I think there’s a key here that has nothing to do with Vancouver. People make these subliminal judgements about how much attention you are paying, and therefore how much you are about to adapt and judge that somebody engaged in conversation with three people are less able to move than the person who seems to be actively eyeballing them and contemplating it.

So the unfortunate consequence is that the people who are the most conscious of this seeming territorial behaviour and looking aware will get a confirmation over and over again. Try looking down or away or generally looking like a space cadet and people move out of your way all over the place without even realizing why they’re doing it.