We know the meaning of the American word in Britain, but it's also not a concept here.

Germany seems very strict compared to the UK. You can be fined €10 in Germany for crossing when the red man is lit!

While travelling in Germany, I got to know the man in the pedestrian lights has a name: Ampelman (Ampelmännchen). The fact that they gave it a name - no wonder it’s a touchy topic for them.

In Britain he has roughly as much of a name: the Green Man (or the Red Man), as in "wait for the Green Man" said to a child.

Yes but jaywlaking is more then just crossing when the light is red (which indeed is highly frowned on in parts of Germany, and very normal in other parts of Germany). Jaywalking also refers to e.g. crossing the road without having a pedestrian crossing which is very normal in Germany.

> Jaywalking also refers to e.g. crossing the road without having a pedestrian crossing which is very normal in Germany.

It's actually more like crossing in the middle instead of the corner, corners are automatically allowed even without special markings, which from other comments seems like it's either illegal or frowned upon in germany too, right?

only crossing on a pedestrian traffic light while it's signals you to wait is frowned on (and illegal) (also including crossing just idk. 5m below the traffic light while it's red for pedestrians).

for the rest basically if you do it "unsafely" especially if there are children it's also frowned on but otherwise very normal

some more conservative place might also frown on crossing close by a pedestrian crossing even if there is no red light at the crossing because "why are you so lazy to not walk that additional idk. 20m"

but I have yet to meet anyone who expects you to idk. walk down 100m to the next crossing and then 100m back or something like that

and all of this is for streets where there might be a traffic light, for most residential side streets people all the time cross wherever they like without giving it any thought

and in rural villages stuff like children playing on hardly used residential side streets is not really that rare (important not the "main" street passing through the village even if it's classified as a side street too.)

At the same time, a great deal of pedestrian crossings is not marked for cars at all, and only at most hinted towards for pedestrians. Sometimes there is a small pedestrian crossing sign painted on the road facing the sidewalk, sometimes there's just a slight decline in the curbside on both sides. I guess that this is some legal loophole to give cars priority, since legally they have to stop if someone wants to cross the street on a marked crossing with no traffic lights.

Laws vary. In Washington every street corner is an unmarked crosswalk, where pedestrians have priority. Many drivers don’t know this, of course.

Neither do most pedestrians. Let's be real, most Washingtonians don't know most of the traffic laws. This state really badly needs better education in that sense.

Most people also don't know that you're not supposed to enter a crosswalk when the "DONT WALK/red person" is blinking, or the countdown timer is running. It is supposed to be treated like a yellow. Finish crossing the street, but do not enter the crosswalk. Though I suppose that stepping on the gas is how drivers treat a yellow also!

The 4 way , 90 degree, 'yield' intersections got me as I didn't have a stop sign and straight up assumed that that must mean they did.

Lady in a Subaru was REALLY mad.

I think given that the upper comment speaks about Germany not having a word for it I would guess the comment is about Germany. Where laws are the same for traffic across all of it (ignoring administrative differences).

It's mainly that way because due to crossing at most places being legal you don't need specially marked crossing and special marked crossings are mostly reserved for special situations.

Like legally speaking there is no direct rule weather a car has to slow down or stop when someone is crossing the road. But if not doing so would endanger anyone the car has to do it anyway. And not doing so means you are pretty much fully liable for any damages this causes (assuming they had time to react etc.). Similar going on a street in a way which forces a car to strongly break isn't legal, as abrupt breaking comes with all kinds of dangers. For many situations especially small streets, low to mid traffic situations or situations with such high traffic that they jam this works perfectly fine without needing any "official" pedestrian crossings anywhere.

There still can be "unofficial" crossing, but they mainly exist to make space at the side of the street i.e. prevent parking cars blocking pedestrians from crossing. This matters especially for people with buggies, baggage or e.g. walkers. It also helps with visibility as small people like children are easy to overlook between parking cars. But they have no special legal handling and aren't loop holes or anything either. Just the normal way pedestrian crossing had been handled in most places before care traffic became big.

Through because "people aren't always careful", "crossing streets with multiple lanes is always a bit scary" and "sometimes traffic is just too high" and similar we have pedestrian crossings with traffic lights on nearly all road crossings involving multi lane streets or streets with 50km/h speed limit. Sometimes there are also traffic lights for things which are only pedestrian crossings, normally with a button you have to press for them to signal cars to stop.

Lastly there are properly marked pedestrian crossings (zebra strips, with appropriate sign) which are special in that cars have to stop if it looks like a pedestrian _maybe_ wants to cross the street. Not just if it would be dangerous to not do so. They are basically a cheaper version of a on demand traffic lights in situations where crossing the street without one can be hard to do safely while there is very little pedestrian traffic at the same time (e.g. on a street where for a long strap is no crossing with traffic lights but sometimes people have to cross in the middle but only a few times a day). Sometimes also used in situations where theoretically not specially handling is needed but due to idk. there being a primary school nearby it's done to add a bit of additional safety.

In NY, all intersections have a crosswalk whether marked or not.

It's cultural, being a foreigner in Germany, you always get told to comply to rules. I couldn't care less about it and just shrug it off. Honestly, some cities are really hostile to pedestrians with barely any crossings. I don't care if there are children around.

Not in the UK either.

My assumption for the first 30+ years of my life, after watching US films was that it was something akin to walking while looking suspicious.

I find the differing conceptions of 'freedom' interesting. The US likes to think of itself as more free, but they can't even cross the road.

PS fyi, its 'great'. 'grate' sounds the same, but that means a thick metal grid, typically on the floor, or as to grate cheese.

Freedom has more to do with allowing people to cross the road, and not so much with where they are allowed to cross.

Most likely because jaywalking was an insult before a legal word.

Like 75% of these kinds of phrases in American English, without looking it up I'm going to assume there is a racist etymology behind it.

Many states had to repeal their jaywalking laws during the civil rights movement because police used it as an easy excuse to abuse black people.

Idk if it’s a word in Czech but I got a ticket for crossing the street wrong there

Rotgänger Totgänger!

it's a ad-hoc compound word not a official German word (not in Duden)

it pretty much appears only in the given phrase and hardly anyone uses it

but most importantly is that this phrase is about crossing the street on pedestrian crossing with traffic lights while they signal that you should wait a moment

which indeed is frowned on in Germany, depending on region quite a lot

but jaywalking also refers to you "just crossing the street" at a place where there is no pedestrian crossing. Which outside of Highways, limited-access roads and similar is quite normal.

and sure if there is a pedestrian crossing just a few meter down the road it is frowned on if you don't use it

Great