Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Albany Reform

$100 Fine for Crossing the Street and Talking on the Phone

ipod_street.jpg

Fox News reports:

There are laws on the books to stop jaywalking, but if one New York state senator gets his way, it will soon be illegal to bop along to your iPod while crossing the street.

Sen. Carl Kruger will propose a bill that would ban using an iPod - and any other electronic device that is a distraction - while crossing traffic, WCBS-TV reported Wednesday.

"We're talking about people walking sort of tuned in and in the process of being tuned in, tuned out," Kruger, a Democrat, told WCBS-TV. "Tuned out to the world around them. They're walking into speeding cars. They're walking into buses. They're walking into one another and it's creating a number of fatalities that have been documented right here in the city."

photo: Fridaycafe/Flickr

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Danger Ahead: City To Let Car Drivers Reoccupy Forest Park Next Week

Freedom Drive will no longer be free from drivers.

December 30, 2025

Streetsies 2025: The Losers of the Year

If you want to talk about losers, this year had 'em in bunches. Hate-vote for your favorite!

December 30, 2025

Exclusive: Mamdani Pick for Top Diversity Official Is a Recidivist Bus Lane Blocker

Michael Garner, a former MTA official, has been caught blocking bus lanes or bus stops six times this year alone, city records show.

December 29, 2025

EXCLUSIVE: Mamdani’s Official Swearing In Will Be At Abandoned Original City Hall Subway Station

The mayor-elect will kick off a new era by throwing things back to an older one.

December 29, 2025

One Betrayal After Another: The Eric Adams Bus And Bike Legacy

The first mayor tasked with implementing the city's Streets Master Plan pitched himself as the man who'd get the job done. He very much did not.

December 29, 2025
See all posts