Bill advances allowing pedestrians to safely jaywalk
If it becomes law, Hawaiʻi would follow other states and cities to either repeal or “reform” jaywalking in Virginia, California, Nevada, Denver, Anchorage and Kansas City, Mo.—representing about 52 million residents, according to a study by the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice, which submitted testimony in support of SB 2630 during a March 12 House Transportation Committee meeting.
Along with Hawaiʻi, similar legislation has been proposed for New York City and Washington, according to Hawaiʻi Appleseed.
In a report this month, Hawaiʻi Appleseed analyzed Hawaiʻi court records from 2018 to 2023 that show Hawaiʻi law enforcement agencies disproportionately issue jaywalking citations compared with officers in Washington.
“During this time period, 5,028 jaywalking citations were given per year in Hawaiʻi, which amounts to 349 jaywalking tickets given for every 100,000 people,” according to its study titled “Freedom to Walk: Decriminalizing Jaywalking and Shifting Investment Towards Safe, Accessible Pedestrian Infrastructure.”
“In comparison, in Washington state, on average only six jaywalking tickets are given for every 100,000 people. … Although jaywalking is often cited by government enforcement officials as a tool to keep pedestrians safe, analysis of pedestrian tickets in cities such as Jacksonville show there is no strong relationship between where jaywalking tickets are being issued and where pedestrians are being killed.”
On the mainland, Hawaiʻi Appleseed said, jaywalking tickets are disproportionately issued to people of color.