Urinal etiquette explained
Asymmetric Exposure When Immediate Adjacency Cannot Be Avoided
QUESTION 4/20
Not every room permits the complete avoidance of a neighbour. In such circumstances, the number of neighbouring occupants remains a relevant distinction, even where the nearest separation is equally small.
The situation
Railway Station · Entrance: Lower right.
| Position | State |
|---|---|
| 1 | Available |
| 2 | Ordinary visitor |
| 3 | Available |
| 4 | Ordinary visitor |
Recommended position: 1
One flank or two
Positions two and four are occupied. The player may choose one or three. Both choices create immediate adjacency, but position three places the player between two visitors. Position one has a visitor only on its right; its left boundary cannot become occupied by another person within the row.
A reduced, not perfect, solution
The recommended position does not create a gap that the room does not contain. It reduces bilateral exposure to unilateral exposure. The left-hand end also remains remote from the entrance on the right, reinforcing a decision already supported by the local occupancy pattern.
Conclusion
Position one is preferable to position three. Imperfect conditions do not justify selecting the version with twice as many immediate neighbours.
In plain language
You have to stand beside somebody. Pick one: one neighbour is better than being wedged between two.