NY Tourists, Move Out Of The Way

Tourists in NYC are always in the way, so maybe they should have their very own walking lane separate from New Yorkers. Photo credit: Laughing Squid.

Thursday, June 10, 2010 1:09 GMT

Notorious mischief-maker Charlie Todd of Improv Everywhere teamed up with a friend to help control the tourist traffic jams in the Big Apple with a stunt dubbed “The Tourist Lane.”

They sent “agents” posing as workers from the Department of Public Transport to draw a dividing line on the sidewalk of the tourist hotspot, 5th Avenue. They then directed walking traffic, one side for tourists, the other for New Yorkers.

Though Todd says he’s not “anti” tourists, he admits, “I’ve lived in New York for nine years and I walk pretty fast. I can certainly get annoyed with people standing around on the sidewalk. Every New Yorker complains about this.”

Many Manhattanites have come out saying they wished the lanes were real.

And while some visitors scratched their heads, Todd was surprised that many “followed directions” and actually walked in the tourist lane.