Jaywalking became legal in New York City on Saturday, November 2, after 30 days of Mayor Eric Adams neither signing nor vetoing the bill.
Officials are hoping this new law will prevent discrimination as an article on the New York Post says that, “More than 90% of jaywalking tickets issued in 2023 were given to black and Latino pedestrians” (Griffin, Oct 30). Additionally, an article on CNN quoted one of the bill’s sponsors, Mercedes Narcisse, stating that, “Police officers have shared with me that they prefer to focus on true public safety efforts, not issuing tickets for crossing the street” (Bragg, Nov 1).
Most members of the City Council were in full support of the new law but some, like Joann Ariola, think it’s “ridiculous.” She was quoted by the New York Post stating, “How can anyone imagine this is a good idea considering the [amount] of pedestrian deaths we continue to have each year? It would only put more pedestrians in danger” (Griffin, Oct 30). The officers in New York initially agreed with Ariola as according to Planetizen, “NYC police officers argue that ticketing jaywalking helps reduce traffic deaths, pointing somewhat counterintuitively to the fact that the majority of jaywalking tickets are given near high-risk corridors” (Ionesu, June 30).
New York City isn’t the first place to do this, though, as Denver, Missouri, Nevada, Virginia, and California have already passed similar laws. According to West Coast Trial Lawyers, “Prior to January 1, 2023, jaywalking was punishable by fine or citation in California, which meant roads were generally clear of pedestrians outside of marked crosswalks. However, the Freedom to Walk act is a new law that makes it so that it’s ok to cross the street outside a crosswalk” (West Coast Trial Lawyers, 2024). Surprisingly, California passed this law after the highest pedestrian fatality rate in almost 20 years. And, as FOX News stated, “Traffic fatalities as a whole also passed 300 for the first time since 2003…”(Ruiz, Aug 16, 2023). Luckily for California, it has been a success with no more discrimination through jaywalking citations and according to an article by The Bee, even a 13% decrease in pedestrian deaths (Lange, July 18). Officials are hoping New York City will have similar results with the new law going into effect February, 2025.
