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Imagine going for a run around your neighborhood. Would you run on the sidewalk or in the street?

In this story, one man likes to go running, and he avoids the sidewalks because they are pretty uneven and can be a tripping hazard. He prefers to run in the street, but it’s not like he’s running in the middle of the street. He runs as close to the edge of the street at possible.

Should he run on the sidewalk anyway?

He didn’t think he was doing anything wrong, but now he’s wondering if his neighbors all think he shouldn’t be running in the street.

Keep reading for the whole story.

AITAH for running in the street in a neighborhood?

Where I run, sidewalk pavement can be uneven. Also, plenty of times I’ve seen small toys or sidewalk chalk left on the sidewalk, both perfect for rolling an ankle.

Normally, I run in the early morning, but I have to be in early tomorrow, so decided to run at night. Like after 10:00 p.m.

It’s cooler and less traffic. But also less light to spot hazards and/or uneven pavement on the sidewalk.

He sounds like a considerate neighbor.

I try to be as courteous as possible to vehicle traffic backing out of driveways, or coming down tight streets.

I wave thank you when they let me pass.

I run as close to the curb and parked cars will allow me.

He was going the same direction as a truck.

Tonight, a guy in a big truck passed me slowly on my right, with plenty of room. He wanted to make a left at the next street, the same place as I intended to turn.

He stopped, I assume so I could cross, but I motioned to him that I was turning too.

As I made the turn, a car was backing out of a driveway (slowly) and coming at us.

I was able to continue my run hugging the curb, but there was not enough room for the truck to make his turn, so he waited for the car to pass, then made his turn.

He’s still thinking about what the driver said.

As he drove slowly past me he said out his window, “they make sidewalks for a reason.”

To be fair, he didn’t yell or curse, but his comment lingered in my brain.

I run this route 3x/week and I don’t want my neighbors to think I ATAH for running in the street.

While I understand that uneven sidewalks can be a tripping hazard, I agree with the truck driver. He should get out of the street!

Let’s see how Reddit responded to this story.

This person shares their perspective.

Another person points out how dangerous running in the road could be.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a family who finds a technicality in the law that allows them to keep their pool after their neighbors report it.

This person shares a similar thought.

But this person doesn’t think he did anything wrong.

Personally, I wouldn’t run in the street. If the sidewalks are that uneven, he just needs to watch where he’s going. I get that it’s harder to see at night, but he could get a headlamp or something so he can see where he’s going. As hard as it is for him to see kids’ toys left on the sidewalk at night, imagine how drivers feel about having to watch out for people running in the street at night!