‘No Cell Phone’ Pedestrian Lanes Set Up In Chinese City

A municipality in China has come up with a lighthearted approach to the ever-growing problem of people who use their phones while walking - by created a 'no texting' pedestrian lane.

Chongqing, a vast municipality of 28 million in southwest China, has come up with a lighthearted pedestrian strategy to remind pedestrians of the dangers of looking down at a smartphone while walking - separate lanes for people do - or don't - use their device while walking, writes TIME.

The signs and street markings appeared recently in a short section of paving in the city's entertainment district, indicating that one section of the sidewalk would be a 'no cell phone' lane, the Associated Press reports.

'There are lots of elderly people and children in our street, and walking with your cell phone may cause unnecessary collisions here,' Nong Cheng, a spokeswoman for the district's property management company, said in a statement.

However, Nong clarified that the initiative was meant to be a satirical way to highlight the dangers of texting and walking, writes TIME.

While many pedestrians have been stopping to take pictures of the markings and the signage, Nong said that most of the pedestrians were not actually adhering to the tongue-in-cheek guidelines.

The inspiration for the dual sidewalk came from National Geographic in the U.S., which created similar divisions on a section of pavement in Washington, D.C., in July as part of a televised behavior experiment.

The National Geographic experiment in Washington created 'fast and slow lanes' on the sidewalk - allowing participants to choose which lane they would rather walk in.

However, much like the results in the Chongqing municipality, pedestrians largely ignored the street markings.