Improving how I greet people?

[GTII]

When I walk, I always look straight ahead; l do it to signal confidence. I notice that when some people I know see me walking from a distance, they look away while they approach me or if I try to look them in the eye they just turn their head and look another direction. This makes for very awkward greetings; for instance, I can have my hand up waving when I look at them, but they are already looking away and don't see it. Other times I see them from far away, and wanting to avoid the previous situation, I wait until they are close to (try to) speak to them properly, all the while with them shifting their look from me to something off in the distance. Some don't even bother speaking if I don't speak first. Even when I talk to some people (I'm a good conversationalist), they talk, but look away when I try to make eye contact. Is my stare creeping them out? I have been smiling a lot more, which helps a little and I try to not make a lot of eye contact when I talk to people. How can I improve or properly greet people?

 

[nesquick]

I think you may be coming off a little too stiff or something. In trying to signal confidence, you may be sending out the wrong vibes. Try to relax and just walk comfortably and don't just look straight ahead, scan the area with your eyes and don't be afraid to turn your head.
You may be making people feel uncomfortable because just by the way you wrote this, you sound rather intense. Which isn't a bad thing but could be offsetting to someone if they're trying to have a conversation with you. You seem like you're uncomfortable and trying to compensate by trying to appear confident and I think you may be overcompensating. In other words, looking too stiff and rigid.
Don't try to be "proper" try to be personable. In other words, not so uptight.
I think as long as you're respectful and polite to a certain degree, you're being proper enough. But being too proper makes you seem unapproachable.
It's hard to say because I can't actually talk to you . But that's the impression I get just from reading what you've written. Oh, and smiling is good. Just make sure it's not coming off looking like a fake or forced smiling.