Chinese City Has Special Path For Smartphone Users

We've all seen that person walking around, more interested in their smartphone than the real world. They (mostly) dodge obstacles by glancing up at the last moment, and roundly annoy everyone around them. A city in China has stepped in to corral those folks, giving them their own space to saunter about aimlessly.

Rather than let them meander blindly through the streets, Chongqing City is giving those who are looking down at a screen their own path. On at least one sidewalk in the city, there is a cellphone lane. Just like a bike lane, except this one's for those who are Candy Crushing their day instead of peddling home.

We're not sure what to call it, but it's a great idea. Is this the Internet slow lane in real life? The "multitasking fail" lane? A "look up!" lane?

Whatever you want to call it, it's a neat idea. It may also be a sad commentary on us that we can't detach from a phone long enough to walk from place to place.

It also may not matter much. As Engadget points out, a similar move was tested in Washington D.C. earlier this year. Conducted by National Geographic, a lane was created to encourage those who were on their phone to stay in their lane.

It didn't work. Rather than obey or even acknowledge the lane, Instagramming their last meal seemed to be more important to Americans. Let's hope the Chinese do it better this time around.

Source: News QQ

Via: Engadget