April Fools: Sidewalk lane for texters PHILADELPHIA, April 2 (UPI) -- The Philadelphia mayor's office got in the spirit of April Fools' Day by announcing the creation of a cellphone user lane on a city sidewalk. Andrew Stober, a spokesman for the Mayor's Office of Transportation, said the April Fools' joke was meant as a tongue-in-cheek way to raise awareness about the dangers of walking while distracted by text messages, the Philadelphia Daily News reported Monday. "This approach let us really engage people and have a conversation and get people talking about it," he said. The prank announcement Sunday said a stretch of JFK Boulevard near City Hall would have a special lane for people using their phones while walking. More Philadelphians than ever before rely on mobile technology to do business and stay in touch with family and friends. We need to accommodate them," Mayor Michael Nutter said in the fake press release.