Fast walkers now have their own pedestrian lane in Liverpool

Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Anyone who gets annoyed by slow walkers, buggies and other pavement obstructions might want to make a beeline to Liverpool.

A fast track pedestrian lane has been added to the city's pavements at the Liverpool One shopping complex, allowing speedier people to bypass slowcoaches hogging the street.

The lanes are actually an advert as they lead directly into the catalogue retailers Argos, which created them. But still, the news will come as a relief to the huge numbers of shoppers who say crowds are one of their biggest bugbears.

In a poll of 1,505 adults conducted by Opinion Matters for Argos, 31% of respondents said pavement hoggers were their worst high street nightmare, and 27% cited dawdling pedestrians as their top issue.

The lane is only a trial, but independent retail expert Alastair Moore said nearly 30 million Brits say they'd like one on their own high street.

Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Special-case lanes have been trialled before. In China, a theme park introduced a lane for walking while texting, and another in which using phones was banned.

In Chongqing, China, there are cell phone walking lanes. #wow pic.twitter.com/PLNKWAJq9v— Dan Pontefract (@dpontefract) September 14, 2014

In Washington, D.C., meanwhile, National Geographic introduced temporary signage to separate text-walkers as part of their Mind Over Masses science series. Smartphone laboratory Mlab installed similar lanes in Antwerp, Belgium in June.

Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The lane in Liverpool is sadly only around until Sunday.

The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!