Could ground level traffic lights work in NYC?

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Germany has tried it and now Australia wants a go at it: traffic lights on the ground to better serve pedestrians glued to their smartphones.

A six month trial of the lights installed in city streets at key crossings will reportedly be in place later this year in the central business district of Sydney.

As pedestrians are texting, surfing the web or engrossed in their phones for a myriad of other reasons, they won't have to look up from their screens.

Speaking with Mashable.com, Australian officials say it has become evident that street lights and traditional traffic signs are not enough.

"Pedestrians are less protected in a road crash, and are therefore more likely to be seriously injured or killed. This is why we need to create a road system that keeps them safe, and this includes situations when they may not be paying attention," Centre for Road Safety Executive Director Bernard Carlon told Mashable Australia.

FOX 5 NY spoke with New Yorkers and asked them if they felt the ground level street lights would work in the Big Apple.

"I don't think it will help in a great deal. It will make us more lazier," said a pedestrian in Times Square.

"You're still not looking. You're still not focused on where you're going," said another pedestrian.

There are no known plans to bring the lights to the U.S.