Do Las Vegas Police Issue Jaywalking Tickets Any Longer?

In the past, I would see Metro issuing tickets for jaywalking on the Strip and Fremont Street. Metro was very strict about jaywalkers. Currently, I know that jaywalking has almost disappeared on the Strip, because of the barriers erected between the sidewalk and street. But in the last few years, when on Fremont Street, I've watched many ignore the “Don’t Walk” and cross, even causing traffic to come to a stop. Has Metro stopped issuing tickets to jaywalkers?

The Nevada Legislature decriminalized jaywalking last year and the new policy took effect on July 1, 2021.

The new law states, "Any pedestrian who commits a violation by crossing a highway, which constitutes any road for vehicles available for public use, at a place that is not marked as a crosswalk may be punished with a civil penalty of up to $100."

Previously, jaywalking was punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.

Metro can also enforce Nevada Revised Statute 484B.297 that covers pedestrians walking in the roadway and obstructing traffic, along with “solicitation of ride, business, or contribution from driver or occupant of vehicle prohibited in certain circumstances; intoxicated pedestrian prohibited within traveled portion of highway,” etc.

That's a misdemeanor, but more severe is NRS 484B.283, which applies to the right of way in crosswalks. A catch-all law, it also pertains to “impeding ability of driver to yield; overtaking vehicle at crosswalk; obedience to signals and other devices for control of traffic; additional penalty if driver is proximate cause of collision with pedestrian or if violation committed in pedestrian safety zone.” The full particulars of the law as they pertain to crosswalks can be found online (and provides a graphic example of how dense these statutes can be). Violations can be punished with a maximum $1,000 fine, six months in jail, or 120 hours of community service.

Still, Metro insists that its bottom line isn’t fines or arrests. “At the end of the day, we care about safety. We just ask people to practice common-sense safety,” a public information officer from Las Vegas Metro emailed us in answer to this question.

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Comments

Jackie Jan-18-2022

And yet

How many people have been in crosswalks with a traffic light saying WALK have been murdered?
And yet METRO never caught a single one of these killers.

AL Jan-18-2022

Ridiculous

The idea that a person could ever (past-present-future) be put in jail for 6 months because of jaywalking is absolutely ridiculous, and I think similarly about being fined $1,000 for it. If anything, I would consider a $25 fine to be the maximum penalty that could be considered reasonable. But in light of the amount of time and effort it would take a police officer to write a ticket for such a trivial "Offense", I would rather have the police spend their time going after felonies.

VegasVic Jan-18-2022

I'm interested

@Jackie, I'm interested in a list of all of these pedestrians who have been murdered and the killer never caught.  Thanks.

O2bnVegas Jan-18-2022

does Vegas have...

"Citizen's arreeessst!  Citizen's arreeessst!???

Sorry, never can pass this up.  LOL. 

Candy

Kevin Lewis Jan-18-2022

Metro's little funsies

At the Vegas downtown police station/jail, they routinely wait to "process" people who have posted bail until after midnight--and then release them though an unmarked back door in the wee hours of the morning. Those people then cross the empty street to get to a bus stop or wherever else they may be going--and Metro promptly arrests them for jaywalking and drags them back to jail. With a hearty chortle.

They may have changed this practice with the decriminalization of jaywalking.

rokgpsman Jan-18-2022

JayWalking purposely

I see a lot of pedestrians purposely crossing the street after the Don't Walk sign comes on, or they cross in the middle of a block instead of walking down to the crosswalk. They figure traffic will see them and stop or slow down enough they can get across the street. That's a risky thing to do, drivers aren't always watching for people in the middle of the street if traffic is thick and the light is green or if the vehicle is turning from one street onto another, especially at nite. Pedestrians feel they always have the right of way, even if they do something stupid. Legally they do, but it's silly to risk your life betting that vehicle coming at you will magically manage to miss you. Drivers get annoyed at stupid pedestrians, that frustration can result in less care and less attention. Human body vs 3000+ pound vehicle, the pedestrian loses that bet.

Frank Romano Jan-18-2022

All about ME

Funny I love to complain about the people on the strip who cross when it says don't stop then yell or get enraged when a car has to slam on their brakes to stop for the people of today who only care about what's going on in their world. Its so scary how selfish people are.

Gene Brown Jan-18-2022

Fact or Opinion, Is the Question?

Question of the day gave us vital information about jaywalking (Walking On The Wild -side) while walking in Vegas. In my opinion some of you, in the future, while in Vegas, as I am reading the comments, can be dead right or dead wrong! I am just saying….

Roy Furukawa Jan-18-2022

For Your Safety

I know many pedestrian deaths happen on the strip, so jaywalking isn’t the smartest thing to be doing there. Not sure downtown has that problem or not though.

Donzack Jan-18-2022

All good points

Bottom line no human is a match for 3000 plus pounds 200 plus horsepower being operated by any human let alone being under the influence of any amount of stimulant or depressant. Chasing felons? Remember New York’s broken window enforcement? Things were much better. A patrolman’s job is patrol. Observe a misdemeanor or felony and act on it. There are a lot of dead and crippled jaywalkers. “I’m walkin’ over here!” Ratzo, Dustin Hoffman in Midnight Cowboy. I’ve read that scene  was real, not acted.

Ray Jan-18-2022

WOW!

Reading all the comments, Wow, that's all I can say.

Question of the Day - 18 January 2022

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