According to Gawker,
In today's little bit of authoritarianism we can get behind: Philadelphia is going to start handing out citations—and $120 fines—to pedestrians who "text while they walk without looking ahead."
Philadelphia officials next month plan to use more "stick" in a program that takes a carrot-and-stick approach to bad behavior by people in cars, on bicycles, and on foot.
The program, dubbed "Give Respect, Get Respect," was launched at the beginning of May [...] Deputy Mayor Rina Cutler says starting in August, more citations will be issued.
It doesn't get any better than this. Sure, I am annoyed when people are texting in walking, especially when they walk right into me, but that is why I use a simple form of communication, such as "Pay attention!" or "Excuse me!" Not too complex, but it seems as if Philly officials do not think the public is capible of such a radical feat. Well, I guess that makes sense after, if you remember, a woman attempted to sue after texting while walking and fell right into a fountain.
The article continues,
Also being targeted: Annoying cyclists who ride on the sidewalk and drivers who "don't respect the bike lane." We could pretend that we're incensed at this kind of micro-policing, sure. But, well: There is basically nothing more annoying than someone texting while walking on a busy street. You might ask Aren't there better things that cops can be doing, like preventing murders?
I really hope that the Give Respect, Get Respect program prevents murders in Philadelphia. As long as we don't text and walk and stick to the bike lanes, we'll be respecting each other in the highest regard. Or this city will just be a laughing stock to the nation. We'll see if this actually is enforced -- and if it is, get ready for some retaliation.
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