Jaywalking No Longer a Crime in NYC
A City Council bill legalizing jaywalking effectively abolishes the 66 year old statute that made it a violation. Supporters say the old law was used in a discriminatory fashion to issue summonses to people of color. Critics of the repeal worry it will add to chaotic conditions on NYC streets.
| 31 Oct 2024 | 02:21
City Council Member Mercedes Narcisse sponsored the legislation which legalized jaywalking in NYC, essestially repealing the 66 year old section of the NYC administrative code that made it a violation. She said over 90 percent of the summonses issued by police for jaywalking in 2023 where handed out to people of color. (
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Jaywalking–crossing in the middle of the block or against traffic lights–will no longer be illegal in New York City so this man on St. Mark’s Place won’t be liable for a potential summons. A new law that was passed by the City Council officially takes effect on Feb. 1. (
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Man crossing in middle of W. 38th St. will no longer be liable for a summons, but the law repealing jaywalking penaltifies clarifies that pedestrians do not have the right of way and could be liable if they create an unsafe condition or traffic hazard. (
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A woman crosses street between moving cars on W. 38th St. As of Feb. 1, she can’t be hit with a summons since the six decade administrtive law outlawing jaywalking has been repealed by the City Council. (
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A bill that legalizes jaywalking will allow people to cross against a traffic light and cross in mid-block outside of a crosswalk. But the new bill warns that pedestrians don’t automatically have the right of way.
Supporters of the bill said that in the past, cops issued jaywalking violations predominantly to Blacks and Latinos. Critics of the repeal however say it will add one more chaotic element to city streets where wrong way e-bikes are already a plague.
“Let’s be real, every New Yorker jaywalks,” said Democratic City Council Member Merecedes Nacrisse from Brooklyn who sponsored the legislation. “People are simply trying to get where they need to go. Laws that penalize common behaviors for everyday movement shouldn’t exist, especially when they unfairly impact communities of color.”
Streetsblog NYC reported that of the 463 summonses for jaywalking for which race was known in 2023, that 426 summonses or 92 percent, were handed to Blacks or Latinos while only 27 tickets were issued to non-Hispanic whites.
Of course, this being New York, not everyone was applauding the move. “Just what we need in addition to the e-bike madness,” wrote Ronnie Goldman on the Next Door blog.
“The irony would be a jaywalker hit by an e-bike,” wrote Mike Kennedy on Next Door in response to the post. Another responder, identified as Kenton D. in Turtle Bay wrote on the blog: “So now if I hit you when you cross the street wherever you please, it is going to be my fault? Amazing.”
The Legal Aid Society, however, applauded the move. “Decriminalizing jaywalking in New York City is long-overdue and eradicates a mechanism that the New York City Police Department (NYPD) has, for decades, employed as a pretext to stop, question, and frisk New Yorkers, especially those from communities of color.
“With this legislation now codified, we hope that both the Adams Administration and the City Council will continue to abolish relic laws that serve no public safety purpose and only ensnare people in the criminal legal system.”
The bill actually passed the City Council on Sept. 26 and was sent to Mayor Eric Adams. He had 30 days to either sign it or veto it, but when it went unsigned after 30 days, it became law automatically. The new law actually goes into effect in Feb., essentially abolishing section 4-04 of the Vehicle and Traffic code.
While the law now permits pedestrians to cross a roadway at any point, including outside of a crosswalk and against traffic signals, the law also warns that pedestrians crossing outside of a crosswalk do not automatically have the right of way. And a spokesperson for Mayor Adams told one news outlet that pedestrians still had to take to avoid creating a hazardous condition.