Jaywalking is officially legal in NYC
Jaywalking is a fact of life for impatient New Yorkers who simply don’t have the time to wait for the pedestrian light to turn green. Let’s be honest, did you even know that the practice has technically been illegal for years? Things are about to change, though: NYC has been jaywalking legal at last.
According to the Associated Press, jaywalking has been banned since 1958, affording disobeyers a fine of up to $250. The outlet explains that the measure was put into place to reduce the likelihood of accidents in a city where pedestrians and motorists are in constant competition.
Unfortunately, though, data shows that 90% of tickets related to jaywalking in 2023 were given out to Black and Latino residents.
The effort to legalize jaywalking has, in turn, really been about the reduction of interactions between the police and the lower income residents who have been disproportionately affected by the practice’s illegality.
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The City Council first introduced the bill to decriminalize jaywalking in February of this year. The measure was approved by the City Council and then sent to Mayor Eric Adams on September 26. We’re not giving him any credit for this win, though—Adams failed to take action on the bill, which means that the bill automatically became law, reports PIX 11.
Even though jaywalking is now legal, it’s important to make sure you’re not acting a fool.
There are unspoken rules to the art of jaywalking we all need to follow to stay safe: always look at both sides of the street before crossing and never assume a cyclist or driver will see you. Make eye contact before you walk in front of any vehicle to alert the driver that you are, indeed, there.
With all of that in mind, you can jaywalk to our heart’s content starting today.