MOSCOW, September 15 (RIA Novosti) - China has specially painted a lane designated for mobile phone users along a 100 foot long pavement in Chongqing, the Telegraph reported on Monday.
"First mobile phone sidewalks [sic] in China," a blue sign says at the entrance to the street, separated into two lanes by a white painted line the newspaper reported.
Mobile phone user’s tendency to focus on their devices, often annoying or slowing traffic among pedestrians, has inspired the Chinese city to paint white arrows directing those glued to their phones in addition to a special separate cell phone lane.
Chinese officials said the new markings would act as a reminder to pedestrians that "it is best not to play with your phone while walking.”
The program bears a striking resemblance to a project launched by the National Geographic channel earlier this year which featured identical stencils guiding cell phone users.
The use of mobile devices is on the rise in China, as is cellphone use in the world. A recent survey by zhaopin.com found some 80 percent of 10,000 white collar workers in China suffering from “severe addiction” to their phones.
According to a University of Essex study conducted in 2013 on smartphone etiquette, 88 percent of those polled disapproved of texting while walking along streets.
