April Fools—City's Sidewalk Texting Lane Makes Point

Mayor Michael Nutter's designated texting lane for walkers on mobile devices may be fake, but the city's concern for neglectful pedestrians is real.

In an April Fools' Day prank, city officials released a hoax YouTube video, which depicted a new sidewalk exclusively for those who need to text message and walk simultaneously.

On Sunday, Nutter tweeted, "Philly pedestrians, please review our new sidewalk regulations effective today," with a link to the attached YouTube video.

The city also created an #ELane hashtag to spread the message, before giving people a head's up to the joke.

"We all know that many, many people are using the sidewalk and looking at their iPhones, BlackBerries and electronic devices, and they are quite distracted, bumping into the people as other things are happening," Nutter said in the video, before a texting walker interrupted him.

MRB Studios claimed video authorship, produced in tandem with the city.

The video featured a fake lane with accompanying signage, users texting, and protesters demanding a free sidewalk.