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Jaywalking: Yay or Nay?
By
Jen Carlson
Published Oct 14, 2009
Modified Oct 14, 2009
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Oct 14, 2009
Modified Oct 14, 2009
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Are you a chronic jaywalker? Allegedly some cops don't even know how to write a jaywalking ticket — the practice is so widespread in New York that people rarely get punished for it until, as the NY Post points out, they are pinned beneath a double-decker tour bus. One former cop explains, "Jaywalking is an urban cultural issue. There are certain cities where jaywalking has been accepted for 50 years or more, so to stop it is like trying to stop the tide from coming in. You can't address the whole culture through policing."
And people do love their jaywalking! A 58-year-old, possibly lonely, seasoned pedestrian declared to the paper: "I love jaywalking. It is the best thing to do. It is the only thing left in New York to do." That's some serious dedication right there.
So should jaywalking be more heavily monitored by the NYPD (who currently have no officers assigned specifically to the jaywalking beat)? Comedian Colin Quinn faced off with AAA spokesman Robert Sinclair Jr. for opposing opinion pieces on the habitual practice. The former argues: "Walking is our car. You need to jaywalk just to make the light. Let those clowns in LA hand out jaywalking tickets, not here."
Tagged
jaywalking
law
nypd
pedestrian
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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