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Finally there’s a solution in the world for getting around those pesky texting-and-walking people—at least at Utah Valley University.
Even better? There’s a solution for those of us who run and constantly dodge walkers too.
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“The stairs were just lifeless before,” Amy Grubbs, director of campus recreation at Utah Valley University, told ABC News. “Students don’t necessarily abide by it, but it’s funny to watch students push their friends over in the right lane as a joke if they’re texting.”
The newly laned steps are in the Student Life & Wellness Center, which is a brand-new addition to the school. Grubbs also added—oh, the irony—that many people are so distracted by their phones they hardly even notice the special lane made just for them. But the run lane is great for those students who are maybe overly eager to get to class—or just really, really like running. While the sections are obviously a bit of a tongue-in-cheek way to manage hallway traffic, Grubbs also shared that they make the stairways more “aesthetically pleasing.” Since most of us have spent time in buzzing hallways and dreary staircases in between classes, we tend to agree.
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Although the university is not the first to install differentiating areas for people sans phones and people glued to their devices, their effort to liven up campus and make people of all different paces and attention spans happy is totally commendable and a bit hilarious. We only wish the run-specific lane existed everywhere in the world—cyclists get one, right?