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Chinese Tourist Site Installs Speed Bumps For Pedestrians

Tourists have changed their ways in recent years, and some people have become annoying because of their actions.
A speed bump made of rubber in Segevång, Malmö 1 photo
Photo: Wikipedia user Jin Zan
Social media has transformed many humans into people obsessed with their phones, and many have gotten tired of seeing others walk the streets while looking down.

It may be fun to have Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter and whatever app you like, but you risk missing out on all of the sights on your trip.

The administrators of a Chinese heritage site and ancient town on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal have decided to try an "alternative" solution. A road at Taierzhuang, which is the traditional town we were referring above, has been fitted with the pedestrian equipment of speed bumps.

The black-and-yellow rubber components have been placed one next to the other, and walking while looking at your smartphone’s screen is dangerous. An inattentive person could break his or her ankle if they attempted to focus on social media while walking, but the “solution” raises questions about the access possibilities of people with restricted mobility.

While the bumps may be accessible for humans who do not have any problems to walk on a road with so many consecutive differences in level, the same does not apply to people in wheelchairs.

Fortunately, there are a few routes that allow solutions for people with limited mobility, but it still makes you wonder about the purpose of this installation. On social media, the track earned a nickname: “washboard road.”

Chinese officials explained that the humps were placed to encourage crowds to walk in a “more orderly and respectful way.” Evidently, using skateboards or bicycles in a historic place would be disrespectful, but how can crowds made up of tourists walking be a disturbance to the administrator of a site meant to welcome them.

As The Telegraph notes, the local authorities were concerned that people did not appreciate the historical significance of the site. One thing is sure - they got free publicity for the touristic spot thanks to the extensive coverage of the intentional bumps on their road.

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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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