[94b45eb4]

So if you are waiting at an intersection pedestrian crossings and getting impatient you can just move over a bit and cross anyway?

[tlonny]

You can cross wherever and whenever is safe to do so. If traffic conditions don’t facilitate this, pedestrian crossings provide guaranteed crossing points where pedestrians have right of way.

[tsimionescu]

Basically it means that pedestrians are allowed to cross the road anywhere, anytime, but they still have to yield to car traffic except at pedestrian crossings without a semaphore or at the Walk signal. It's a very common-sense law.

[timr]

> they still have to yield to car traffic except at pedestrian crossings without a semaphore or at the Walk signal.

This isn't true. Car traffic must yield to pedestrians. Pedestrians don't always have the right of way, but you (hopefully obviously) can't just arbitrarily mow them down.

The only time this would matter is if you hit someone and it went to court. Thus in practice, you have to yield to pedestrians whenever you can reasonably do so. It's actually written into NY law (section 1146: "Due Care").

[Gigachad]

Basically updating the law to match what everyone already does.

[alexanderchr]

From the article ”It also allows for crossing against traffic signals and specifically states that doing so is no longer a violation of the city’s administrative code.”

[hnbad]

Did you read the article? Pedestrians can always cross but they then don't have the right of way and have to yield to traffic. Basically everyone can keep doing what they've been doing all along but police can no longer arrest them for it through selective enforcement.

[nobody9999]

>Did you read the article? Pedestrians can always cross but they then don't have the right of way and have to yield to traffic. Basically everyone can keep doing what they've been doing all along but police can no longer arrest them for it through selective enforcement.

As a lifelong New Yorker, I can tell you that arrest is never an option for any violation of the city's administrative code. Rather it's a fine.

And as you alluded to, black and brown people were the vast majority of those fined under the jaywalking regulation.

As a cis white guy, I didn't even know that jaywalking was 'illegal' in NYC until folks started talking about 'legalizing' it a few years ago.

As I mentioned, I've lived here pretty much all my life and have 'jaywalked' in front of police hundreds if not thousands of times and none have ever even looked at me funny.

So yes, this is a very good thing. Just one very, very small step on the road to 'a more perfect union', IMHO.

[matheusmoreira]

It means pedestrians are always right even when they are wrong. Especially when they are wrong.

It means they can do whatever they want whenever they want wherever they want and everybody else on the road is obligated to accomodate them.

[goodpoint]

> It means they can do whatever they want whenever they want wherever they want and everybody else on the road is obligated to accomodate them.

Excellent.

[amanaplanacanal]

If only this were true. Only some people drive, but even drivers become pedestrians as soon as they get out of their car.

[enragedcacti]

What's the alternative? Stand-your-ground laws but for the right to get to Starbucks 10 seconds faster?