NEW YORK — When it comes to crossing the street, pedestrians in New York City will soon be able to legally do something they’ve been doing for years: jaywalking.
On the busy streets of the Big Apple, this is a normal occurrence.
“I never knew it was illegal. I do it all the time,” said one man in Harlem.
“The city is very busy, so we walk around sometimes. It’s almost normal,” said another.
That status may soon change. The city council recently passed a law That makes jaywalking legal.
It is up to Mayor Eric Adams to give the final approval. CBS News New York reached out to see if it will become a reality. A spokesperson did not say whether the mayor plans to sign the bill, but said pedestrians are encouraged to use the crosswalk.
Several groups call the current policy outdated
The Legal Aid Society applauds the City Council’s decision and hopes the mayor puts pen to paper, saying in a statement: “Jaywalking enforcement has long served as a pretext for excessive policing that has had a disproportionate impact on Black and Latinx communities, putting New Yorkers of color in the criminal justice system.”
It added that jaywalking enforcement is less about traffic enforcement and public safety and more about biased policing.
Transportation Alternatives, an organization dedicated to pedestrian and street safety, also supports legalizing jaywalking, calling it an outdated policy that doesn’t make anyone safer.
But in a fast-paced city, some pedestrians say you should still pay close attention while jaywalking.
“That’s like a double-edged sword,” said Charlie Pasaral of Harlem.
“It’s just faster if you have to get where you need to go, if you have to take another bus or something like that. At the same time, it’s quite dangerous. If you don’t watch where you’re going, you could get hit,” added Asia Adams from Harlem added.
Alecia Reid
