Itâs illegal to text and drive in most provinces, but should it be illegal to text and walk?
One Calgary city councillor thinks so, and heâs pushing for police to crack down on what he sees as the dangerous practice of distracted walking.
Ward Sutherland says heâs seen distracted pedestrians walk right through moving traffic without looking up, putting themselves and others at risk. He thinks people who donât look where theyâre going should face some consequences, and he plans to broach the issue with Calgary Police.
âWhat happened to the old days where you look both ways, and cross the street?â Sutherland told CTV Calgary. He said, nowadays, people are too absorbed by their electronics to notice whatâs going on around them.
Sutherland hopes to have a conversation with police about how they can promote a more âheads upâ attitude among Calgarians.
âWe need to work something out,â he said. âMaybe itâs a ticket like crossing the street in an area that youâre not supposed to.â
Distracted walking is not without its consequences. Last May, a 23-year-old man was hit by a cement truck while crossing the street in Calgary. Police say he was wearing headphones.
But Sutherlandâs proposal has been met with mixed reviews.
âIt sounds a little bit ridiculous, but itâs definitely got some merit I guess,â said Calgarian Cody Nealy.
âIâm really busy so I usually check my emails on my way back to work,â added Calgary resident Erin Viala. âI donât really think thereâs anything wrong with it, as long as youâre paying attention to a certain degree.â
Still, Viala says sheâd probably put her phone away if there was a chance she might get a ticket.
âI think if they warned before â âYouâre going to get a ticket for itâ â then I would stop doing it,â she said.
With files from CTV Calgary