Walk. Stop. Look at your phone. Smile awkwardly. Look up to see if anyone saw you smiling awkwardly. Type. Keep walking slowly. Stop. Look at your phone. Laugh out loud. Type. Look up to see a cute boy walking in the other direction. Smile at him. Keep typing. Start walking slowly again. Repeat.
If the above scenario sounds familiar to you, congrats, we’re twins. We’re both smartphone addicts, horrible multitaskers, and our sidewalk etiquette is that we have none. People bump into us constantly and there’s about a 98.7 percent chance they’ve fantasized about kicking us in the back of our knees. Good news is, they haven’t yet. Better news is, some cities are now building special sidewalks so we can text and walk in peace.
According to the Daily Mail, the Chinese city of Chongqing recently unveiled a lane specially designated for people who want to walk as they use their cell phones. “Cell phones, walk in this lane at your own risk” is printed in huge, white lettering; the lane next to it reads, “No cell phones.” Local officials hope that the separation between mobile users and normal pedestrians will combat “sidewalk rage” and prevent unnecessary collisions with elderly people and children.
Before you start praising the Chinese for this construction, you should know that the creation for the sidewalk was brainstormed by a group of National Geographic television producers in Washington, D.C., for a behavior experiment back in July.
Now all we need are lifeguards to keep us from walking into oncoming traffic and we’ll be golden.
[via RT, Daily Mail]