news

Crossing against the light? You won’t get tickets anymore now that jaywalking is legal in New York

Vaseline October 30, 2024

NEW YORK (AP) — Jaywalking — that time-honored practice of cross the street outside the zebra crossing or against the traffic light – is now legal in New York City.

Legislation The proposal, which passed the City Council last month, officially became law this weekend after Mayor Eric Adams declined to take action after 30 days — either signing it or vetoing it.

Councilmember Mercedes Narcisse, a Brooklyn Democrat who sponsored the legislation, said Tuesday that the new law ends racial disparities in enforcement, noting that more than 90% of jaywalking tickets issued last year went to Black and Latino people went.

‘Let’s be honest: every New Yorker jaywalks. People are just trying to get where they need to go,” she said in an emailed statement. “Laws that punish common behavior in everyday movements should not exist, especially when they unfairly impact communities of color.”

AP correspondent Julie Walker reports that jaywalking becomes legal in New York City.

The new law allows pedestrians to cross a roadway at any point, including outside a crosswalk. It also allows going against traffic signals and specifically states that this is no longer a violation of the city’s administrative code.

But the new law also warns that pedestrians crossing outside a zebra crossing do not have priority and that they must give way to other traffic that has priority.

Liz Garcia, a spokesperson for Adams, declined to comment on the mayor’s decision to let the bill become law without his involvement.

But she noted that the bill makes it clear that crossing against the light and the center block is very risky behavior. People may also still be liable in civil lawsuits for accidents caused by jaywalking, Garcia added.

“All road users are safer if everyone obeys the traffic rules,” she said in a statement. “We continue to encourage pedestrians to take advantage of existing safety mechanisms – such as daylighting, pedestrian islands and leading pedestrian intervals – by crossing a crosswalk using the walk signal.”

Other cities and states, out Denver And Kansas City, MOUnpleasant CaliforniaNevada and Virginia have decriminalized jaywalking in recent years, according to America Walks, a Seattle-based group tracking the proposals.

“Cities that really care about safety focus on street design, speeding and dangerously large vehicles,” Mike McGinn, the group’s executive director, said Tuesday. “No jaywalk laws.”

According to America Walks, the laws were introduced by the auto industry in the 1930s as a way to keep people off the streets and make more room for vehicles.

The term ‘jaywalking’ dates back to the early 20th century and has its roots in Midwestern slang for a country bumpkin or rube, according to dictionary maker Merriam-Webster.

In New York City, where the battle between pedestrians and motorists is constant, the law against jaywalking had been in place since 1958 and carried a fine of up to $250.

In the 1969 film ‘Midnight Cowboy’ Dustin Hoffman famously shouts, “I’m walking here!” as his character is almost hit by a taxi while crossing the street in Manhattan.

The Legal Aid Society, meanwhile, called the legislation long overdue. The nonprofit, which provides free legal representation to New Yorkers who cannot afford an attorney, says police have used the offense for decades as a pretext to stop, question and search residents — especially residents of color.

“Now that this legislation has been codified, we hope that both the Adams administration and the City Council will continue to eliminate relict laws that serve no public safety purpose and only ensnare people in the criminal justice system,” the organization said in a statement declaration.

The police department declined to comment on the new law in an emailed statement Wednesday, other than to say that it “will continue to work tirelessly along with the NYC Department of Transportation to increase traffic safety and prevent collisions, especially those that cause injury or result in death.”

Narcisse said officers she has spoken to say their time would be better spent doing other police work rather than handing out tickets for jaywalking.

“Nobody ever said, ‘I’m so glad they caught that jaywalker.’ By eliminating these penalties, our police officers can focus on issues that really matter,” she said.