Be predictable

Americans seems to cherish characters who are unpredictable. Such people are "fun" and "spontaneous." However, in the wrong context, unpredictability is a trait that can physically injure someone here.

It's no secret that everyone bicycles more than Americans, and it is not for more exercise, it is simply an additional and necessary means of getting somewhere. As in any large city, more people walk and bike, and on Helsinki's countless paved or graveled paths that seem to go everywhere, walkers and bicyclists often share some space. True, there are sometimes clearly delineated bike lanes and pedestrian lanes, marked by white lines and unmistakable images of who should be doing what on which side. However, there are also many paths that are not marked, where users are free to employ any part of the path they desire. Those people on foot stroll on any side of the path, left or right. And bicyclists pedal along any part that they want. But when I say "pedal," understand that I mean "pedal very fast at high speed." Tour de France qualifying speed. One thing that I observed here is that bicyclists are not going from point A to point B at a leisurely pace on these paths (as we tend to do on paths in the US). They are often going at breakneck speed (i.e., they could break their neck if they crashed). These bicyclists are on a mission, and gender and age makes no difference.

My first few weeks walking the same paths as bicyclists were very nerve-wracking because I was unaccustomed to bicyclists coming up behind me and whooshing past almost before I knew what was happening (and, yes, they do make a whooshing sound at that speed, and a whooshing sound is not pleasant when it is a surprise). I marveled that I was not witnessing serious crashes between the many walkers and bicyclists sharing the paths; the two groups seemed always to know where the others were at all times -- often a few inches apart. Several times I almost turned left or right into a whooshing bicyclist who had to swerve a bit at the last moment to miss me. And it is not that much easier to avoid a bicyclist coming toward you; you simply have a few more milliseconds to imagine the coming pain. Yet to the credit of Finns, no bicyclist yelled at me for making such a blunder. Because it was a blunder, a serious social blunder, I soon began to realize. The key in this ballet between speeding bicyclists and plodding pedestrians was in the predictable patterns the pedestrians use when moving. 

So this is what I finally concluded: you can walk on any side of a path without fear of being struck by a bicycle as long as you are predictable. That means no sudden moves to your left or right, and no expanding your arms when you are making an important point. Remain on a straight path, do not extend your arms or personal possessions too far from your body, and the bicyclists can plot their whooshing around you with uncanny skill and grace. Bicyclists trust the pedestrians not to suddenly change course, and the pedestrians trust the bicyclist not to hit them. A perfect social pact in a place where cooperation is cherished. I now walk along these shared paths with perfect ease, because I have made this pact, and no longer do I associate a whooshing sound with a near miss…but rather as a reminder that my predictability allows me to move somewhat gracefully among these people.