Boston Mulling Hike In Jaywalking Fines

BOSTON -- Boston officials are considering hiking fines for jaywalking in the city in an effort to reduce pedestrian accidents and raise revenues in the Hub.

NewsCenter 5's Steve Lacy reported that Boston drivers have developed a notorious reputation over the years and the city's pedestrians can often be just as bad.

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Now, however, according to the Boston Herald, the city is mulling a crackdown on jaywalking, which is crossing the street against the lights.

Currently, jaywalking is punishable by a $1 fine and tickets are seldom given out for the offense.

After recently hiking parking fines downtown, the city is now reportedly open to boosting fines for walkers who fail to follow the rules of the road. In addition to traffic problems caused by pedestrians who disregard the rules, it's also a major public safety issue.

Last year, 693 pedestrians in the city were hit by cars and 14 of them were killed.

Skeptics say this would be a difficult, if not impossible, law to enforce.

The city of Edmonton, which is about the same size as Boston, recently boosted its jaywalking fines to $250 after several pedestrian deaths.

It is unclear how high Boston would increase the fines.