With the practice of texting while walking becoming increasingly common, the city of Chongqing recently came up with an idea separate cell phone lanes for pedestrians.
The 100-foot stretch of sidewalk is emblazoned with large signage, in Chinese and English, warning pedestrians to walk in the proper lane.
Mobile phone addiction is rampant in China, as it is worldwide.
"Cell phones, walk in this lane at your own risk," says one, right next to the other lane, which reads, "no cell phones."
In addition to the painted warnings on the street itself, the city has also posted large signs in the area that read, "First mobile phone sidewalks in China," with a diagram illustrating how to use the street.
Local officials created the lane to remind pedestrians that "it is best not to play with your phone while walking."
One recent survey by zhaopin.com, a recruitment site, suggested that 80 per cent of the 10,000 white collar workers it polled admitted "severe addiction" to their phones.
It is estimated that the number of smartphone users in China will exceed 500 million this year, the paper said.