So ubiquitous in China are pedestrians glued to their cellphones, they have earned a nickname:
the heads-down tribe.
Tribe members can be seen texting, watching videos and conducting financial transactions, all while dodging cars, tripping in potholes and jamming up subway station entrances.
The WHO calls such behaviour “distracted walking,” and it is a growing health concern in China, where pedestrian deaths make up a significant number of traffic-related fatalities.
This spring, the managers of a shopping mall in Xi’an, implemented a novel strategy to protect members of the tribe — pedestrian lanes specifically for cellphone users.
Colourfully painted paths outside the Bairui Plaza shopping mall have been designated for walkers who cannot be bothered to look up from their devices.
“We are not actually advocating for pedestrians to look at their phones,” said Cao Hanjia, the mall’s spokeswoman. “But we can’t regulate people’s activities and tell them, ‘You’re not allowed to look at your cellphone while walking.’”
Instead, messages painted along the lane cajole walkers to look up and pay attention. “Please don’t look down for the rest of your life,” one message reads. “Path for the special use of the heads-down tribe,” another says snarkily.
The
WHO estimates that around 68,000 pedestrians are killed every year in China.
A mall in Xi’an, China, has designated a pathway for pedestrians glued to their cellphones. In 2014, a street ... Read More