NEW YORK — Jaywalking – that age-old practice crossing the street outside the crosswalk or against a traffic light — is now legal in New York City.
Legislation It was approved by the City Council last month and officially became law over the weekend after Mayor Eric Adams refused to take action by signing it or vetoing it after 30 days.
Councilwoman Mercedes Narcisse, a Brooklyn Democrat who sponsored the legislation, said Tuesday the new law ends racial disparities in enforcement, noting that more than 90 percent of jaywalking tickets issued last year were to blacks and Latinos.
“Let’s be real, every New Yorker jaywalks. People are trying to get where they need to go,” he said in an emailed statement. “Laws that penalize common behaviors for everyday movement should not exist, especially when they unfairly affect communities of color.”
The new law allows pedestrians to cross the road at any time, even outside the intersection. It also allows you to cross against traffic signals and specifically states that doing so is not a violation of the city’s administrative code.
But the new law also warns that pedestrians crossing outside the crosswalk do not have the right of way and must yield to other traffic that has the right of way.
Adams spokeswoman Liz Garcia declined to elaborate on the mayor’s decision to leave the bill without action.
But he stated that the bill makes it clear that crossing into the center block is a high-risk behavior. People can also be held liable in civil actions for accidents caused by jaywalking, Garcia added.
“All road users are safer when everyone obeys traffic rules,” he said in a statement. “We continue to encourage pedestrians to take advantage of existing safety mechanisms, such as daylight, pedestrian islands and main pedestrian crossings, crossing at a pedestrian crossing with a pedestrian signal.”
Other cities and states, on the one hand Denver and Kansas City, Missourito CaliforniaNevada and Virginia Jaywalking has been decriminalized in recent years, according to America Walks, a Seattle-based group tracking the proposals.
“Cities that really care about safety focus on street design, speed and high risk vehicles,” Mike McGinn, the group’s executive director, said Tuesday. “No jaywalking laws.”
In the 1930s, the auto industry pushed for laws to keep people off the streets and make more room for vehicles, according to America Walks.
The term “jaywalking” dates back to the early 20th century and has its roots Midwestern slang for a country bumpkin or rube, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
In New York City, where battles between pedestrians and motorists are constant, the jaywalking law had been on the books since 1958 and carried a fine of up to $250.
in the year 1969 movie “Midnight Cowboy”. Dustin Hoffman yells, “Here I go!” because his character is almost hit by a taxi while crossing the street in Manhattan.
The Legal Aid Society, on the other hand, said the legislation was long overdue. The nonprofit, which provides free legal representation to New Yorkers who can’t afford a lawyer, said for decades police have used the violation as an excuse to stop, question and search residents — especially people of color.
“Now that this legislation is codified, we hope that both the Adams Administration and the City will continue to repeal relics that serve no public safety purpose and only entrap people in the criminal justice system,” the organization said in a statement.
The police department, in an email sent Wednesday, declined to comment on the new law, except to say that “together with the NYC Department of Transportation, we will continue to work tirelessly to increase traffic safety and prevent collisions, especially those that prevent them.” cause injury or death.”
Narcisse said the officers he’s talked to say their time could be better spent on other police work than issuing tickets for jaywalking.
“No one has ever said, ‘I’m so glad they caught that jaywalker.'” By eliminating these penalties, we allow our police to focus on the issues that really matter,” he said.
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Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo
