Breaking the Law: Will Jaywalking Be the Death of Us All?

Living in Boston, it's easy to forget that people in other cities actually obey walk signs on a regular basis. When this Bostonist gets out of town visitors, she invariably finds herself in the middle of the street, glancing back at a bewildered friend whose law-abiding feet are stuck on the sidewalk. Now the Globe has assembled data to confirm not only that we jaywalk a lot, but also that it might be hurting us. Boston has a higher rate of pedestrian injuries (193 per 100,000 people) than Denver (39 per 100,000), Seattle (89 per 100,000, one of which could have been Manny Ramirez if he'd had a little less luck), and even NYC (124 per 100,000). Our rampant jaywalking is theorized as the cause of these statistics, though the generally high amount of walkers likely also plays a role.

While the article misses the mark a bit by focusing exclusively on jaywalking without demonstrating a link between jaywalking and pedestrian injuries, it's hard to dispute that jaywalking is prevalent in Boston. So should the amount of injuries be blamed on stupid walkers, angry drivers, or another factor? The Globe cites Boston's $1 fine for jaywalking as a possible reason for our elevated numbers, saying that other cities have fines of $50 or higher. The small size of the fine is certainly absurd, but issuing citations for jaywalking probably isn't the best use of our police power, and there must be other ways to get people to behave safely. Transportation commissioner Thomas Turlin told the Globe that pedestrians are making "poor decisions,’’ and he's probably right. WalkBoston program coordinator Rosa Carson asserts that pedestrians make these choices "because street infrastructure really disregards pedestrians’ needs." WalkBoston is conducting a study of intersections around the city in hopes of identifying ways to better accommodate pedestrians. Interestingly, the Globe article makes no reference to bikers when it comes to pedestrian safety—a telling indication that bikers are not fully worked into the city's consciousness. And there's also no mention of rolling stops, rights on red, and other dangerous driving techniques that might play a part in our higher injury rate.

This Bostonist is not a native Bostonian, and was certainly surprised by the rampant jaywalking when she first arrived. But it's an easy habit to acquire—who wants to be left behind on the curb? Reducing the amount of jaywalking in the Boston area will require a cultural shift, not likely to be achieved with simple measures like fines. Walk signs that start early, making pedestrians visible in the street, are a helpful step for safety. In the end, though, it all comes down to a question of high-stress, always-rushing, me-first Boston culture. Even the one person a City Hall camera recently found waiting on the curb to cross wasn't intentionally obeying the law: “Usually, I just cross... Today I have the wrong shoes for hurrying across the street.’’