The city of Los Angeles is cracking down on pedestrians who sneak across streets when the traffic signal says “don’t walk.” But when you put a price on bad behavior, like being in a public street illegally, you see clearly what a city values.
The cheapest parking ticket in Los Angeles (pdf) is $58, and the one most commonly issued for parking in a prohibited zone is $73. Jaywalking—the term of art for a pedestrian crossing against the light—will cost you $197.
— qz.com
8 Comments
What the fuck? how can walking be considered illegal?
That's a moving violation, baby!
Walking is not illegal man.
But doing what she is doing in that picture is.. I grew up in a place what she is doing is the norm but here in L.A. most of the drivers are not accustom to that let alone feel that they should respond to it as urban drivers. They see it as an assault to their rights and they are granted that right by law.
Coming from that kind of urban environment where there is an unspoken rule of acceptance of such interaction between the drivers and pedestrians, I have crossed the street as a jaywalker few times and given tickets in my first years in this city. Last time I was stopped on a Friday evening in Santa Monica while studying at Sci Arc and I was handcuffed because I had a warrant from an ignored previous jaywalking ticket. Come Monday, I was free. I don't trust L.A. drivers even on crosswalks. In this place you need to be aware even walking on sidewalk. People get wiped off all the time by a speeding vehicle even when waiting for their walk lights.
Pedestrians here need training as well. I have seen people sitting on the curb casually in Silver Lake Sunset Blvd. drinking coffee. A really car oriented wide street.
It is bullshit. The public street belongs to everybody.
I guess I don't understand the argument. If you park somewhere you aren't supposed to, big deal the street cleaning truck goes around you and it's inconvenient. Jaywalking laws aren't meant to be mean and make you poor, they are meant to save lives. If you jaywalk at the wrong time you can get hit by a car and die. Therefore, a hefty fine is enforced to help further persuade you from doing so.
If you want to jaywalk move to NYC like I did.
Just don't ride your Bike and Speed. A friend of mine was ticketed for speeding on his bike. in NYC.
If you jaywalk in LA, you do so at your own peril. This article is really late, I have heard people getting jaywalking tickets from about 12 years back since I moved here.
^ One of many victims here to an expensive jay-walking trap in Westwood in 1981. The cop was just lining people up as they crossed Kinross Avenue.
It's made me very hesitant to do it again here or anywhere else, even in New York or other cities where it's commonplace.
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.