March 29, 2006
Walking Home: Hazardous to Your Checkbook
If you're like us, you tend to spend a good amount of time hoofing it through our fair city. And if you're also honest about it like we are, you probably go ahead and cross the street (when it's safe) even when the light isn't green. This, according to law.dictionary.com, is considered jaywalking and is therefore illegal.
jaywalking n. walking across a street outside of marked cross-walks, and not at a corner, and/or against a signal light. If there is vehicle traffic or clear markings of a place to cross, this is a traffic misdemeanor subject to fine, and may be (but not conclusively) contributory negligence in the event of injury to the jaywalker by a vehicle.
For the most part, the fine men and women serving in the DC Metropolitan Police Department seem to have bigger fish to fry in this city than enforcing jaywalking laws. Except, apparently, today. Pedestrians in the Golden Triangle and beyond, consider yourself warned, courtesy of Justin at So That Happened....
“They actually have us out giving tickets today for jaywalking, which you just did. But I’ll let you go with a warning.” He took my license, jotted down my info, and we talked about my block and neighborhood, which he used to patrol, and how nice the day was.
If only we could all get stopped by Justin's incredibly nice cop. Since that's unlikely, we'd suggest minding the traffic signals today, kids. (Hat tip: Tom).
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Heh. Ridiculous. I think I crossed L St. this morning when it was blinking Don't Walk. Oh no!
I'm guessing it's a week-long thing. They were ticketing jaywalkers near my office yesterday morning, near 14th and L Streets. Normally I think it's a pretty cheesy idea to ticket jaywalkers (since I'm certainly a guilty party from time to time), but it does seem like around McPherson Square jaywalkers are always messing up the traffic flow, particularly for cars turning left on a green turn signal onto K Street from northbound 14th Street, which then causes snarls for southbound cars once they get the green light. I'm actually surprised I have to a jaywalker get hit by a car, though I guess I just missed my chance a couple of months ago on Connecticut Ave.
But anyway ... thanks for the warning since I have to walk up that way after work.
There was a big thing where they were doing that on 16th street about eight months ago.
um, nice typo on my part. Should read I'm surprised "I have yet to see a jaywalker get hit ..."
So have they solved that shooting across from Ben's yet? What about talking to the witnesses, any progress on that? How about establishing a less deadly traffic pattern through Thomas Circle, any word on that front? Good to know jaywalking is being strictly enforced, though. That's comforting.
You're in good hands, Gabe.
Actually jaywalking in DC is getting a bit out of hand. The MPD is just doing what it can to prevent deaths, which have occurred on major streets in the district. I know 14th is known for people trying to cross when they don't have the light and coming close to being hit or actually getting hit.
I agree, Gabe. I walk through Thomas Circle on my way to work each morning and it's not only confusing determining where I should walk, but I can see how it could be extremely dangerous. The only way to determine if it's safe the walk is to see if any cars are speeding at you. The walk signals aren't working and it's pretty difficult to determine which path you should take. It's pretty much a free-for-all.
I used to go through Thomas Circle every morning on my commute, but the construction has made it so impassible that I now take the long way around. But now the street-tearing-up has extended all the way to Logan! There's no refuge...
Isnt the jaywalking fine $5 in DC?
Yup, or at least that's how much the fine was for that guy who was struck by a car and killed when he jaywalked across Connecticut by the Uptown Theater a few months back.
The Thomas Circle construction is terrible. DDOT (or whoever is responsible for safety) did a horrible job with maintaining pedestrian walkways or even sign stating where to go. Its gotten better thankfully, but when the construction was on the other side (Washington Plaza) you were risking your life sometimes crossing parts of the Circle.
what if you are walking and arn't carrying your driver's license. will you suffer an even greater penalty?
Unrelated...but don't run up a down escalator in Metro either. $300 fine...
MPD won't come when I call about drugs or car thefts. Good to hear that are working something more important.
not to be a dick about it, but if anyone upset with the jaywalking ticketing has complained about the logan circle parking issues, stop and think about our hypocracy.
im guilty of it. just think about it though.
I always wanted to know the answer to this question:
If you get stopped for jaywalking, what happens if you can't produce any identification . . . and um, give someone else's info?
I suppose if you flat out refuse to hand over your license they'd arrest you; what if you legitimately are ID-less and impersonate a co-workers?
Jaywalking has really gotten out of hand downtown. It seems to be especially bad around the Golden Triangle area.
Awhile back I heard that MPD would be enforcing jaywalking laws more strictly in the Foggy Bottom area, so I try to be more careful as I run from the Metro to catch my bus. At first I thought that it was silly to increase police visibility by making cop cars have their lights flashing all the time, but now I find it convenient--makes it much easier to spot them before I dash across Pennsylvania in the middle of the block.
A friend of a friend got ticketed downtown for starting to cross after the Don't Walk started to flash. That seems ridiculous to me, especially since they put the counters on the signs so you know exactly how much time is left.
And well they should be!
I'm sick and tired of almost running down pedestrians who are jaywalking against a light or in the middle of the street. Note to jaywalkers: if you get hit by a car while not using a crosswalk or while crossing against a light, it isn't the fault of the driver who strikes you; it is the fault of the pedestrian. Using a crosswalk or waiting for a light takes so little time out of your day and could save your life. Not to mention my nerves from having to hit the brakes while hoping the car behind me doesn't slam into me or swerve around me, thereby increasing the possibility of you getting hit because they can't see why I've stopped....
End of rant.
Jaywalking is only bad if you're one of those sonsabitches in DC who straggles across the street when you know there are cars coming, not even giving the fake walk-run to at least half-assedly apologize for making you miss the next green light. ("Crash"-inspired racist extra comment: Asian women over 60 and younger alpha-male black guys, I'm looking at you.) (Oh yes I DID go there!)
Greener-Than-Thou bonus extra: I haven't owned a car in ages, so I'm no friend to drivers - as far as I'm concerned, they need to stay the hell out of MY way. But they're people trying to get to work just like me, so I'm gonna do my part not to block their traffic, long as they don't block mine. Guess that's why purposefully-slow jaywalkers bug me.
Dalai-Lama-er-than-thou anti-racist Metro-complaining bonus-bonus-extra: Having said all the above, the fastest people I ever saw move on the Metro were these three big black women, ZOOMING past my cracker ass one rush hour morning. Cured me of my "black women never move on the Metro" stereotype on the spot. Guess I will have to drive some more to work on the other ones, though.
Yeah, jaywalkers are a problem, but so too are drivers who fail to yield right of way. Are they ticketing those too? I'm always nearly getting hit by cars making a left or a right onto 21st St from P and not paying attention to walkers. and this a.m. a car kept rolling into the crosswalk as I was crossing New Hampshire at Dupont Circle even though 30 seconds and the little white "walk" man indicated I had right of way.
Part of the problem is the way the lights are set up. Example is Connecticut Ave from K on north. You cross Connecticut at T, you barely have time to get to the median before the light changes. Who wants to stand in the middle of a median on an extremely busy road?
Unrelated...but don't run up a down escalator in Metro either. $300 fine...
Does anyone know if this is true? If so, how can they enforce it? I've never seen it posted anywhere or any laws of Metro other than those posted in the trains (food/drink,smoking,pets, loud music, or something)
Lou, that may be the case with some intersections (though I think two months ago I missed seeing one guy get hit trying to run from the sidewalk to the median BEFORE the walk sign even turned green, at Connecticut and and N. Maybe he was worried about getting stuck on the median after the light change). Though with Connecticut and K part of the problem is there are actually three or four different lights to wathc for, including the protected right cars are supposed to get from K onto Connect. But I digress...
But if you walk around K and L streets between 14th and Connecticut, the problem is a combination of drivers and pedestrians not paying attention. At least a couple of times a day I see some pedestrian, usually on a cell phone, take three our four steps off the curb before looking at the traffice and suddenly realizing "oh crap, there's a car coming!" and jumping back toward the curb. It's almost as if since they don't see a car directly in front of them, they think it's safe to cross. But on the flip side, I've almost been hit a few times by drivers not paying attention to the lights.
Unrelated...but don't run up a down escalator in Metro either. $300 fine...
Yes, it's true. Happened to my friend last summer. I don't think he ever paid it though...
Have any of you been hit by a car? I have. Smack yourself up against the side off a truck and I promise you will always cross on green and stay in the crosswalk. I drive to and from work every morning through georgetown. Pedestrians there are downright dangerous, popping out from between cars, crossing against lights, and arguing with drivers who have the right of way.
I am a big believer in pedestrian rights. I wish DC were a more walkable city and I am glad that so many of us take advantage of the public transit and walking opportunities that do exist. The street signs in DC can be atricious. But there are rules for a reason.
Jaywalking is a fine art and should be praised.
Sell your cars. Walk somewhere. Stop adding to the problem you SUV-driving, Hummer-sailing, Cell phone-talking-while-driving, impatient, Washington Times reading, douchebags.
Long Live, what an insightfull post. You must be a treat to be around. How is a driver being "impatient" by merely requesting that people obey the walk signs? Also, what does reading the Washington Times have to do with anything? I am guessing with that comment your assuming all drivers are conservative? If so, do only conservatives want people to obey the law?
Oh. Sorry. I was just trying to be funny. No, it's cool for drivers to be just the way they are: liberal, conservative, apathetic. I just like how riled up bloggers get. Trying to be satirical...relax.
Ok, sorry if I missed your humor. I drive, walk, and bike in DC, so I see the need to obey traffic laws. Although bikers get attacked for how they behave, really its walkers who (I feel) are the worse offenders. Just today I was driving on E Street and 4 people walked out in front of me (not more than 50 yrds ahead) without having the right to cross. Had to slow down (35 to 10) and honk to get them to stop jaywalking. Its really a safety thing. These people are risking their lives and if they do get hit most likely they will not live to regret it. This is one thing where making a mistake will not teach a person a valuable lession.
Mateo, DC law states that the police cannot require pedestrians to show ID, but you also cannot lie -- see DC Code § 50-2303.07. Identification of pedestrian offenders --
(a) A pedestrian who is stopped by a police officer or other authorized official after the pedestrian has committed an infraction of these regulations shall be required to inform the officer or other official of his or her true name and address for the purpose of including that information on a notice of infraction; provided, that no pedestrian shall be required to possess or display any documentary proof of his or her name or address in order to comply with the requirements of this section.
(b) A pedestrian who refuses to provide his or her name and address to a police officer upon request after having been stopped for committing an infraction of these regulations shall, upon conviction, be fined not less than $10 nor more than $50.
Walker, the times I've come closest to being hit by a car in DC have been when I've been crossing legally in a crosswalk, not jaywalking, and had some lunatic fly through a red light. I don't jaywalk when there are cars nearby.
Murder rate is up some ungoldy-percent, but hey, I got a great idea - let's raise some money by handing out jaywalking tickets!