We've all seen them: those annoying people who text and walk and never bother to look up. Could that be a thing of the past, though?

Utah Valley University has come up with a novel approach to this 21st century problem. It's created a lane in a stairway specifically for people who are texting.

The stairway is at the school's Student and Wellness Center and is the brainchild of UVU Creative Director Matt Bambrough, who says there's a real purpose to it:

“You have 18-24 year olds walking down the hall with smartphones, you’re almost bound to run into someone somewhere; it’s something we’re dealing with in this day and age. But (preventing collisions) isn’t the reason we did it -- we did it to engage the students. It’s meant to be there for people to look at and enjoy."

The staircase's lanes went up on June 7. Will this catch on? It's probably too soon to say, but it does look like there may be a call for it, considering a texting lane opened last year in Washington, DC.

More From WDKS-FM