Pedestrian ‘fast lanes’ are being trialed in two busy city centers in the UK to facilitate fast walkers in avoiding crowded areas. These lanes, measuring 50 meters in length and 2.2 meters in width, have been established in high-traffic zones of Glasgow and Leeds. Sky Broadband is piloting these designated lanes in bustling pedestrian streets following a study that found 44% of Brits are in favor of implementing fast lanes.
In Glasgow, the fast lane is marked along Buchanan Street, renowned for its bustling shopping crowds and hurried commuters. Similarly, in Yorkshire, brisk walkers can navigate through Briggate, evading shoppers and street performers.
The fast lanes are clearly labeled with prominent symbols and have been set up to commemorate the launch of Sky’s new Gigafast+ broadband packages, the fastest offered by any major UK provider.
Ben Case, the managing director of connectivity at Sky, mentioned, “From slow walkers to traffic congestion, delays are a common occurrence. We are introducing ‘Fast Lanes’ not just to accelerate broadband speeds but to assist commuters in reclaiming their time and maintaining a hassle-free pace of life.”
This initiative follows a survey of 3,000 adults that identified transport delays, slow internet loading times, and slow walkers as some of the top time-wasting annoyances in the country.
A fifth of Brits admit to having a naturally impatient disposition, with 27% expressing their willingness to wait less than three minutes before becoming impatient. When it comes to online waiting times, 32% of Brits can tolerate only a minute before feeling irritated. Public transport delays also contribute to frustration, with commuters typically losing patience after 12 minutes.
Surprisingly, considering that the average worker spends an equivalent amount of time walking as part of their daily commute, 44% of individuals support the implementation of permanent pedestrian fast lanes.
In situations of delays, many Brits express their discontent through muttering complaints, incessantly refreshing apps, reprimanding smart speakers, and tapping their fingers in frustration.
Londoners perceive themselves as the most patient group (76%), compared to 66% of Scots and 64% of Yorkshire residents. Women claim to possess slightly more patience than men (22% vs. 18%), while Gen X is labeled as the least tolerant age group (24%).
Conversely, Gen Z individuals consider themselves the most composed, with only 12% describing themselves as impatient. Despite encountering the highest number of daily delays, averaging four per day, Gen Z surpasses Millennials and Gen X, who experience three delays on average, and Boomers, who face just two.
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