China introduces smartphone lanes to stop pedestrians bumping into each other

PEDESTRIANS glued to their mobiles instead of looking where they’re going have become a real hazard. Can a special lane fix the problem?

A woman looks at her mobile phone as she walks past an Apple iPhone 5 poster outside a store in Beijing on September 11, 201...

PEDESTRIANS glued to their mobiles are becoming a serious hazard to themselves and others on the street.

Now China has come up with an ingenious solution — the smartphone lane.

A footpath divided into two lanes for phone users and non-phone users has sprung up in Chongqing city.

Let's see how this works: http://t.co/l1n3657Ktm pic.twitter.com/r5KTwXgR9f

— Chris Buckley 储百亮 (@ChuBailiang) September 13, 2014

The lanes are marked with painted arrows and images of phones.

Prominent signs in Chinese and English read: “First mobile phone sidewalks in China”, with a diagram mapping out the path.

But New York Times China reporter Chris Buckley noted that most people still seemed to freely walk in the traffic on the road.

The idea was tried out last month in Washington, DC, where a path was divided into lanes marked “No cellphone” on the left, and “Cellphones: Walk in this lane at your own risk” on the right, again with arrows.

It was part of a National Geographic stunt for an upcoming TV series called Mind Over Masses, which “uses what we know about human behaviour” to develop “interactive solutions to everyday problems.”

A much-needed idea comes to Chongqing. (Though most people seem to walk in the traffic.) http://t.co/mEWQWmI2Lc pic.twitter.com/elhS56fxmi

— Chris Buckley 储百亮 (@ChuBailiang) September 13, 2014

Unfortunately, mobile phone users were most likely to take out their phones for a photo of the sign, or miss them completely, Yahoo reported.

In 2010, a group called Improv Everywhere chalked up separate sidewalk lanes for New Yorkers and tourists — the latter being more likely to walk more slowly.

Philadelphia introduced an “e-Lane” for electronic device users in 2012 — but as an April Fool’s Day prank.

The press release from Mayor Nutter’s office read: “Stand on any sidewalk in Philadelphia you will see fellow citizens with busy lives who can’t take the time to look up from their iPhones, BlackBerries and other electronic devices. The E-Lane is a safe and convenient option for those distracted walkers.”

So is the special lane a good idea, or just one big joke?

A woman on a cell phone walks by as people wait in line on chairs September 9, 2014 outside the Apple Store on 5th Avenue in New York. Tech trend-setter Apple charts its future course Tuesday amid expectations for new big-screen iPhones and possibly an "iWatch" which could shake up the world of wearable computing. Apple has maintained its customary arch silence, but a frenzy of speculation suggests a push into a new segment as it seeks to broaden the appeal of its iconic iPhone. AFP PHOTO/Don Emmert