Have you ever bumped into someone while being busy on your Smartphone or vice-versa? If yes then here is a tactic which aims to stop collisions and good for today’s phone-obsessed generation.

For Brits, a slow lane for texting pedestrians has been set up in Manchester which aims to stop phone obsessed people from bumping into each other.

In Manchester’s Spinningfields area, two 247-foot long “mobile safe lanes” now run down and the busy areas which lead from home to offices, bars and restaurants, making it a prime spot for preoccupied walkers. 

There is no penalty if you walk-and-text outside of the lines. The lanes were set up by AO Mobile which is a phone retailer launched as a spin-off from AO.com.

According to the retailer, as many as 40% of Brits think authorities should intervene when it comes to walkers distracted by phones.

“We have to be realistic and responsible when it comes to the way society is changing,” said AO’s Richard Baxendale.”

“Our research found Brits being distracted by technology when walking is becoming an issue people want tackled.”

“Our trial slow lane is an important first step that may well be adopted by other cities in the future.”

“AO-Mobile is all about making mobile phones simpler and we wanted to highlight that people should pay attention to our new deals and customer service, rather than keeping their head down and missing out.”

The lanes are central and there is still plenty of space to walk around them. It is still not clear that the lanes will be fixed permanently or it is temporary.

This idea is not a brand new as the Chinese city of Chongqing has had a smartphone-only lane since 2014. But the tactic has been used in the UK for the first time.

 

 

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