14 DAY TRIAL // China is home to over 1.3 billion people, so it's safe to assume that pedestrian management is quite tricky. More so given the fact that, of the folks who regularly walk China's streets, many are unable to put one foot in front of the other without looking at their phones.
Not too long ago, authorities in the city of Chongqing decided to take matters into their own hands and try to solve this problem by creating the world's first lane especially designed for people addicted to their phones.
This one-of-a-kind lane, a photo of which is available next to this article, is separated from the rest of the pavement by a thick white line. Oddly enough, it appears that folks are by no means shy about using it when walking around the city.
Why create a special lane for mobile phones enthusiasts?
Contrary to what some might assume, this bizarre walking lane is actually intended to encourage people to look at things other than their phones when walking. Hence the fact that it has the message “Cell phones, walk in this lane at your own risk” written down on it.
As explained by authorities in the city of Chongqing, the problem with people addicted to their mobile phones is that, the more time they spend staring at their favorite gadget's screen, the more likely they are to bump into people walking in their proximity.
What's more, such people are so oblivious to what is happening around them that they have serious trouble figuring out when they are being a nuisance simply by forcing others to walk behind them or do a karate scheme to avoid colliding with them.
Thus, this 100-foot lane (30.5-meter) lane is not intended to make life easier for people who are utterly addicted to their mobile friends, Daily Mail informs. On the contrary, the lane is expected to remind folks living or visiting this Chinese city that “it is best not to play with your phone while walking.”
Not the first weird piece of infrastructure to come out of China
As wacky as the idea to create a lane for mobile phones enthusiasts alone might sound, the fact remains that this walking lane is by no means the first weird piece of infrastructure ever to come out of China, and chances are that it won't be the last either.
Thus, it was earlier this year that photos of a rectangular running track built in China's Heilongjiang province made it online and soon enough went viral on social media. Apparently, this running track ended up being rectangular instead of oval because workers were in a bit of a hurry to finish it, and corners are easier and faster to create.
