I reside in a nation where driving is done on the right side of the street. I’ve noticed that, for the most part (unless distracted by their phones, are intentionally flexing, or just being inconsiderate), most folks from a similar background, also seem to tend to walk on the right side of two-way paths, sidewalks, etc, and tend to “dodge” or veer right when encountering oncoming fellow pedestrians.
Is the reverse the trend for pedestrians in regions where folks drive on the left side of streets (UK, Japan, India, Australia, etc)?
I walk wherever seems the safest. If it’s just me I’ll walk in the middle so I can dodge either direction should I need to. If passing someone who’s coming towards me I gauge direction based on the variables such as a dog or multiple people or whatever. Sometimes it’s better to stand aside and let them pass. Sometimes is better to just detour into the grass momentarily. It all depends.
If I am with someone I tend to stand between them and whatever the most dangerous thing might be. So usually towards the street with the cars, but I will swap sides if the other side has groups of people that are the more immediate potential threat.
At the end of the day I walk faster than most and I am bigger than most so I just walk wherever and try to avoid collision pathing.