Not really, it just makes things run smoothly if people are generally thoughtful to one another. It doesn't always happen tho.
We're only human.
People can still be human and mostly thoughtful, I don't feel the two are mutually exclusive. Having a side to stand on just means that people who need to pass can pass. In a country with transportation being the main way to travel to work and back, it just makes the process smoother.
Good luck getting people to do that here in the States. Everyone is so freaking selfish it borders on absurd...
Yeah, the cultures are different, it has to do with the focus on the person vs the focus on the group. It can have advantages and disadvantages.
Everything does.