Utah School Creates 'Texting Lane' for Phone-Focused Students

One Utah university is giving students glued to their cellphones a place to call their own: a designated lane for texting while walking. Spokeswoman Melinda Colton said Thursday that the neon green lanes painted on the stairs to the gym at Utah Valley University were intended as a lighthearted way to brighten up the space and get students' attention. And it worked. A picture of the lanes — which divide the stairs into sections for runners, walkers and texters — created widespread buzz on social media this month after it was posted online. Officials said they got the idea from a similar stretch of pavement in Washington, D.C., created by National Geographic Television as part of a behavior experiment.