Jaywalking is now officially legal in New York City
Credit: Eden, Janine and Jim on Flickr
Jaywalking—a habit of many New Yorkers—is now officially legal in New York City. After the City Council passed a bill decriminalizing the act, New Yorkers can now legally cross the street at any point, regardless of the traffic signal and in or outside the crosswalk. The bill, adopted as a law last week, aims to address racial disparities in enforcement. According to Brooklyn Council Member Mercedes Narcisse, the bill’s sponsor, 90 percent of jaywalking tickets in 2023 were issued to Black and Latino residents, as reported by the Guardian.
The act of jaywalking embodies the essence of the always-on-the-go New Yorker. Nearly 70 years ago, the city attempted to curb this behavior through a campaign warning about its dangers, but unsurprisingly, it did little to stop it.
According to the New York Times, even with the threat of a potential $300 fine, and with hundreds of tickets issued each year, New Yorkers scoffed at the campaign’s slogan: “Cross at the green, not in between.”
The bill, which became law after Mayor Eric Adams ran out of time to veto or sign the legislation, allows pedestrians to cross the street at any point, in or outside of the crosswalk, regardless of traffic signals. It specifically states that jaywalking is no longer a violation of the city’s administrative code.
Pedestrians crossing outside of crosswalks still do not have the right of way and must yield to traffic. The bill also emphasizes that crossing against the light or at mid-block is a risky action, and pedestrians involved in incidents related to jaywalking may still be liable in civil actions, Liz Garcia, a spokesperson for the Adams administration, told the Guardian.
As part of the legislation, the city’s Department of Transportation is required to carry out a public education campaign centered around traffic safety.
The bill was mainly a racial justice measure, as jaywalking laws have historically been used to target Black and Latino New Yorkers. Roughly 92 percent of the 463 people who received a summons last year for jaywalking were Black or Latino, as reported by Streetsblog.
“Let’s be real, every New Yorker jaywalks. People are simply trying to get where they need to go,” Narcisse said in a statement. “Laws that penalize common behaviors for everyday movement shouldn’t exist, especially when they unfairly impact communities of color.”
Jaywalking has been illegal in NYC since 1958, a law enacted under pressure from the auto industry to keep pedestrians off the streets and create more space for vehicles.
“It used to be nobody crossed at the intersection,” Gerard Koeppel, author of “City on a Grid: How New York Became New York,” told the Times. “You just crossed wherever you wanted to — to get to where you wanted to get to — as quickly as possible, and the car changed that.”
The law’s passing comes at a precarious time for traffic safety in NYC, which has seen its deadliest year in a decade, with 193 deaths and over 2,300 serious injuries reported between January and September of 2024, according to data from the non-profit group Transportation Alternatives, as reported by Fox 5 New York.
Vickie Paladino, a Republican councilwoman from Queens, recently told the Times that new city residents were attempting to change the streetscape because they “hate people who own cars.” Paladino voted against the bill, claiming it would “promote chaos and make streets far more dangerous.”
Narcisse argues that with the city’s focus on crime, having police officers worrying about jaywalking is an ineffective use of resources.
“By eliminating these penalties, we allow our officers to focus on issues that truly matter,” Narcisse told the Times.
The law is slated to go into effect in four months.
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