Deon Cole (a black standup comic) told a story in which he was driving to the grocery store late at night, and coincidentally happened to be driving behind a white woman who was going to the same place. He drove behind her through several turns, then parked near her in the parking ramp. Chilly night, so he had his hoodie on, with the hood up. As they walked out of the ramp to the store - him a few paces behind her - she suddenly turned and screamed, “WHAT DO YOU WAAAAAAANT???”
“Snacks, bitch.”
My dog appreciates that. She is not fond of humans who come walking up behind her, especially if they’re moving fast (runners). It startles her and you’re likely to be growled or barked at. If I see or hear you coming, I will pull her off to the side and make her sit-stay (“Be polite. People go first.”) until you pass. We’d rather follow you than be followed.
Now, if the situation is reversed and I’m coming up behind someone – and it’s obvious they haven’t seen or heard me – I will adopt bicyclists’ practice and holler, “Coming up behind you.” While I’m cool with that if people do it to me, there’s a good chance I won’t hear because A) I’m rocking out with earbuds on because dog walks are boring or B) I have some hearing loss and I might not be able to hear you. If I can hear you, that doesn’t mean I understood what you said. I might have heard, “Mwah mwah mwah mwah mwah* behind you*.”
I hum “Staying Alive” when I get near, and then a nod as I strut past.
I am a very large, and reasonably ugly bloke. My appearance can be daunting. I’ve deliberately crossed the street to avoid walking toward others who might feel fear because of how I look. I’ve used the “walk loud” approach. (Also whistling show tunes.)
Yeah, I do something like that. Jangling my keys, staying in peripheral vision rather than directly behind, anything to signal “Don’t mind me, I’m just getting in my car in the most nonthreatening way possible, and it’s nothing whatsoever to do with you.”
I play the* Knight Rider* theme on my phone. 
But yeah, I’ll occasionally make a bit of noise, cross the road or change my route/walking speed to open up the distance between me and women walking on the path.
I take frequent walks in the suburbs where there are few people on the street especially in the early evening. I will usually cross the street rather than walking behind someone on an otherwise empty street. There is no point in alarming someone when it can be easily avoided.
And then I feel faintly irritated when a woman comes out and walks just in front of me. So that I have to cross the street or jangle the car keys.
Because although I do it to be polite, I also do it so that I’m not stuck in a narky situation where someone is using the pepper spray on me, or calling the police.
As a woman, I just wanted to say I appreciate it when I’m walking alone at night and guys (of any race) make the effort to make it clear they’re not there to hassle me. I always want to thank the guy. So while I’ve got you here: thanks.
The idea never really occurred to me. I don’t regularly wind up walking behind anyone. The only time I regularly walked long distances was in college, and either I was walking with everyone going to class, or I was basically walking alone, far enough away from anyone else.
It just is not such a common occurrence that I ever stopped to think about how to handle it. I’ll take this under advisement.
I am not particularly jumpy around strangers but I’d be pissing myself too if I was that lady.
I’m a 5’4" woman, and apparently I look like the favorite cousin/aunt/neighbor of half the planet, based on how often people ask me for directions, advice on local stores, or tell me their life. And yet, there are times when a tiny old woman I was accidentally following has given me the affrighted-half-to-death look. After a few instances of that, now when I find myself walking behind a woman older and smaller than me in a place without other people, I slow down for a bit to let the distance grow wider. If they hear me when I’m closer than they’d like (which seems to be less than ten steps) they jump sky high.
Some day I’ll be a little old lady, but I hope I’ll be less scaredy than that.
I do the same but it’s not unconcious.
On a related note. A few years ago I decided to walk to the grocerry store. As I’m walking I noticed two large black males approaching. So I start sizing them up and put a little badass in my step. I set my face in my “I’m not the dude you want to fuck with” mode. Just as I’m about to move over on the sidewalk to give thema wide berth, I realize it’s my son and his best friend. :smack:
I do remember waiting on an elevator one night. The door opens, I’m about to step on when I notice one lone woman standing there. I noticed her body tensed for like a split second before she regained composure.
I felt bad for the lady so I declined to get on and waited for the next elevator.
I couldn’t help thinking at the time: “She either appreciates that or thinks I’m a total weirdo.”
I do make noise when I’m walking behind people. But that’s usually because I’m trying to give a subtle hint that I would like to get by.
I hate shuffling feet, but I will give a little cough/throat clear while looking in some direction off to the side so they will hear it, but if they turn to look it will be inherently clear I wasn’t trying to get their attention or anything.
As a melanin-challenged human I stlll sometimes make myself conspicuous. I wouldn’t mind being a “loud walker” except that once or twice I’ve run into trolls who pretend not to notice me and then as I pass them they pretend to recoil and yell out faux-urgently “WHOA DUDE! I MISSED YOU!”
That is funny shit, but also a little sad.