NEW YORK (PIX11) – Jaywalking has been legalized in New York City.
Pedestrians will be allowed to legally cross roads at any point without being ticketed by police.
City Council introduced the bill to legalize jaywalking on Feb. 28. After many months, the bill was approved and sent to Mayor Eric Adams on Sept. 26.
Adams failed to take action within 30 days, resulting in the bill automatically becoming law .
Council Member Mercedes Narcisse, a Brooklyn Democrat who sponsored the legislation, said Tuesday that the new law ends racial disparities in enforcement, noting that more than 90% of the jaywalking tickets issued last year went to Black and Latino people.
“Let’s be real, every New Yorker jaywalks. People are simply trying to get where they need to go,” she said in an emailed statement. “Laws that penalize common behaviors for everyday movement shouldn’t exist, especially when they unfairly impact communities of color.”
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