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How 'jaywalking' was invented

An insult that reshaped public spaces

How 'jaywalking' was invented
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StarsInsider
02/12/2025 07:00 ‧ 7 hours ago | StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE

History

For most of human history, streets were lively, shared environments where people moved freely and vehicles adapted to them, not the other way around. But in the early 20th century, as cars began to dominate American cities, that balance shifted dramatically.

What we now call “jaywalking” was actually a deliberate campaign against pedestrians, all in an effort to redefine the street and who it belonged to. But how, exactly, was this term invented? Click on to find out.

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