Chinese City Creates Smartphone Sidewalk Lane

Hey, imagine the potential benefits: citizens have to think less as they text, or watch the latest six episodes of  It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia or contemplate mobile promotional sales offers. It makes them more reliant on the guidance of municipal officials and reduces their demand for expensive elections.

And dont even get us started on the potential health benefits: a dramatic reduction in those horrifying pedestrian collisions that result in broken nails, skinned knees and bruised egos. The savings in unnecessary manicure visits and psychological counseling could probably fuel a job creating startup. 

Chongqing is one of China's fastest growing interior cities. Tech companies are flocking there now that the government has strongly encouraged enterprises to reconsider their interest in coastal locations. This could be the start of something big. Even if the primary benefit is increased tourism built primarily around the curious taking photos of the cellphone lanes. Commerce bows to creativity. JL

Didi Tang reports in Talking Points Memo:

Pedestrians were not taking the new lanes seriously, but that many were snapping pictures of the signs and sidewalk.

Taking a cue from an American TV program, the Chinese city of Chongqing has created a smartphone sidewalk lane, offering a path for those too engrossed in messaging and tweeting to watch where they're going.

But the property manager says it's intended to be ironic — to remind people that it's dangerous to tweet while walking the street.
"There are lots of elderly people and children in our street, and walking with your cellphone may cause unnecessary collisions here," said Nong Cheng, the marketing official with Meixin Group, which manages the area in the city's entertainment zone.
Meixin has marked a 50-meter (165-foot) stretch of pavement with two lanes: one that prohibits cellphone use next to one that allows pedestrians to use them — at their "own risk."
Nong said the idea came from a similar stretch of pavement in Washington D.C. created by National Geographic Television in July as part of a behavior experiment.
She said that pedestrians were not taking the new lanes seriously, but that many were snapping pictures of the signs and sidewalk.
"Those using their cellphones of course have not heeded the markings on the pavement," she said. "They don't notice them."