Pedestrian 'fast lanes' are being trialled in two UK city centres to allow fast walkers to cut through the crowds. The 50m-long and 2.2m-wide tracks have appeared in high-footfall areas of Glasgow and Leeds. Sky Broadband is testing the specially marked lanes after research found 44 per cent support for introducing fast lanes.
In Glasgow, the fast lane has been painted down Buchanan Street, known for its packed shopping crowds and rushing commuters. In Leeds, swift-footed pedestrians can power through along Briggate, avoiding shoppers and street performers.
The lanes are clearly marked with bold icons and have been installed to celebrate the rollout of Sky's new Gigafast+ broadband packages, the fastest from any major provider in the UK. Ben Case, managing director of connectivity at Sky, said: 'From slow walkers to traffic jams, delays are part of everyday life. We're launching Fast Lanes to speed up more than just broadband, helping commuters reclaim their time and keep life moving frustration-free.'
Research of 3,000 adults revealed that transport delays (42 per cent), buffering internet pages (41 per cent) and slow walkers (33 per cent) are among the nation's top time-consuming frustrations. A fifth of Brits consider themselves impatient by nature, with a third willing to wait less than three minutes before losing patience.
