Smartphones have become an integral part of a livelihood. People can be found lost in their smartphones even while on the streets and travelling. However, a city in northern China has found a solution for this. A special pedestrian lane has been introduced on one of its roads which is meant exclusively for slow-walking smartphone users.
A local news portal said that the pavement along the Yanta Road in Xi’an has now got a special lane for phubbers which means people who stare at their phones and ignore everything else around them. The new lane for smartphoners has been painted red , green and blue and measures 8cm wide and 100m long. Pictures of smartphone have also been drawn along the route so as to distinguish it from the pedestrian lane.
Reports say that a big shopping mall which is next to the street was pressurizing to have the lane since a month and said that cars often come into the pavement where pedestrians flock and might not pay attention to the surroundings. The locals are happy with the introduction of the new lane and one of the locals expressed, “Everybody walking along here thinks that it’s very safe; at the side of the road, there are cars, and the vehicles also come onto here, and sometimes only just avoid you.”
However, the progress has got mixed response from the audience. One of the internet users opines smartphone users have become like blind people while another has pointed out that the phubbers using the lane might put the risk at bumping in to each other. Another user pointed out, “Young people’s lives nowadays are fast, and they’re always looking at their phones. This puts our minds at rest – those of us who are often looking at our phones – as it’s a form of protection.” For now the smartphone users are enjoying the new lane.
Photo Credits: Telegraph
