Should Boston legalize jaywalking?
BOSTON - New York City is officially legalizing jaywalking starting next year. And when WBZ-TV asked people in Boston if their city should follow suit, most didn't even know they were breaking the law.
"A lot of people just going for it"
"I think pretty much everybody kind of just jaywalks," Grace Karol said.
"I feel like I see a lot of people just going for it," Ivy Jin said.
Jaywalking and Boston go hand-in-hand, or maybe foot-in-foot. In a fast-paced city, who really has the time to stand on the corner and wait?
"I feel like I see at most intersections people know the lights, or sometimes they don't know the lights," Cody Troutman said. "They try to time it, they jump right out and definitely cross whenever they can."
New York lawmakers made the change after a review found that 90% of jaywalking tickets went to people of color.
Is jaywalking illegal in Boston?
In Boston, you can technically receive a citation for jaywalking. Massachusetts law outlines just a $1 fine for the first three offenses and $2 for each offense after that. There have been unsuccessful attempts on Beacon Hill to step up penalties on jaywalkers, especially if they are distracted by their phone.
"I didn't know it was illegal," Jin said. "I feel like people do it so much."
Troutman said he's never seen anyone ticketed for jaywalking in Boston.
"I have never seen a citation," he said. "Lots of honking from cars and yelling from other folks, but never a citation."
WBZ-TV reached out to the Boston Police Department to see how many jaywalking tickets they give out last year, but they said they don't keep track.
In the meantime, to wait or not to wait for the "Walk" sign doesn't seem to be much of a question in Boston.
"I'm not going to step in front of a car," John Mark said. "But cars don't own the streets, we own the streets."
