Everyone knows that texting and driving is a dangerous, foolish thing to do. However, most people don’t realize that texting and walking can be just as risky. Think about it: How many times have you been texting on your phone while walking and run into something – maybe even another person? In order to avoid these kinds of texting related disasters, some places are testing out the idea of texting lanes: Places you specifically go to walk and text without risk.The initial concept began in a Chinese theme park, where Chinese pedestrians can walk and text in their own special lane. The concept of the phone lane is exactly like bicycle lanes that separate vehicle lanes and bike lanes.
The mobile phone sidewalk is also similar to the lanes created on 18th Street in Washington, DC. These lanes were painted by National Geographic TV channel as part of a crowd behavior experiment. Unfortunately, the experiment found that pedestrians in Washington, DC just ignored the lane.
Now, citizens of Antwerp, Belgium have their own texting lanes, in addition to their very effective bike paths and tram lanes. The first strip is visible in the shopping district of The Wild Sea in the center of town. If these lanes prove to be effective, more of them will surely pop up all over the city.
