Walking against a red light or at the middle of a block is not an advisable thing to do. But in 120 days, it will no longer be a crime to jaywalk in New York City. From The New York Times:
"[A]fter decades of mostly turning the other way, city officials finally decriminalized jaywalking, crossing against a traffic signal or outside a crosswalk. The City Council passed a bill last month to allow pedestrians to cross the street wherever they please, and it became law over the weekend, after Mayor Eric Adams ran out of his allotted time to decide whether to veto or sign the bill.
"Let's be real, every New Yorker jaywalks," said Mercedes Narcisse, a City Council member from Brooklyn who sponsored the bill. "People are simply trying to get where they need to go.""
Jaywalking may be more dangerous than crossing at the light, but it is almost universally practiced by New Yorkers. And when it's a crime to do something everyone does, everyone's a criminal, which gives an unhealthy amount of enforcement discretion to police officers.
And in fact of the 463 summonses written for jaywalking in 2023, 92 percent were written to Blacks or Latinos. I've walked all over New York City, and believe me, white people do plenty of jaywalking.
This new bill may decriminalize jaywalking, but it doesn't mean that people should ignore traffic laws. Associated Press:
"[T]he new law also warns that pedestrians crossing outside of a crosswalk do not have the right of way and that they should yield to other traffic that has the right of way.
Liz Garcia, an Adams spokesperson, declined to elaborate on the mayor's decision to let the bill become law without his action.
But she noted the bill makes it clear that crossing against the light and mid-block is highly risky behavior. People may also still be liable in civil actions for accidents caused by jaywalking, Garcia added.
"All road users are safer when everyone follows traffic rules," she said in a statement. "We continue to encourage pedestrians to take advantage of safety mechanisms in place — such as daylighting, pedestrian islands, and leading pedestrian intervals — by crossing in a crosswalk with the walk signal.""
Previously:
• Cop charged with assault after beating 'jaywalking' pedestrian
