Should NYC Employ Liverpool’s Fast Walking Lanes?
We already have express buses and subways, so why not fast track NYC’s most widely used mode of transportation–walking. New Yorkers have long been known for their speedy strides, but with our population growing and texting addicts clogging up sidewalks, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to get around slowpokes. Which is exactly why Liverpool just debuted Britain’s first-ever fast pedestrian lane, “following research that claims 47% of the nation finds slow walking the most annoying aspect of high-street shopping,” reports the Independent.
6sqft previously shared Belgium’s “text walking lanes,” designed to separate out the smartphone zombies. But in this British version, the texters aren’t as much the issue as are chatting crowds and pavement hoggers. The fast lanes were installed along St. John Street, where the city’s popular three-story shopping center is located. 31 percent of people surveyed in the project said people blocking the road was the greatest annoyance, but 18 percent did cite cell phone usage. And it’s mostly the young Liverpool residents who were in favor of the lanes. The Independent reports that 69 percent of 16- to 24-year-olds support the plan, but only 37 percent of those over 55 do.
Of course, it would take a good deal of coordination and permits for this to take off in NYC, but might we suggest a rush-hour trial run to see how it goes?
[Via Independent]
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