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Just why is it that Seattleites don't jaywalk?

In Seattle, pedestrians are more likely to wait at an empty intersection than jaywalk.
In Seattle, pedestrians are more likely to wait at an empty intersection than jaywalk.

Fear of a ticket from paternalistic police? Group angst? Peer pressure?

Whatever the reason, even if a car is not in sight, Seattleites will often wait patiently for the light to change rather than … jaywalk.

Pedestrians in this city are unlike their fellow walkers in San Francisco, Boston and even Portland, Ore., and the culture of waiting at the light goes back decades.

Read more on I Wonder Why ... ?

Jennifer Wing leads the KNKX News department. She is an award winning journalist whose work has aired on various outlets including NPR, the BBC, Marketplace and the Third Coast Podcast. Reach her at jwing@knkx.org.