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In New York, it was allowed to cross the street outside the crosswalk or even at a red traffic light. This is reported by the Associated Press.
The law was passed by the City Council last month and went into effect over the weekend after New York City Mayor Eric Adams refused to take action - sign it or veto it - 30 days after it passed.
In particular, city council member Mercedes Narsis, who authored the bill, emphasized that the new law stopped racial inequality in law enforcement. According to her, more than 90% of fines for crossing a pedestrian crossing last year were issued to black and Latino citizens.
"Let's be realistic, every New Yorker crosses the street at a crosswalk. People are just trying to get where they need to go. Laws that punish ordinary behavior for everyday transportation should not exist, especially when they unfairly affect communities of color,” she said in a statement.
The AP explained that the new law allows pedestrians to cross the road anywhere, including outside the crosswalk. Also, city residents can cross the road at a prohibited traffic signal, so it is now not a violation of the New York Administrative Code.
At the same time, there is a warning in the law that pedestrians who cross the road outside the pedestrian crossing do not have the right of way, so they must yield to other vehicles.
In turn, the press secretary of the mayor of New York, Liz Garcia, refused to comment on such a decision. However, she emphasized that running a red light is a very risky behavior. According to her, people can still be held responsible for accidents at pedestrian crossings.
"All road users feel safer when everyone obeys the rules of the road. We continue to encourage pedestrians to use existing safety mechanisms – such as daylighting, pedestrian islands and increasing the intervals between pedestrian crossings – and to cross at the traffic light signal,” she emphasized.
Other world news
As I wrote, Russia demands a huge amount of money from Google, which exceeds the annual GDP of the world. This is due to the fact that the company refused to pay fines that accumulate due to the blocking of pro-Russian channels on YouTube.
It was also reported that the USA is threatened by a new epidemic. In particular, a resident of the state of Iowa died after contracting a viral disease that causes bleeding from the eyes. Also, this disease resembles Ebola fever.
