I don’t think I buy the walking on the left because it is your sword arm argument. I would pass on right to keep my shield between me and the bad guy. Has anyone seen a scientific study to see if people naturally pass on one side of the other where there is no established pathway? Seems it would be tough to design, as years of culture would be difficult to overcome.
Anecdotal, but even though they drive on the left here in Thailand, I swear I see people mostly passing on the right when walking.
Everyone didn’t walk to the shops in full armour and shield! If you were wearing those, walking etiquette was far from your mind.
A sword on your waist would have been more common though.
Not scientific, but I notice that in right-drive countries such as the US and continental Europe, pedestrians almost always keep right on footpaths. In left-drive countries such as the UK and Japan, I immediately notice that there’s no real pattern. In fact, during a recent week in London I finally determined that I had fewer standoffs if I kept right. Even where a KEEP LEFT rule was posted, as in Underground transfer passages or railway station stairs, people’s natural inclination seemed to be to keep right.
However, why is it that railroad trains, where there are 2 tracks, usually are on the left one? And multiple doors into stores, the entrance is frequently on the left?
Well on the escalators, one keeps right if one wants to stand and left if one wants to walk. Perhaps it’s just simpler to stick to the right if one is already on the right?
I’m having trouble with the premise of your question. Railways generally follow the driving rule of the country where they’re located, or whose nationals engineered the line (this is the reason usually given for French left-hand running). Only one American railroad (Chicago & North Western) used left-hand-running systemwide, although a long desert stretch of the Santa Fe was also left-hand running. For railways, of course, the driver doesn’t make any choice so a rule is much less important, and many double-tracked railroads allow bidirectional traffic on both mains. So long as the signal says to proceed, the engineer has the track to himself.
Only soldiers on drill or duty carry shields. They’re heavy as sin, render your left arm useless, and are likely to be taken as a signal of aggressive intent.
I have made that observation too, which made me wonder if it was caused by hordes of tourists from right-side driving countries.
Japanese tourists who stand on the left are a pain in the behind and they don’t seem to notice that they get in peoples’ way. 
It turns out that Kincaid addresses this in his book (p. 37):
“in places where no rule is enforced there seems to be a natural tendency for pedestrians to keep to the right, whichever rule is observed by road traffic… . Whether or not this practice results from a natural tendency of a right-handed person to turn to the right, I cannot say. This practice was until recently recognized as a rule in England.”
The natural tendency for a right handed/footed person is to turn to the left.
Huh. That’s news to me. As far as driving, I have been known to drive with my right hand on the wheel and my left in the window. My tendency would be to pull down on the right.
As far as stairs, etc, I am more likely to have my right hand on the rail. It would make sense to me on an escalator that I would stay to the right and hold the railing while those passing me on the left would not hold the rail.
Your right foot (if right-footed) is stronger and pushes off with greater force, which makes you swerve to the left. That’s the reason why all track & field races go anti-clockwise. Elementary, my dear Watson.
ignorance fought
The wall side of the pavement was always the preferred side, unsurprisingly considering the filth in the gutter in previous centuries. Hence the expressions to give the wall or take the wall.
From OED:
Just puts “road rage” in perspective: these guys are talking about clubbing people unconscious or smashing people’s legs for passing on the wrong side… in documents that get preserved in the OED! I’d hate to see what North Acton was like on a Saturday night…
Edit: If I’ve read the archaic phrases correctly, hehe.
How does this work with pushbikes?
In right-side-driving countries do cyclists mount/dismount the bike from the side of the bike facing the road? Or do they mount/dismount from the right of the bike away from traffic?
One would assume it’d be a combination of “Whichever side was closest to the footpath” and “Whatever they felt like at the time,” surely?
At first I thought you meant one of these, in which case it would be from the dominant side as you stand on the bike with your non-dominant foot and push with the dominant one, but when I found out that you probably mean this the answer is from the non-dominant side, the same as when you mount a horse.
The first link is a scooter.
If you mount from the same side as a horse, then you would be mounting the bike from the traffic side.
On the other hand, Martini Enfield says from the footpath side - which is safe, but from the right side of the bike.
Two opposite answers.