Specialized lane for 'phubbing' pedestrians in Xi'an

Those who are obsessed with their mobile phones — sometimes referred to as "phubbers" because they use their phones and snub social contact — may now feel a little safer walking on the streets of Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province. 

As chinanews.com reported, safety lanes have been introduced to make it safer for those who are constantly playing with their phones and not paying attention to the world around them.

The lanes, measuring 1 meter in width and hundreds of meters in length, are painted in red, green or blue and specially designed for "‘phubbing" pedestrians.

Some residents appreciated the move as a kind of social public service over safety concerns, while others disagreed and thought that energy should be spent dissuading people from playing on their phones all day, especially when walking on the road.