New York City Legalizes Jaywalking: New Freedom for Pedestrians After 65 Years

For New Yorkers, jaywalking has always been a common—if technically illegal—practice. But now, for the first time since 1958, pedestrians in New York City can legally cross streets without waiting for traffic signals, according to a CNN report by Julianna Bragg. This new rule became official last week after Mayor Adams allowed a city council bill passed in September to take effect without his signature or veto.

Council Member Mercedes Narcisse, a sponsor of the bill, and other supporters view this legislation as a step toward racial justice. Bragg notes that New York police have been criticized for disproportionately ticketing people of color for jaywalking, with

• StreetsblogNYC reporting that, as of May, 92% of the city’s jaywalking fines—up to $250 each—were issued to Black and Latino pedestrians.

Initially, city officials and police opposed the bill, arguing that penalizing jaywalking helps prevent traffic fatalities. Bragg cites statistics showing that in the past five years, 200 pedestrians died while crossing mid-block or against signals, accounting for 34% of all pedestrian deaths.

Yet, historian Peter Norton explains that “jaywalking” was coined a century ago by auto industry interests to prioritize cars on the road. Experts like Angie Schmitt and Charles T. Brown argue that the concept was crafted less for pedestrian safety and more to shift responsibility from drivers to those on foot.

With this change, New York City joins a growing list of states and major U.S. cities that have decriminalized jaywalking in recent years, including California, Virginia, Nevada, Denver, and Kansas City, Missouri.