All too often, we find ourselves turning on the evening news to
read the headline, "Pedestrian struck while jaywalking."
The term "jaywalking" has brought with it a stigma of
being illegal to cross the street at any time when not at a marked
pedestrian crossing. Regardless of where a pedestrian is crossing,
motorists need to be diligent to ensure that they keep a close eye
out for vulnerable road users.
According to Toronto bylaws, it is legal to jaywalk, unless the
pedestrian interferes with traffic. Under the Toronto Municipal
Code, as long as a pedestrian yields to the right-of-way traffic,
they are not in breach of the bylaw.1
According to Section 144(2) of the Highway Traffic Act,
if a street has a marked pedestrian crossing, it is illegal to
cross at any other point; however, this section does not stipulate
how far from the nearest marked pedestrian crossing a pedestrian
must be in order to legally cross mid-block. The Toronto Police
Service have said, as a
