For awhile I live in Olympia, WA, and commuted to Seattle every day. I know, I’m an idiot, but I did it the smart way and took public transit. One leg of my daily trip involved a train ride, and the last car in the train was a designated “No Cell” car; phones off, no calls, no texts. I never went near it, but I can understand the sentiment.
Austria, too, is getting in on the act, as the mayor of Vienna has started ordering commuters on the public trains to silence their cell phones or walk.
It’s a good idea, but it brings up the question of cellphones on planes that may be in our future: do we really want that? Texting is fine, but I really don’t like the people I’m usually next to on flights anyay, so I really don’t want to hear what they’re saying privately.