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Zombie pedestrians to be studied by cameras

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February 28, 2025
2 min read

Zombie pedestrians to be studied by cameras

“Zombie” pedestrians crossing the street on a “notorious” junction will be filmed in a bid to cut down accidents from people looking at their phones. The cameras will be installed at Ludgate Circus to help authorities understand how inattentive pedestrians step in front of the busy road while distracted.

The term refers to pedestrians stepping out onto the street without paying attention to traffic.

The City of London Corporation has agreed to perform the study on the junction which links Fleet Street, Ludgate Hill, Farringdon Street, and New Bridge Street. Notes from a meeting of its planning and transport committee said that the cameras would collect “data about the causes of pedestrian inattention.”

Out of around 300 traffic accidents in the City between 2013 and 2017, Ludgate Circus recorded over 40 collisions, more than any other in the borough. Seven of them resulted in someone being either dead or seriously injured.

The most common throughout the Square Mile over that period involved a pedestrian failing to look properly, around 66 accidents. That is more than twice the amount for the next most common factor.

Experts have voiced their concerns about “zombie” pedestrians who risk their lives by failing to pay attention, often looking at their phone. A 2017 study from Aston University in Birmingham found that around 17 accidents every day in the UK are likely to be the result of a “zombie” pedestrian, distracted by their phone.

Out of over 24,000 drivers who responded to an AA survey in 2016, 72% regularly saw a pedestrian checking their phone as they stepped onto the road.

Augsburg and Cologne in Germany are among the cities that have taken action, installing lights on the floor near crossings warning people looking down at their phones.

For more updates on the City of London, visit EyeOnLondon City of London.