UTA: ‘distracted walking’ fines, other measures working
Officials say that it appears, anecdotally, to have “changed the way people behave.” The agency has also replaced sound walls that blocked pedestrian views of trains and added pedestrian swing gates and extra signs to improve safety at rail crossings.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Transit Authority (UTA) officials told The Salt Lake Tribune that the agency’s new ordinance to punish "distracted walking" around trains by charging a $50 fine for talking on cell phones, listening to music with headphones, texting, "attending to personal hygiene," or reading newspapers or magazines while crossing tracks, appears, anecdotally, to have “changed the way people behave.”
UTA also took other measures to improve safety, including replacing sound walls that blocked pedestrian views of trains and adding pedestrian swing gates and extra signs. For the full story, click here.
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