An Open Letter To Pedestrians In New York City

There is a push to remove a famous law in New York City and that has some worried there will be even more pedestrian fatalities.

Dear walkers, runners and other pedestrians in New York,

As we move through the second half of summer here in the Empire State, it seems we need to send out a reminder that you are putting yourself at risk if you don't pay attention when you cross the street.

There are crosswalks and stop signs at intersections for a reason. There are few things more frustrating when you are driving than people who dart out in traffic, outside of the crosswalk or against the light when traffic is flowing. While you may be running late or think you are just going to slip between passing cars quickly, the truth is the odds are not in your favor and the crosswalk is painted on the road for a reason.

In many towns in New York State there even crosswalks with fancy flashing lights and bright yellow signs that indicate to drivers that people may be walking in that area and get ready to yield to them. When you cross the street outside of that specified spot, you are not only increasing the chance you will get hit by a car, you are tying up traffic and when someone stops for you abruptly, it may cause a chain reaction crash for drivers who are not prepared to stop.

New York explains how to use a crosswalk:

When there are no pedestrian signals at an intersection, wait until vehicle traffic gets a green light in the same direction you are traveling and cross in front of the stopped traffic. Do not cross in front of traffic that has a green light.

If there is a crosswalk at a location where there are no traffic control signals for drivers or pedestrians, drivers must yield the right of way to pedestrians.

JAYWALKING LAWS GOING AWAY IN NEW YORK?

The scary part about distracted drivers is that those on bikes and and those who are walking are at risk for being struck by a car. That is why we have crosswalks and jay walking laws. However, the jaywalking laws may be gone soon.

According to reports, there is a proposed bill that would eliminate the jaywalking laws in portions of New York.

The NY Post reports that:

Councilwoman Mercedes Narcisse, a Democrat representing Canarsie and other parts of southeastern Brooklyn, sponsored legislation last week that would greenlight pedestrians to freely cross streets outside the crosswalk or without obeying traffic signals.

It is going to be a busy night in parts of New York City as baseball fans will be making their way to the see the Subway Series. The New York Yankees and New York Mets square off on Tuesday night.