Pedestrian walking speed has increased by 15 percent over 30 years, according to an American study linking faster foot traffic to mobile phone use.
Data from the research shows that while some pedestrians continue to walk at a relaxed pace, the overall number of strollers has fallen by 14 percent since the 1980s.
Valentine Leboeuf, a journalist for French news channel LCI, said one hypothesis explaining the shift is that people have fewer reasons to stop while walking in the street. Leboeuf noted that pedestrians are now more likely to pause inside cafes or other indoor venues that provide shelter from heat or rain.
Leboeuf added that mobile phones are frequently identified as a key factor in changing public behavior. She explained that people have their eyes glued to their screens and interact less with those around them, transforming public streets into simple places of transit.
Factors driving faster walking
LCI, short for La Chaine Info, is a French news television network owned by media conglomerate TF1 Group. Research into urban pedestrian walking speeds typically measures how municipal infrastructure, daily schedules, and mobile technology influence human movement across city centers.
Smartphones can also create danger on roads by absorbing the attention of pedestrians. In response to growing traffic safety risks, Lithuania has decided to penalize pedestrians who cross the street while looking at their mobile devices with fines of up to 40 euros.
Fines for distracted pedestrians
Similar financial penalties are being proposed elsewhere in Europe. The Italian Minister of Transport has proposed introducing a fine of 75 euros for pedestrians caught crossing the road while distracted by their smartphones.
Lithuania, a Baltic republic in Northern Europe, and Italy, a Southern European nation, are both member states of the European Union. Transport authorities across Europe have increasingly focused on pedestrian safety measures as mobile screen usage near traffic lanes continues to rise.
