5 ms·

Funny story is a friend who jay walked at 2am in a western European village. It seems to be illegal in Germany at least. Individual liberty as a concept has a

Funny story is a friend who jay walked at 2am in a western European village. It seems to be illegal in Germany at least. Individual liberty as a concept has a stronger history in the UK than on the continent.

melling 14y ago
I got stopped by a cop in Germany once. Everyone was waiting for the walk light to appear. There was no traffic and one small lane to cross so I went; we're talking 20ft(7m). Next thing I know the cop is asking for my passport. He told me it was illegal but let me go after he ran my passport.
- hessenwolf 14y ago
  I got stopped for cycling the wrong way on the cycling path, a sectioned-off part of the footpath. They do like their rules.
- jordanb 14y ago
  I noticed getting the stink eye from people in Copenhagen while crossing empty streets against the signals. It actually happened several times before I was able to figure out what I was doing that was annoying them. :/
masklinn 14y ago
> It seems to be illegal in Germany at least. Interestingly, from my experience even with that cars will hard-brake if you so much as close in on the sidewalk/street limit, it is very weird to see cars shriek to a halt as you're getting slightly closer to the street to better see a sign on the other side, with no intention whatsoever of crossing.
morsch 14y ago
Yup. People still do it constantly. Enforcement is extremely spotty, to say the least, stories by HN fellows nonwithstanding. I think it's a 10 EUR fine if you do get called up on it. It gets much more expensive when you do it on a bike. I think relating this to the general notion of individual liberty is ridiculous but then again that's just what you'd expect a German to say, isn't it.
rmc 14y ago
Yes Germany is much more strict with jaywalking than the UK or Ireland. I don't think it's to do with Angloexceptionalism, but more to do with cultural reasons and different countries valuing certain laws. For example the UK is much more strict than say Ireland with car tax. If you don't tax your car in the UK, you get an automatic fine in the post. In Ireland there are no automatic fines, it depends if a Guard (police officer) sees you. You can often get away with your tax being 1 month out of date if you sweet talk the office. Individual liberty as a concept has a stronger history in Ireland than in Britain (ha!) or different countries have different laws. (Another example: I've heard drink driving is more common in USA than UK. Different countries, different attitudes to what laws to have and enforce)
- patrickk 14y ago
  "You can often get away with your tax being 1 month out of date if you sweet talk the office. " You can also sweet talk a guard into leaving you off with speeding, or at least try. There was a segment on the NewsTalk radio a few weeks back about the best excuses guards hear from motorists: - "Ah guard, have you nothing better to be doing with your time?" At which point, the guard will stand back casually and point at the letters TRAFFIC CORPS emblazoned on the side of the Garda car. - "Ah guard, it's a new car, I was only testing the speedometer to see if it was accurate." etc. You couldn't imagine having this kind of banter with a cop in the US for example, as he doesn't know if the motorist is armed or whatever. UK-based Irish comedian Dara O'Briain did an excellent sketch about people in the UK being far more 'black and white' about things, whereas in Ireland we 'appreciate the shades of grey' in life!
  - rmc 14y ago
    Exactly. Another example of how 2 close countries can be culturally different: Most people in UK don't realise how much of Father Ted is based on real things and real people and real norms (everything from the dancing priest, (catholic) bishops with children, mrs doyle's arguing over who pays the bill, etc.) They think it's all made up. This is relevant to people who extrapolate from "Germany bans jaywalking" to "UK has much more of a fundamental respect for individual liberty". It could be that reason, but it could also be just another cultural difference without underlying causes.
varjag 14y ago
Jaywalking is legal in Norway, and probably other Scandinavian countries. And if you harm a pedestrian here, you are very likely screwed.
- _delirium 14y ago
  It's not legal in Denmark; there's a 700 kr fine. There seems to be a strong cultural affinity for following the crosswalks and crossing lights, as well. Danes really will stand on a street corner waiting for the light to change, even if it's 2am in a small town and there are no cars for a kilometer. Someone scolded me once when I crossed on a red light! Not even a cop, just a random person told me I should follow the crossing lights. On the other hand, when pedestrians do have the right of way, cars are good about stopping; for example, cars making a right turn will wait for people to cross in a crosswalk, even if they haven't stepped off the curb yet.
  - nickbarnwell 14y ago
    Jaywalking is one of the few activities that will make Danes break character and actually recognise a stranger. As a Boston-native who moved to Copenhagen for three years, seeing people waiting at crosswalks for a signal was a shock, and in the first few months I was certainly scolded a few times for jaywalking. The book Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us) has a very interesting chapter on jaywalking statistics and a variety of other traffic phenomena, and I would certainly recommend it to anyone curious about how cultural norms regarding transit are informed by legislation and infrastructure.
adoyle 14y ago
The fine for jaywalking in Massachusetts is one dollar. It's unheard of here to be stopped for crossing the street anywhere. When I first arrived in Boston, years ago, I was waiting for the light with a bunch of other pedestrians when a cop came along and said, "what are you waiting for? this is Boston" and crossed the street with the rest of us behind him.
yxhuvud 14y ago
There is a prohibition to cross the street on a street crossing against a red light here in Sweden. There is however no punishment associated with the rule, and you are allowed to cross the street at other places if need be. Drivers are always at fault for any damage caused by their car, regardless of if the jaywalker disregarded the lights. Also, cars are required by law to let walking people have right of way if they encounter any crossing not guarded by lights.

melling 14y ago

I got stopped by a cop in Germany once. Everyone was waiting for the walk light to appear. There was no traffic and one small lane to cross so I went; we're talking 20ft(7m). Next thing I know the cop is asking for my passport. He told me it was illegal but let me go after he ran my passport.

hessenwolf 14y ago
I got stopped for cycling the wrong way on the cycling path, a sectioned-off part of the footpath. They do like their rules.
jordanb 14y ago
I noticed getting the stink eye from people in Copenhagen while crossing empty streets against the signals. It actually happened several times before I was able to figure out what I was doing that was annoying them. :/

masklinn 14y ago

> It seems to be illegal in Germany at least. Interestingly, from my experience even with that cars will hard-brake if you so much as close in on the sidewalk/street limit, it is very weird to see cars shriek to a halt as you're getting slightly closer to the street to better see a sign on the other side, with no intention whatsoever of crossing.

morsch 14y ago

Yup. People still do it constantly. Enforcement is extremely spotty, to say the least, stories by HN fellows nonwithstanding. I think it's a 10 EUR fine if you do get called up on it. It gets much more expensive when you do it on a bike. I think relating this to the general notion of individual liberty is ridiculous but then again that's just what you'd expect a German to say, isn't it.

rmc 14y ago

Yes Germany is much more strict with jaywalking than the UK or Ireland. I don't think it's to do with Angloexceptionalism, but more to do with cultural reasons and different countries valuing certain laws. For example the UK is much more strict than say Ireland with car tax. If you don't tax your car in the UK, you get an automatic fine in the post. In Ireland there are no automatic fines, it depends if a Guard (police officer) sees you. You can often get away with your tax being 1 month out of date if you sweet talk the office. Individual liberty as a concept has a stronger history in Ireland than in Britain (ha!) or different countries have different laws. (Another example: I've heard drink driving is more common in USA than UK. Different countries, different attitudes to what laws to have and enforce)

patrickk 14y ago
"You can often get away with your tax being 1 month out of date if you sweet talk the office. " You can also sweet talk a guard into leaving you off with speeding, or at least try. There was a segment on the NewsTalk radio a few weeks back about the best excuses guards hear from motorists: - "Ah guard, have you nothing better to be doing with your time?" At which point, the guard will stand back casually and point at the letters TRAFFIC CORPS emblazoned on the side of the Garda car. - "Ah guard, it's a new car, I was only testing the speedometer to see if it was accurate." etc. You couldn't imagine having this kind of banter with a cop in the US for example, as he doesn't know if the motorist is armed or whatever. UK-based Irish comedian Dara O'Briain did an excellent sketch about people in the UK being far more 'black and white' about things, whereas in Ireland we 'appreciate the shades of grey' in life!
- rmc 14y ago
  Exactly. Another example of how 2 close countries can be culturally different: Most people in UK don't realise how much of Father Ted is based on real things and real people and real norms (everything from the dancing priest, (catholic) bishops with children, mrs doyle's arguing over who pays the bill, etc.) They think it's all made up. This is relevant to people who extrapolate from "Germany bans jaywalking" to "UK has much more of a fundamental respect for individual liberty". It could be that reason, but it could also be just another cultural difference without underlying causes.

varjag 14y ago

Jaywalking is legal in Norway, and probably other Scandinavian countries. And if you harm a pedestrian here, you are very likely screwed.

_delirium 14y ago
It's not legal in Denmark; there's a 700 kr fine. There seems to be a strong cultural affinity for following the crosswalks and crossing lights, as well. Danes really will stand on a street corner waiting for the light to change, even if it's 2am in a small town and there are no cars for a kilometer. Someone scolded me once when I crossed on a red light! Not even a cop, just a random person told me I should follow the crossing lights. On the other hand, when pedestrians do have the right of way, cars are good about stopping; for example, cars making a right turn will wait for people to cross in a crosswalk, even if they haven't stepped off the curb yet.
- nickbarnwell 14y ago
  Jaywalking is one of the few activities that will make Danes break character and actually recognise a stranger. As a Boston-native who moved to Copenhagen for three years, seeing people waiting at crosswalks for a signal was a shock, and in the first few months I was certainly scolded a few times for jaywalking. The book Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us) has a very interesting chapter on jaywalking statistics and a variety of other traffic phenomena, and I would certainly recommend it to anyone curious about how cultural norms regarding transit are informed by legislation and infrastructure.

adoyle 14y ago

The fine for jaywalking in Massachusetts is one dollar. It's unheard of here to be stopped for crossing the street anywhere. When I first arrived in Boston, years ago, I was waiting for the light with a bunch of other pedestrians when a cop came along and said, "what are you waiting for? this is Boston" and crossed the street with the rest of us behind him.

yxhuvud 14y ago

There is a prohibition to cross the street on a street crossing against a red light here in Sweden. There is however no punishment associated with the rule, and you are allowed to cross the street at other places if need be. Drivers are always at fault for any damage caused by their car, regardless of if the jaywalker disregarded the lights. Also, cars are required by law to let walking people have right of way if they encounter any crossing not guarded by lights.