It's quite normal in many countries. You have a red light, universally understood as "don't go". Cars get fined for going through red lights, why not people?
It's also (regarding pedestrians) not normal in many countries and is therefore a subject for debate.
Cars get fined, because cars can kill others, pedestrians pose no such threat to others. A person that poses no threat to others should (in my opinion) not be fined. A car that goes through a red light can kill not only himself but another person. A pedestrian poses no such a threat to other peoples lives - only his own.
Secondly, the stopping distance of a car is much greater travelling at 50kph than that of a pedestrian travelling at 6kph. So it's easier for a pedestrian to avert an accident involving himself than it is a driver to.
Thirdly, a rule such as this makes drivers think that they "own the road" so to speak, drivers see anything other than a car a nuisance and behave accordingly. That's why, even when I have a green light as a pedestrian drivers rev the engines, bib horns, become impatient, yet I never see them getting fined for behaving threateningly to people more vulnerable than them. Why is that?
It's part of the reason why Polish drivers are so erratic behind the wheel.
Coincidently, in the Netherlands they changed the law regarding red lights, pedestrians, and fines - and there was no effect on pedestrian fatalities. In fact, pedestrian fatalities are HIGHER in countries where the Jaywalking law exists. This seems to indicate that the jaywalking law does not do what it's supposed to - which is improve road safety. As such, I view it as another money making exercise.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but for a driver committing a similar offence the penalty is actually LESS for the driver than the pedestrian. It's lunacy, that the more vulnerable road user, should be subjected to a heavier fine.
The law is clear - I don't remember the exact number, but there's a certain distance from a marked crossing - after that, you can cross where you want.
Well if the law is so clear how come you don't know the figure? How come NO Pole I have asked knows the figure. The law is not clear at all.
Not really, just read the relevant law and you're sorted.
It's easy to read the relevant law if you know where to find it. As yet, I have not found any literature to clarify the subject. I would be grateful if anyone here could point me to a relevant website.
