Advocates say jaywalking laws have been enforced unequally, could be used for pretext for police interactions
Joe Rubino, The Denver Post
Denver pedestrians and wheelchair users no longer will risk receiving a municipal ticket if they choose to cross a city street mid-block as opposed to using a crosswalk at an intersection.
The Denver City Council on Monday voted to decriminalize jaywalking.
Despite that 10-3 vote, people walking or rolling around the Mile High City should be aware that vehicles still have the right-of-way anywhere outside of a crosswalk under both state and city law.
The “Freedom to Walk or Roll” bill that passed Monday was more than a year in the making, according to Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca, who co-sponsored the legislation alongside Councilman Jolon Clark and Council President Jamie Torres.
Advocates for decriminalization argue that jaywalking laws have been enforced unequally and could be used as a pretext for police interactions.
Once signed by the mayor, the bill will instruct the Denver Police Department to make jaywalking the agency’s “lowest enforcement priority.”
It’s still a state crime, however. Under the Colorado Revised Statutes, jaywalking is a Class B traffic infraction punishable with a ticket of up to $100.
Virginia, California and Kansas City have all recently dropped jaywalking laws.
Read the full story at The Denver Post