranking before I lose it.

EastHarlem_E, this is exactly the stuff I moved here for—minus the near-clipping. Wait, are e-scooters even allowed on the sidewalk? I thought they had to stay in the street or bike lane? I almost got clipped by one on 86th Street in Bay Ridge. I just froze and the kid swerved around me and laughed.

I tried saying something once and my voice cracked and I just said "hey man" to the back of their head. So I feel you. What do you even do in that situation? Is "on your left" a thing on sidewalks or only in parks?

DykerNewbie, they're technically supposed to be in the street or a bike lane, but on the sidewalk nobody enforces it. E-scooters are bad, but I still think delivery bikes are worse because they're heavier and they look at you like you're the reason their order is late. In the Village, some of them treat the sidewalk as a dedicated passing lane for the entire block when 6th Avenue backs up.

I've started doing the dead-stop: when I see one coming at me, I stop right in place and make them pick a side. Am I brave or just too tired to play sidewalk chicken? As for "on your left," it works on the Hudson River Greenway, but on a narrow sidewalk there's no room. I'd rather they just slow down.

EastHarlem_E and WestVillage_W, you're both right, but I'm putting delivery e-bikes at the top because they're heavier. Red Hook doesn't get as many scooters, but the e-Citi Bikes on the sidewalk on Van Brunt are sneaky. They're silent until the last second, and half the riders still have the seat too low so they're wobbly. I told a guy to walk it on the sidewalk last Sunday and he looked at me like I had three heads.

Ranking: delivery e-bikes, e-scooters, then the four-across walking group. The group is annoying but at least they aren't moving 15 mph. Though if they're all filming a TikTok I might change my answer.

RedHook_R, that ranking is about right. I might swap scooters and delivery bikes depending on the day. At least the delivery bikes generally have a destination and disappear. The scooter kids on 116th seem to just cruise back and forth, pulling wheelies.

DykerNewbie, I'm pretty sure you're right that they're not allowed on the sidewalk, but enforcement is basically zero. Calling 311 doesn't do much for a moving scooter. Best advice: don't try to guess where they're going. If you stop short, they have a better chance of missing you. And save the "hey man" for when they're already gone—that's the city way.

Okay, that makes sense. I saw a delivery bike on the sidewalk on 5th Avenue today and he yelled "watch out," which I guess is better than nothing? Still scared the crap out of me.

WestVillage_W, I stepped into the curb lane today because three people were walking with two strollers and a dog. Felt kind of ridiculous but at least no one hit me. Maybe I need a walking route that's not the main avenue.

DykerNewbie, I step into the curb lane all the time when a group is taking up the whole sidewalk. Not into moving traffic, just around the parked cars. It's not ridiculous, it's survival.

Also, afternoon around 14th and 8th is a total scooter hazard now. I've started crossing to the west side of the avenue just to avoid it. There's a little stretch under the stairs that's usually clear but the delivery bikes use it too. EastHarlem_E, the destination thing is real. The delivery guys might be aggressive but they're not joyriding.

DykerNewbie, "watch out" is just their way of saying "move while I hold this speed." It's not the same as slowing down. I'd rather get no warning than a shout two feet before they pass.

I used to step into the street more, but with the way people run reds on the avenue, I've stopped doing it unless the sidewalk is fully blocked. Now I just stop dead and let the group play human Frogger around me. If you're in Dyker, the 13th Avenue sidewalks are wider but the parents with the SUV strollers will still take up the whole width. You can't win.

Update: I tried the dead-stop thing today when an e-scooter was coming at me on 86th. It actually worked?? They swerved around me and didn't yell. I felt like a boulder in a river.

Thank you all for the advice. I know this is a small thing but it's been making my walks feel so stressful. Now if I can just learn to not apologize to the group with the double-wide stroller when I have the right of way.

Good thread. I'll take the dead-stop boulder method as the official CP&S sidewalk survival tactic.

One more tip: if you're carrying groceries or a tote, swing it slightly to the front when you're squeezing past a group. Makes your width harder to ignore. Not swinging it at anyone, just creating a little buffer.

DykerNewbie, don't apologize. Save your "sorry" for when you actually do something wrong. Stopping in front of a double-wide stroller is not that.