Stop The Walking and Texting Carnage; Practice Safe Text
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 8.08
TreeHugger has discussed the danger of using electronics while walking or biking; we like to encourage people to walk or ride and to do it as safely as possible. In London, a study found that one in ten cellphone users has hurt themselves by walking into things while texting; the Daily Express says six million Britons were injured last year. To prevent this, The charity Living Streets and directory service 118118 are testing the padding of lamposts and signs to stop the carnage. Geekologie is not impressed: "Next they're going to start padding cars. I say screw the padding, add sharp spikes to the poles. If you can't manage to look where you're walking then you deserve to lose all that blood." They suggest that perhaps an automatic message could be broadcast from each pole. Video displaying the tragic scale of this growing urban problem below. ::Engadget
The Daily Express writes:
Research among 1,055 adults discovered that 63 per cent concentrate so hard when they are texting that they become “blind” to objects around them.
Mobile phone users are now being advised to use template messages to speed up texting and look up every five seconds to avoid hazards.
In light of the growing injury toll, one in four of those questioned by directory service 118118 said they would support “mobile lanes” on pavements.
These vividly-coloured routes would act like cycle lanes and skirt round danger spots.
Nearly half would also back precautions such as protective pads on lamp posts to protect texting pedestrians.
While texting is problematic, I think there's some great potential in combining biking and walking with electronics. Ask yourself, why don't people walk to work, or bicycle, or take public transit? Why don't people use those methods to travel across regions? The two main costs associated with the methods are time and comfort. However, by integrating tools like wearable computing, artificial intelligence, heads-up display, voice recognition, miniaturization, and wireless communication, you could make time spent on foot or bicycle as productive as time at the office. That would completely change the equation, when people can enjoy the outdoors (hiking or biking), travel great distance, and do productive work at the flip of a switch. Call it nomadic productivity.
This electronics suite would be easily powered by pedaling, solar textiles, piezoelectric fabric, and so forth. To tackle the other big factor, comfort, means simply developing wearable computer designs that are especially comfortable, waterproof, and robust. Developing this should certainly focus on sustainability, though the emphasis would be on giving people productive tools when traveling outdoors. Maybe this could catch on, maybe there are business opportunities with this. Or maybe I sound like the secret love-child of Tim Gunn and Dr. Strangelove. Whatever.
please tell me this is a joke...
i realize, most people would not have generated the, admittedly odd, talent of walking and reading, but I have never bumped into anything. never. in nearly 20 years. i can walk, talk, and read - and even chew gum with out being a hazard (and yes, i am aware of how odd i look) all while remaining aware of my surroundings.
LA: I actually thought it was a joke when I first wrote it, particularly since living streets is a reputable organization. I thought it was an Onion type piece, and tagged it under humor. Then I kept looking and reputable english papers were discussing it and if it is a joke then I have been completely taken in.
. . .
Would it been faster just to stop, type your text, then walk after (or you could run with the cell in your pocket) ? ...
Imagine this: A cellphone user driving his car and a pedestrian text messenging...
I leave you with your imagination.
(Why not have a huge boat horn that goes ON if your in range of hitting the post) Now there's an idea!
These people should walk right into traffic and get hit buy the people driving and talking/ texting.
Darwin awards for everyone!
Regardless of if I'm inline skating in traffic or walking down the sidewalk in NYC, I try to be as mindful of my surroundings as possible. Civility comes into this in a big way, but if you're fiddling with your Blackberry, cell phone, or iPod, and you're not watching where you're going, I hope to God you have the benefit of a padded lamppost or bench.
I absolutely refuse to make way for some self-absorbed idiot who has little regard for their own safety (much less alone mine). I'm not going to push them into traffic, but I will plow through them. More than a couple of cell phones have hit the curb, and hopefully some moron will have a rude reminder to get their head out of their hindparts.
Instead of putting spikes on the poles (a little extreme but still funny), how about several big permanent ink stamps right at approximate forehead levels that read "I am an Idiot" or something of that sort?
Similar reasoning that ER doctors refer to people that ride motorcycles without helmets as riding "donor-cycles".
On second thought -- go with the spikes -- might help a little with overpopulation issues. :)
Not crazy about the padding idea, but we do care about safety! And the environment! And...
http://googlemapsbikethere.org/
And what about the jackasses who think that driving a car while using a handheld cellphone is a good idea?
This is pandering to the lowest common denominator.
Why don't they put up cameras and film the morons who can't watch where they're going and then show a montage of the "carnage" on the nightly news as commercial buffers?
Shame these people into taking responsibility for their actions.
From a green POV, this padding idea is just another enviro nightmare waiting to happen. Imagine millions of poles the world over needing this extra feature - the materials and energy needed etc. etc. vandals ripping them to shreds. It just seems like consumption replacing common sense yet again to me.
16 GB iPhone: $499.00 USD
Basic 2-Year AT&T Cell Phone Service Agreement: $59.00 USD per month
Cost of seeing some jackass hit a lamppost, crack his head, and drop his iPhone: PRICELESS
If you're dumb enough to be so engrossed in your texting and hit a pole... tough luck, dude! Maybe you'll kill yourself and win a Darwin award.
Really now, I text message on the street frequently, but I have mastered the art of actually lifting my head once in a while and LOOKING ahead to see if there's anything dangerous (car, pole, fence) in my way. It's not freaking rocket science.
Sadly in this day and age April Fool's Day comes earlier and earlier.
I am amazed.
Somewhere there is marketing firm rubbing their hands with glee and patting each other on the back!
I cant believe journalists are reporting this as a serious story? I've seen it everywhere!
Is it not painfully obvious that this is a just a genius marketing gimmick?
The pads have "118 118" written down them in huge letters.
For those that don't know - "118 118" is one of many directory inquiry numbers in the UK, and their calls cost around 70p ($1.40ish) and up, and they've had a huge advertising campaign in the past.
This is just a "fun" bit of advertising, those pads will be gone in a couple of weeks and 118 118 will have got a LOT of free column inches from people actually reporting this "story".
come on, focus people, focus.
For Christ's sake, this was PUBLICITY STUNT by 118118, the pads were there for less that 2 hours!!