New York City legalizes jaywalking

New York City legalized jaywalking over the weekend, allowing pedestrians to cross the street outside of crosswalks or traffic lights.

The City Council passed a law last month allowing jaywalking. After Mayor Eric Adams declined to either sign or veto the bill within 30 days, it officially became law.

The law allows pedestrians to cross the street at any point and allows crossing against traffic lights. However, it is noted that pedestrians crossing outside a crosswalk do not have the right of way and that they should yield to other traffic that has the right of way.

According to America Walks, a Seattle-based group that tracks proposals to decriminalize jaywalking, jaywalking laws were pushed by the auto industry in the 1930s to keep people off the streets and create more space for vehicles.

New York City had banned jaywalking since 1958, with the violation punishable by a fine of up to $250 before the new law took effect.

According to America Walks, other cities such as Kansas City, Missouri and other states such as Denver, California, Nevada and Virginia have also decriminalized jaywalking in recent years.

“Cities that really care about safety are focusing on street design, speeding and dangerously large vehicles,” Mike McGinn, executive director of America Walk, told The Associated Press (AP). “No misleading laws.”

Racial Differences in Jaywalking

New York City Council member Mercedes Narcisse, a Brooklyn Democrat who supported the new law, said Tuesday that legalizing jaywalking eliminates racial disparities in enforcement. She said more than 90 percent of jaywalking tickets issued last year went to blacks and Latinos.

“Let’s face it, every New Yorker is walking around. People are just trying to get where they need to go,” she said in an email to the AP. “Laws that penalize common behaviors in everyday movements should not exist, especially when they unfairly impact communities of color.”

Narcisse said officers she spoke with said the time they spend issuing jaywalking tickets could be better spent on other police work.

“Nobody ever said, 'I'm so glad they caught that jaywalker.' By eliminating these penalties, we will allow our police officers to focus on the issues that matter,” she said.

What did Mayor Adams say?

Liz Garcia, a spokeswoman for Adams, declined to elaborate on the mayor's decision to let the jaywalking bill become law without taking action on it. However, she said the law makes it clear that running through traffic lights and in the middle of a block is highly risky behavior and that people could still be held liable in civil lawsuits for accidents caused by jaywalking.

“All road users are safer when everyone obeys traffic laws,” Garcia said in a statement, according to the AP. “We continue to encourage pedestrians to take advantage of the safety mechanisms in place – such as daylighting, pedestrian islands and leading pedestrian zones – by crossing a crosswalk using the walk signal.”

Call for New York to “continue to repeal relic laws”

The Legal Aid Society, a nonprofit that provides free legal representation to New Yorkers who can't afford a lawyer, said the new jaywalking law is long overdue. The organization said that for decades, police have used the violation as an excuse to stop, question and search residents, particularly people of color.

“Now that this legislation is codified, we hope that both the Adams administration and the City Council will continue to repeal relic laws that serve no public safety purpose and only entangle people in the criminal justice system,” the Legal Aid Society said in a statement .

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) declined to comment specifically on the new law, only telling the AP on Wednesday that it “will continue to work tirelessly, along with the NYC Department of Transportation, to ensure traffic safety.” increase and prevent collisions”. especially those that result in injury or death.”

This article contains reporting from The Associated Press.