“Jaywalking” is a concept that came about in the 1920s, when automobiles were still new to the streets. To keep sales of motor vehicles secure, and in response to public outcry over rising traffic fatality rates, auto manufacturers created the concept of a “jaywalker,” a foolish pedestrian who walked in the streets and placed themselves in danger from crashes. This concept has held strong for a century and has led to the creation of laws that ban crossing streets outside of crosswalks or when the pedestrian signal isn’t on. Many people cross in these contexts because it feels safer than crossing at a busy, multi-lane intersection, for example, or because the next intersection is a long walk away.
Jaywalking laws are known to be discriminatory and ineffective. In Denver, Black people make up around 10% of the city’s population but received 41% of tickets (Denverite). And, no level of enforcement will change the fact that many of our streets are not safely designed for foot traffic and put pedestrians in oftentimes dangerous, sometimes fatal situations. The solution is not to punish people walking for making do with their inadequate street conditions, but to invest in proper infrastructure and policy that prioritizes pedestrian safety.
Recognizing the problematic nature of jaywalking laws, Denver City Council is currently considering decriminalizing jaywalking within the city limits. Council will be voting on the Freedom to Walk and Roll bill at the end of January, and it’s important that council members hear from community members like you.
City Council’s first reading of Ordinance 23-0015 will be on Monday January 23, with a vote taking place Monday January 30—and we need to make sure it gets passed.
The best way we can do this is by directly engaging with council members, letting them know that people deserve the ability to walk and roll where they need to go, where it’s safest for them, without the threat of policing. We’ve created an email template and submission form for you to easily send a message to City Council. We’ve written some suggested content for you to use, but feel free to customize your message and share why you support the Freedom to Walk and Roll.
Before the vote takes place, contact your city council member and ask them to vote yes on Ordinance 23-0015 so we can reduce over-policing in the name of street safety in Denver.
Click here to send an email to City Council
News about the Freedom to Walk and Roll bill:
- Denver city council members propose decriminalizing jaywalking | denver7
- Denver might decriminalize jaywalking | Denverite
- Denver City Council Weighing Whether to Decriminalize Jaywalking | Westword
- Council members pushing new effort to decriminalize jaywalking in Denver | CBS Colorado
- Denver City Council may decriminalize jaywalking | David Heitz | NewsBreak
- Denver city council to vote on jaywalking decriminalization | 9news