Want to text and walk? Go to Belgium. Digital Trends says pedestrians using smartphones in the Belgian city of Antwerp are now using dedicated “text walking lanes”
Like The University of Utah and Chongqing in China, the text walking lanes have been painted onto Antwerp’s busiest sidewalks. While this was a clever marketing stunt by a smartphone company, residents now want to keep the lanes.
CTV Vancouver says there are more than 2,700 pedestrian injuries in BC each year, and over 40% of them are because pedestrians ignore traffic signals. Some U.S. cities have started ticketing ‘careless pedestrians’ for looking at their smartphones while crossing the street.
Pedestrians are the most vulnerable users of the road. Every day a pedestrian is struck by a vehicle in Vancouver. Stay safe. Remove headphones and never text while crossing the street. Or find a “text walking lane”.
For more information
- Belgian City Launches ‘Text Walking Lanes” For Smartphone Addicts, Digital Trends
- University Installs ‘Texting Lanes’ for Distracted Walkers, CBC
- Group uses ‘geofencing’ to warn against walking and texting, CTV Vancouver
- Fort Lee, N.J. Cracking Down On ‘Dangerous Walking’ By Handing Out Summonses, CBS New York
