“It’s a natural, safe way to cross the street.”
By Conor McCormick-Cavanagh, Westword
Denver City Council voted 10-3 on January 30 to decriminalize jaywalking, adding the Mile High City to the growing list of jurisdictions that are revisiting their jaywalking laws.
“It’s a natural, safe way to cross the street. You’re sitting there, you don’t see a car for a half mile. It’s normal to want to cross the street even if you don’t have a walk cycle,” says Allen Cowgill of the Denver Bicycle Lobby, one of the main proponents of the ordinance.
Council President Jamie Torres and councilmembers Candi CdeBaca and Jolon Clark put forward the measure, which brings Denver’s stricter jaywalking law in line with the looser Colorado jaywalking statute. In particular, the ordinance changes allow people who are between two intersections with stop signs — or an intersection with a stop sign and an intersection with a stoplight — to cross the street without fear of being cited. The law will still prohibit pedestrians from jaywalking when they’re between two traffic lights; in those scenarios, they need to pick one of the crosswalks.
When crossing outside of a crosswalk, Denver pedestrians will still need to yield the right-of-way to vehicles in the roadway. Additionally, no one will be able to simply run across highways.
Read the full story at Westword