JAYWALKING

'Jaywalking' is a term used to describe when a pedestrian crosses the street without regard to traffic statutes. In common use, the term generally refers to someone crossing a major street outside a designated crosswalk or intersection in jurisdictions where this is illegal.

Contents

Etymology

Legality

United Kingdom

North America

Other countries

Causes

Safety

References

External links

Etymology

According to historian Peter D. Norton, the earliest known use of the word ''jaywalker'' in print was in the Chicago Tribune in 1909. The term's dissemination was due in part to a deliberate effort by promoters of automobiles to redefine streets as places where pedestrians do not belong.[1] It is a compound word of the words ''jay'' and ''walk''; in this context, ''jay'' is used in the obsolete slang sense, referring to a stupid or dull person, or a ''rube'', i.e. someone from a rural area and not familiar with "city ways." At the time, vehicles and traffic signals were a new concept, gaining popularity in the larger cities, so this term would have been used to describe newcomers who were unfamiliar with these recent developments and by extension, to ridicule people who ''behaved like newcomers'' but should have known better.
The earliest appearance of the word ''jay-walker'' in print was actually in W. S. Thayer’s chapter on John Jay in the 1854 book ''Homes of American Statesmen''. Thayer uses the term in an anecdote about a clash between Jay and Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was the target of several pointed political cartoons labeling him a “French ninny.” Jefferson believed Jay was behind the cartoons and wanted revenge. He could not attack Jay directly, so he orchestrated the creation of an ordinance declaring Jay’s neighborhood a special traveling zone. Within the zone, people could only cross the street at set locations. Jay had a favorite pub near his home, and Jefferson deliberately set the crossings as far as possible from Jay’s home and pub. Jefferson’s plan failed spectacularly. Jay ignored the ordinance, and the sheriff was afraid to take action against the Supreme Court Chief Justice. The ordinance quickly became a joke: Groups of young men calling themselves Jay-walkers would mock Jefferson by trooping back and forth across the road in front of Jay’s pub. According to Thayer, Jay-walker caught on as a name for Jay’s supporters for a short time, but died out after Jay became governor of New York. This story is not known to be in any source other than Thayer, and historians doubt there is any connection between Thayer’s term ''Jay-walker'' and the word as it came to be used in the early 20th century.

Legality

When used in the literal sense, jaywalking specifically refers to violation of pedestrian traffic regulations and laws, and is therefore illegal.
In many countries, such regulations do not exist, and jaywalking is an unknown concept.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom it is legal to cross a road anywhere except:

★ On motorways, from which all pedestrians (along with slower vehicles) are banned.
The Highway Code contains additional rules for crossing a road safely^[1], but these are recommendations and not legally enforceable. The term Jaywalking is not generally used.
In UK schools children are taught to cross roads safely through the Green Cross Code. British children are taught to "look right, look left, look right again and if it is safe, cross" (note that the traffic drives on the left).

North America

Almost all urban areas in the United States and Canada require pedestrians to cross at crosswalks or intersections and to obey pedestrian traffic signals. Jaywalking is primarily considered an infraction but in some jurisdictions, it is a misdemeanor or requires a court appearance. It typically carries a warning or modest fine or not more than one week in jail. In some areas (like New York City), although still illegal, jaywalking is so common that it is generally considered harmless, and police only detain jaywalkers if their behavior is excessively dangerous or disruptive.
Penalties for jaywalking vary by municipality. For example, in Tempe, AZ, as of June 2006 jaywalking carried fines up to $118. A sampling of other U.S. cities found maximum fines ranging from $57 to $750.

Other countries

In New Zealand, Indonesia, Portugal and India, the practice of crossing roads wherever convenient is both commonplace and legal.
In Singapore, first offenders face a fine of S$500 (US$285) and three months of jail. Repeat offenders can be fined for up to $2000 fine or six months in jail.
In Taiwan administered by the Republic of China, Article 78 of the Act Governing the Punishment of Violation of Road traffic Regulations () administratively fines jaywalkers 300 new Taiwan dollars since 1 July 2006.
In Brisbane, Australia, fines of up to $A200 can apply, although very few people have ever received fines that high. In a recent blitz^[2] jaywalkers were fined $30.

Causes

In many areas, jaywalking has become commonplace and continues to increase. This can be attributed to many factors, including:

★ an increasing speed of society

★ an increasing number of pedestrians who are behind schedule

★ convenience

★ reduced fitness and walking speed

★ reduced respect for pedestrian traffic laws or traffic in general

★ hawkers crowding the pedestrian walking zone
In some areas, roads have become actively unfriendly to pedestrians, with long gaps between intersections with crosswalks. Some four-way intersections feature fewer than four crosswalks, forcing pedestrians to make three crossings instead of one in order to remain legal. In these situations, jaywalking may occur out of inconvenience, annoyance, or active protest.
In some cases, jaywalkers are engaging in a minor form of civil disobedience. These individuals cite further ways in which roads have become less pedestrian-friendly, including reduced or removed lighting at night, and the removal of sidewalks on one or both sides of the road. To them, jaywalking is a means of expressing their discontent with the road system and its lack of consideration for non-vehicular traffic.

Safety

Jaywalking safety depends on many factors, including but not limited to the following:

★ The pedestrian's level of diligence and attentiveness

★ How far the pedestrian can see down the road

★ How visible the pedestrian is

★ The distance to the nearest point where additional unseen traffic may appear, typically intersections

★ The number of lanes to cross

★ The speed limit of the road

★ Current condition of the road (wet, icy, etc.)

★ The presence or absence of traffic

★ The speed and volume of traffic (if present)

★ The size of the break in traffic selected for crossing (if present)

★ How common jaywalking is in the area
Jaywalking is generally safest in quiet residential neighbourhoods, where cars travel slowly, stop frequently, and are accustomed to dealing with crossing pedestrians. In some quieter neighbourhoods, the road and sidewalk are interchangeable for pedestrians; they may make long diagonal crossings in the absence of traffic, or walk entirely on the road for many reasons, including poor sidewalk conditions (e.g. snow). Traffic laws regarding pedestrians in these areas are largely ignored in favour of mutual respect, with pedestrians making room for cars, and cars making wide arcs to give pedestrians a comfortable margin.
Some supporters of jaywalking argue that on certain streets, jaywalking can be safer than crossing properly at an intersection. When a pedestrian crosses at an intersection, there is traffic going three or more different directions, with four directions being standard in almost all cases. Vehicles may go straight, or they may turn left or right across the pedestrian's path. This is typically at high speed, sometimes without signalling, and sometimes while running red lights at even higher speeds. However, drivers may be more likely to expect pedestrians at a corner than in the middle of the block.
In the middle of the block, cars are travelling in only two directions. If there is a raised median in the centre of the road, traffic is further reduced to one direction during each stage of the crossing. The pedestrian must only monitor one or two directions and can easily see and track all oncoming traffic. Once a break forms in the traffic, the pedestrian can cross, with little or no risk of being hit by an unseen vehicle.
Variants of this argument exist. In downtown Montreal, independent of the above argument, some also claim that it can be safer to cross at a crosswalk when the light is red. They argue that many local drivers practice very aggressive driving habits; in particular, that they have a tendency to turn right at high speed, without consideration for crossing pedestrians. However, right turns on a red light are illegal on all of the island, so a pedestrian crossing against the light has little risk of being hit by a car approaching from behind and turning right.

References

1. [2] Highway Code: Rules for pedestrians
2. ''http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,21205272-3102,00.html'' - Blue-boys pick off jays

External links

★ What every Brit should know about jaywalking; BBC News