There’s a ‘fast lane’ for London commuters to avoid slow walkers
Don’t you just hate it when you’re trying to get somewhere quickly and you’re stuck behind someone dawdling as they send a text or play on their phone?
Commuters at one of London’s major train stations were treated to a reprieve from any plodding pedestrians thanks to a special ‘fast lane’ aimed at helping them get to work quicker.
The ‘directlane’, a stunt by insurance company Direct Line, at Waterloo saw a separate 50-metre walkway highlighted by red arrows set up to help commuters speed through the station to get to their destination faster.
The move comes after a study found three quarters (77%) of the nation confessed to regularly experiencing ‘pavement rage’ due to slow walkers on the high street, with 24% going as far as saying that walking on a busy pavement is the worst part of their day.
No dawdling - the directlane helps you bypass slower pedestrians playing on their phone or dawdling (Pictures: PA)
Direct Line tweeted: “Don’t let slow walkers ruin your #commute. We’ve introduced the #directlane to help you get to work stress free.”
A few rules - aimed at limiting any delays in the lane - included: ‘no selfies’, ‘no dawdling’, ‘no texting, ‘no pokemon go,’ and ‘no scooters’.
MORE: Watch: Burglar makes his escape on mobility scooter after smash and grab pharmacy raid
MORE: Woman gets trapped inside portaloo while it was MOVING
The idea of a commuter fast lane has been trialled in other major cities with a New Yorker creating ‘tourist lanes’ and China’s Chongqing installing a slow texting lane.
And with 71% of the nation feeling that there should be separate fast lanes on the UK’s pavements, it could soon be an everyday thing.
Direct Line spokeswoman Wendy Pearson said: “Perhaps we can learn from the rules of the motorway; if having different lanes for different speeds is a good idea there, why not apply it to city pavements?
“We hope that the new Direct Lane will make the pedestrian commute better for those taking this busy London route on foot, and inspire similar schemes elsewhere.”
The stunt received a mixed reception from commuters.
Some loved the idea, including Sophie C Harmes who said: “Love the #directlane campaign - ideal for me!! #nodawdling #marketing #powercommute @LondonWaterloo #commuter.”
Triathlete Andrea Corrigan said: “Enjoyed the #directlane today outside Waterloo! Can the whole of London have this?”.
And Michael Chandler added: “Do like this #directlane idea, interesting to see if taken up permanently or elsewhere (the 'go-faster’ arrows remind me of MarioKart #geek).”
But Steven Creighton was less impressed by the idea, tweeting: “#directlane essentially pavement with stickers that people are getting excited about. I guess pavement is exciting.”
