Jaywalking is one of those criminal offenses that many of us don’t think twice about committing. We need to cross the street, any approaching cars are a safe distance away, so off we trot from one side to the next mid-block.
Simple and straightforward — unless you have black or brown skin, or are for some other reason more likely to be cited for breaking a broadly ignored law. Then you can be singled out by a police officer itching to write a ticket. And citations aren’t cheap: The base fine set by California is a hefty $197.
San Francisco Chronicle
California walking and biking groups hope to overturn these discriminatory laws that punish mostly poor people who live in neighborhoods with bad street design.
The Freedom to Walk Act, AB 1238, will:
- Legalize safe, commonsense street crossing, when traffic permits, whether or not a pedestrian is within a marked/unmarked crosswalk or the walk cycle of a traffic signal.
- Remove a pretext for over-policing that has disproportionately hurt Black and Latino Californians.
- End a traffic enforcement practice that places an undue financial burden on low-income residents through fines, fees, and penalties.
- Recognize the rights of people who are walking to fair and equitable use of our public roadways.
Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) wrote the bill, here is his argument.
The history of jaywalking laws began in the 1930s. As the number of deadly car accidents skyrocketed the previous decade, the emerging auto industry wanted to shift the blame from drivers to pedestrians. Over the years, street designs primarily considered the needs of drivers without accounting for people who are not in cars. Adding to the problem is the lack of crossing infrastructure in under-resourced communities.
SF Bay Times