Texting Lanes For Distracted Pedestrians? [VIDEO]

What started as an April fools joke to raise awareness about distracted pedestrians is getting some serious attention now.  It happened in Philadelphia, where a special lane was set aside for walkers who spend a little too much time texting.

Just in time for April Fools Day, lines were painted in the 1400 block of JFK Boulevard across from Philadelphia's City Hall apparently for people who are distracted by their electronic devices.  Philadelphia's ABC affiliate Action News reports the lines show a "distracted walker icon."  The special "e-lanes" will remain in place for a week to draw attention to the problem of texting and walking.

Philadelphia though is not the first city to consider texting and walking a problem. In London, officials actually considered the idea of installing padding on lamp posts because of so many texting while walking accidents and injuries!  No, I'm not kidding, check out this video!

What do you think, do we need special lanes for distracted pedestrians?