It鈥檚 illegal to text and drive in most provinces, but should it be illegal to text and walk?
One Calgary city councillor thinks so, and he鈥檚 pushing for police to crack down on what he sees as the dangerous practice of distracted walking.
Ward Sutherland says he鈥檚 seen distracted pedestrians walk right through moving traffic without looking up, putting themselves and others at risk. He thinks people who don鈥檛 look where they鈥檙e going should face some consequences, and he plans to broach the issue with Calgary Police.
鈥淲hat happened to the old days where you look both ways, and cross the street?鈥� Sutherland told CTV Calgary. He said, nowadays, people are too absorbed by their electronics to notice what鈥檚 going on around them.
Sutherland hopes to have a conversation with police about how they can promote a more 鈥榟eads up鈥� attitude among Calgarians.
鈥淲e need to work something out,鈥� he said. 鈥淢aybe it鈥檚 a ticket like crossing the street in an area that you鈥檙e not supposed to.鈥�
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 Sutherland鈥檚 proposal has been met with mixed reviews.
鈥淚t sounds a little bit ridiculous, but it鈥檚 definitely got some merit I guess,鈥� said Calgarian Cody Nealy.
鈥淚鈥檓 really busy so I usually check my emails on my way back to work,鈥� added Calgary resident Erin Viala. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 really think there鈥檚 anything wrong with it, as long as you鈥檙e paying attention to a certain degree.鈥�
Still, Viala says she鈥檇 probably put her phone away if there was a chance she might get a ticket.
鈥淚 think if they warned before 鈥� 鈥榊ou鈥檙e going to get a ticket for it鈥� 鈥� then I would stop doing it,鈥� she said.
With files from CTV Calgary
