Jaywalking officially legalized in New York City. Here's what it means for pedestrians¹.

Your average New Yorker is no stranger to jaywalking, which has been illegal since 1958. That's about to change.

Starting in February, New Yorkers will no longer be breaking the law when crossing the street in between traffic, and will no longer receive a fine for jaywalking.

Jaywalking is crossing the street in a way that contravenes² traffic laws, typically outside of crosswalks, despite oncoming traffic.



The new law permits pedestrians to cross a roadway at any point, including outside of a crosswalk and against traffic signals. But the law also warns that pedestrians crossing outside of a crosswalk do not have the right of way.