Why does everyone walk counter-clockwise on the promenade?

Yes, really. Far too many to list, but here's just a sample of some of the better known ones:

 

Lime Rock Park, Connecticut

Atlanta Motorsport Park, Georgia

Willow Springs International Raceway, California

Watkins Glen International, New York

Virginia International Raceway, Virginia

Long Beach Street Circuit, California

Barber Motorsports Park, Alabama

Detroit Belle Isle Street Circuit, Michigan

Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indiana

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Ohio

Road America, Wisconsin

St. Petersburg Street Circuit, Florida

Sonoma Raceway, California

 

I don't know what race you've seen at Watkins Glen, but even NASCAR with its predominantly counter-clockwise ovals run clockwise at the Glen. Also at Sonoma. Waterford Hills, if this is the track you were referring to, is also run in a clockwise direction.

 

IndyCar racing for many means the Indy 500, run on a counter-clockwise oval. Were you aware that there is also a clockwise road track at the Speedway that hosts a clockwise IndyCar race. In fact 10 of 15 IndyCar races in 2016 will be held on clockwise tracks.

I believe those are all road/grand prix style courses and the counterclockwise reference here was to oval courses and (bringing it back to the OP's question) the walking decks/tracks on cruise ships. But technically, you are correct. ;)

I believe those are all road/grand prix style courses and the counterclockwise reference here was to oval courses and (bringing it back to the OP's question) the walking decks/tracks on cruise ships. But technically, you are correct. ;)

I agree, not typical NASCAR race tracks.

Is it just me or is it a little bit overconfident to compare the average HAL passenger's lap speed with NASCAR ;)?

Is it just me or is it a little bit overconfident to compare the average HAL passenger's lap speed with NASCAR ;)?

Is moonshine involved?

I believe those are all road/grand prix style courses and the counterclockwise reference here was to oval courses and (bringing it back to the OP's question) the walking decks/tracks on cruise ships. But technically, you are correct. ;)

Actually, I had initially responded to a statement that "In the USA auto races and track and field meets are run counter clockwise." Nothing was said about oval track racing, just a blanket statement about USA auto races. :)

BTW, since the launch of the Koningsdam, HAL clearly prefers road course configurations. :)

Funny, I was walking onboard the Maasdam last month and wondered why I was walking counterclockwise. I decided that it was because that's the side the rail is on and it was much easier to look for water creatures. I could have walked clockwise and had the rail on my left (there aren't a whole lot of walkers at 5:30 am), but it just didn't feel natural.

When I walk in our regional park I always walk on the left (clockwise), while most people walk on the right (counterclockwise). I walk on the left on land because I was taught to "face traffic" when walking on a road without sidewalks. Since the US is "right-hand" drive, that would make walkers "left-hand" walkers.

However, when I'm walking down a corridor, I walk on the right.

We were on one of our long cruises a few years ago, on another line ... in very tropic seas. The best time to walk was just prior to sun rise. A small group of us would meet around 5/5:30 am to get things started. In another hour there might be 25 or 30 people walking. It was a very small track but we all had a good time walking around together.

Once in a while we would start off going clockwise instead, just to mix things up ... as people would come in most of them would just chuckle or shake their heads and join in ... but there was one woman -- you would have thought we were proposing mutiny the way she carried on. We were wrong, wrong, wrong, what was the matter with us! And she would walk only counter-clockwise. Didn't matter to her that there was not really enough room for 2-way traffic (smaller ship than any Dams) ... And on some of the days when we started clockwise, if you came back in the afternoon it would still be going the same way!

Actually, I had initially responded to a statement that "In the USA auto races and track and field meets are run counter clockwise." Nothing was said about oval track racing, just a blanket statement about USA auto races. :)

 

BTW, since the launch of the Koningsdam, HAL clearly prefers road course configurations. :)

You are correct, thus my "technically you are correct" comment. Maybe someday I will be able to cruise the KDam and validate your observation! ;)

It's obvious, isn't it? You're supposed to serpentine around the buffet.

 

My thoughts? It's a PROMENADE! According to Webster, "a place for strolling." Yes, I like to get exercise by walking there, especially in the early morning. But I also like to stand at the rail, and I like to run over to the other side of the ship to see if it has more whales or dolphins or seabirds. We're all on vacation, so I think we should all just enjoy greeting the people who are coming in the opposite direction, or slow down and politely ask the people in front of us to let us pass, or take the time to stop and see what those people on the rail are watching. These aren't time trials, and it's probably good for our joints to vary our speed anyway. Just my opinion. Enjoy your next cruise.

Dang! There goes my hopes for qualifying for the Olympics on my next cruise!

Horses at the racetrack seem to do it too ! What in the world is happening ? lol.

This is going to sound crazy, but it's true. 90% of people are right handed, which means they are right footed. With your dominant foot on the right, you have a natural tendency to drift left when walking or running. This means that mentally, waking/running in a counter-clockwise pattern feels easier.

The left/right rules are really confusing for tourists in Japan. In Osaka, people stand on the right on escalators and pass on the left. In the rest of Japan, people stand on the left and pass on the right.

They are actually debating an ordinance in Osaka to force people to stand to the left to avoid confusion to tourists coming to Japan for the 2020 Olympics.

The ordinance being discussed would even have a fine of 1,000 Yen for standing on the wrong side of the escalator. I hope they do not implement this on the Holland America ships. :)

This is going to sound crazy, but it's true. 90% of people are right handed, which means they are right footed. With your dominant foot on the right, you have a natural tendency to drift left when walking or running. This means that mentally, waking/running in a counter-clockwise pattern feels easier.

Years ago, when I was running for exercise, I developed pain in my left knee while running extensively counterclockwise on an oval track. Upon research, I found that constantly running counterclockwise put additional stress on the left leg and the remedy was to run clockwise as often as counterclockwise. I changed and it worked! So while not related directly to your post, there is some evidence to the "right footed" situation.

Maybe even more off-track, does anyone remember indoor roller skating rinks, and how they would reverse direction every so often?

Maybe even more off-track, does anyone remember indoor roller skating rinks, and how they would reverse direction every so often?

I sure do!

Maybe it's like how water is reported to swirl down a drain. Counterclockwise north of the equator and clockwise south of the equator. :)

Maybe it's like how water is reported to swirl down a drain. Counterclockwise north of the equator and clockwise south of the equator. :)

In fact, it's the opposite. The Coriolis effect results in clockwise directionality in the northern hemisphere.

This thread is very entertaining.

My husband and I are taking a neural plasticity class at our fitness club. There is a lot of emphasis on doing things both directions, using both sides of the brain, etc. This is supposed to help stave off dementia type illnesses.

Maybe we should ask HAL to reverse direction each day.

The dominance (though not exclusivity) of counter clockwise circuits has some basis in neurophysiology.

The left hand preference may be based in the fact that the area of the brain responsible for spatial recognition is primarily in the right brain for most individuals--this means that the visual information and balance information (and to a lesser extent aural information) that comes into your right brain--from your left eye and left ear is more strongly connected to the part of the brain that knows where you're going.

Interestingly, head turning preference changes with age. In most children, there is a strong bias in favour of turning the head to the left. In adults that reverses. One hypothesis is language processing displaces spatial cognition as the dominant form of interaction as we mature, which shifts dominance in the brain from right to left.

But where the task that is physical (knowing where you are and where you are going), rather than language based, the right brain is still most often the relevant side of the brain. But if you have to look for a sign to tell you where to go, you'll probably start looking to your right.

Visagrunt has touched a very interesting subject.

To add, did you know that because of this, a disproportionate number of Pilots, Maritime Officers and Astronauts are left-handed ( almost 50%)?

I've wondered about this so thought I'd ask.

 

Maybe "everyone" doesn't walk counter-clockwise, but it seems like most everyone does. Especially the morning power walkers.

 

I've never seen any signs on the deck telling people which direction to go, nor have I seen any other mention of it.

Interesting question. Ice skating rinks seem to go the same way.

Scott & Karen

Well, not everyone walks counter-clockwise! Recently on the Rotterdam while most of the early morning walkers were walking in that direction a very large and a mean VERY tall gentlemen would walk in the opposite direction each morning. Was probably a good thing because I think if he came up behind me and I didn't hear him he might have crushed me under his huge boots!! Worked out very well for this cruise!

Have never seen walking directional signs on the Veendam, Statendam, Ryndam, Zuiderdam or Rotterdam.. just forward, aft--port/starboard signs.

i

The dominance (though not exclusivity) of counter clockwise circuits has some basis in neurophysiology.

 

The left hand preference may be based in the fact that the area of the brain responsible for spatial recognition is primarily in the right brain for most individuals--this means that the visual information and balance information (and to a lesser extent aural information) that comes into your right brain--from your left eye and left ear is more strongly connected to the part of the brain that knows where you're going.

 

Interestingly, head turning preference changes with age. In most children, there is a strong bias in favour of turning the head to the left. In adults that reverses. One hypothesis is language processing displaces spatial cognition as the dominant form of interaction as we mature, which shifts dominance in the brain from right to left.

 

But where the task that is physical (knowing where you are and where you are going), rather than language based, the right brain is still most often the relevant side of the brain. But if you have to look for a sign to tell you where to go, you'll probably start looking to your right.

I wonder, however, if those who are drivers in the USA are programmed to look to the right for road signs, so that is a reason they do so. And if this is true,the Brits,who as drivers may be programmed to look to the left for road signs, their "programming" might cause them to override the natural physical tendency to look right that you are talking about.

i

The dominance (though not exclusivity) of counter clockwise circuits has some basis in neurophysiology.

 

The left hand preference may be based in the fact that the area of the brain responsible for spatial recognition is primarily in the right brain for most individuals--this means that the visual information and balance information (and to a lesser extent aural information) that comes into your right brain--from your left eye and left ear is more strongly connected to the part of the brain that knows where you're going.

 

Interestingly, head turning preference changes with age. In most children, there is a strong bias in favour of turning the head to the left. In adults that reverses. One hypothesis is language processing displaces spatial cognition as the dominant form of interaction as we mature, which shifts dominance in the brain from right to left.

 

But where the task that is physical (knowing where you are and where you are going), rather than language based, the right brain is still most often the relevant side of the brain. But if you have to look for a sign to tell you where to go, you'll probably start looking to your right.

I wonder, however, if those who are drivers in the USA are programmed to look to the right for road signs, so that is a reason they do so. And if this is true,the Brits,who as drivers may be programmed to look to the left for road signs, their "programming" might cause them to override the natural physical tendency to look right that you are talking about.

Linda Blair would never have been happy on HAL. Her head spins were always clockwise. ;)