December 11, 2024 • 38 mins
New York City recently legalized jaywalking. For many Bostonians, jaywalking almost seems like a way of life…how many people actually realize jaywalking is illegal? With a seemingly minor fine of $1 if caught jaywalking in Boston, is that worth law enforcement’s time? We heard listeners' thoughts on whether Boston should legalize jaywalking!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's night time with Dan Ray. I'm Boston Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
All right, So here's an interesting, I think, a very
interesting issue and question which has come up. But apparently
there is a push to legalize or decriminalize at least
jaywalking in Massachusetts. Now you don't hear much about jaywalking,
but the law is still on the books and the
(00:30):
fine is only a dollar, which struck me as kind
of interesting. I mean, how do they collect the fine.
It's look, it may be on the books, but it
is not observed. I see people all the time jaywalking.
I jwalk. I probably do it less now than I
(00:53):
did thirty years ago, when I knew I could basically
sprint through any intersection without a care of the world,
because I was pretty quick. As you get older, you
lose a little bit of that quickness. Let me put
it like that. I think anyone on the wrong side
of fifty will understand what I'm talking about. When you're
(01:14):
twenty or twenty five, across that street in about four seconds,
that's easy. But when you're fifty or so, it may
take a little longer, but beyond that it takes substantially longer.
The bottom line is that we all jaywalk at the
same time, my feeling is the fact that it is
(01:38):
still illegal probably is a good thing, because I don't want.
You know, first of all, if I jwalk, I'm assuming
the consequences of my actions. If I'm really dumb and
I don't look both ways and I don't follow the
crosswalk and all of that, and I get hit and
(02:00):
hurt or worse, don't shed any tears because that will
have been my stupidity which put me in that situation.
And if the fact that a statue is still in
the books doesn't make me think, well, maybe I can
wait for the light because it's really not worth it,
(02:21):
and then I'm a dummy, and I'm not a dummy. However,
I kind of like it on the books because I
swear to God, I don't want you as a hood
ornament on my car. Okay, I mean you may be
a great person. You probably are a great person. I'd
(02:41):
love you to call my show any night. We can
have a conversation, we can have a discussion about any topic.
But the one thing I do not want to meet
you at the intersection of the hood of my car
and you because I'm assuming people won't jaywalk. But I'm
(03:06):
assuming that there will be someone in that group of
pedestrians who might decide to dart out against the traffic light.
So I am a very mixed mind here, I guess.
I guess actually I'm kind of in favor when I
(03:27):
think about what I just said of keeping this law
in the books. Probably I would bet you that there's
no city or town in Massachusetts which has collected more
than five bucks from jaywalkers. If the finds a panel
is a park, that's number one. Number two. Uh, you
(03:50):
have no idea how many people's lives might have been
saved because they said, you know, it would be just
my luck if I jump out here, some police officers
to grab me. And I would suspect most people don't
know that the fine for jaywalking is a dollar. I mean,
(04:12):
I'll give the police officer five dollars. Of course you
can't do that, but just to be rid of it.
So that's the question. There is apparently some groups in
Massachusetts there are who are trying to eliminate any penalty
or fine for jaywalking. Now, my suspicion is a lot
(04:33):
of those groups want to in effect take back the
streets and take back the crosswalks, And I understand that,
just as the bicyclists have taken back a lot of
the asphalt with their bike lanes. So the question is
it's illegal in Massachusetts to jaywalk. The fine for jaywalking is,
(05:00):
believe it or not, a dollar. It's almost as if
you should take it off the books because of that.
That sounds like something from you know, the sixteen hundreds.
They find they find people a pence or whatever was
the coin of the realm back then, A dollar, nothing
when you think about it. So I just want to
(05:21):
throw it out there real quickly and let's get some
conversation going on it. If you've ever jaywalked and regretted it,
meaning you jaywalked and you came close to paying a
much different penalty than a dollar, I'd love to hear
from you if you have ever had a close encounter
(05:43):
with a jaywalker. And again, if you have a close
encounter with a jaywalker, who do you think is going
to prevail you, the person behind the two thousand pound
vehicle or the jywalker. You know the answer. I don't
even have to tell you on that. One six, one, seven, two, five,
(06:05):
four ten thirty six one seven nine three one ten
thirty Take it off the books. You say, well, it's
a victory for freedom, But I think I think that
that might be just the incentive that some as Tom Minino,
God bless him, would say, some knucklehead would end up
(06:27):
as a hood ornament on on on my car or
your cars your car. And by the way, given a
choice between someone ending up as a hood ornament on
my car or your car, I nominate your car. I
want nothing to do with that. Six one seven, two
four thirty six one seven, nine three one ten thirty
will get it going. On the other side of the
break back on night Side after this.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Now bent to Dan Way live from the Window World
night Side Studios on WBZ News.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Radio, Jaywalkers, Let's see what people think. I think there's
a purpose of it it being on the books. To
be honest with you, Tom and West Virginia. Tom next
on nights Side, Agree or disagree, buddy.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
No, I disagree. Here's the point. Number one. We have
crosswalks for a reason. And the people that are pushing this,
no doubt are probably leftists that you know, in the future,
because Donald Trump is now president, the country is starting
this wing right. These are the same jerks that are
gonna want to block intersections. They're going to go you know,
(07:33):
we were to save the wheels, all right. You know.
They almost remind me like a South Park cartoon that
you know, at some point just get.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
You know, we live in that climate.
Speaker 4 (07:46):
You change and you can't.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Redreage your gasoline, pick up drug or.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Tom. I'm trying to figure out where you are in
the issue. In other words, right now, it's it's a
stat it's a law in massage use. It's the finest,
the finest dollar. Keep it, yeah, I'm with you. Keep
it yeah, because there's a lot of people out.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
You know, but but they're they want to change it
because at some point there's going to be organized groups
of Marxist led people that are trying to weaken any
law whatsoever to block traffic because we have inter message Joe,
you know, these are the losers of our society that
(08:32):
you know, you can't organize a protest on Boston Common
and may bring.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Realistically realistically, Uh, when they have a protest and they
link their arms, so they put their arms in in
thats of cement. They're not claiming they're jaywalking, they're there.
I don't like those people at all. You know that,
but having it as on the books. Because there are
(09:02):
some people who are rules followers. I'm not one of them, necessarily,
because I'd admit I jaywalk, but I'm not stupid. I
don't jaywalk on Route one twenty eight or four ninety five.
If I'm on a street and there's nothing coming in
each direction, I double check a couple of times that
I can scoot across. Okay, technically ijwalk, but it's an
(09:22):
intelligent form of jaywalking as opposed to just jaywalking and
getting hit by a car.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Dan Dan, I've worked in thirteen states in one US territory, okay,
and the one thing that you find about Northeastern cities
is people jaywalk all the time because I have to
get from point A to point B. Okay, But you
use common sense. In other words, if you're on Commonwealth
Avenue and the light is green and you pause in
(09:50):
between cars, I understand that. And I don't know anybody
who has ever been cited. Because I used to live
in Beacon Hill. Starting in nineteen seventy eight, I met
and I did the same thing. I'm not at across
walk all right, but you know, if I'm on Cambridge Street,
and Beacon Hill, and I need to get to the
(10:12):
donut shop across the street. I'm gonna go on a diagonal.
I'm not gonna go down and wait, you know, for whatever.
But I never got a citation for that. But I
know where this is going, all right, And it's all
about legalities. And you know, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
I tell you where I think.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
It's going to start.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
Let me tell you where I think this is going. Okay,
I think it's going because I think some of the
groups that I forget the name of the group, but
it's like walk Boston or something like that. And I
think there's going to be This is part of the
we want to take the streets back. Uh. And we
don't want any or anything that prevents us from doing
(10:56):
what we want.
Speaker 4 (10:57):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
And and and the enemy of the people in those
those gas powered automobiles this is.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
Yeah, well those those are probably the same people that
a few years ago that were slashing tires and Beacon
Hill to stop global warming. I'm sick of these weenies,
I really am. And you know something, uh And I
always bring this up the progressive talk show host and well,
we've got to change are the way we drive with
(11:27):
electric vehicles. Really, you live on Joystreet and Beacon Ill.
How are you going to charge your electric vehicle? You
live on the third floor in a brownstone. Are you
going to run a three hundred foot extension cord out
to your vehicle on the streets of Joystreet and Beacon Hill? Really?
Speaker 2 (11:44):
You know? So?
Speaker 3 (11:45):
But here's the point. And when I always bring up China,
they go, well, they'll eventually get to it in fifty years.
Speaker 5 (11:51):
You know.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
No, if you really believe in man make climate change
and that we've all got to stop driving gas powered vehicles,
the whole world at the same point in time has
to do the same thing. The United States of America
represents five percent of the world's population. If I'm not mistaken,
all right, five percent of the world's population that drives
(12:14):
gas power vehicles is not going to change climate change.
And at some point somebody News needs to do a
little bit of critical thinking instead of some weenie wearing
a man bun that you know is a barista at
Starbucks who gets two minutes on Channel five of like,
we've good to.
Speaker 6 (12:34):
Save the planet.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
Man, We've good save more years to save the world.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Oh you got it, Tom, you got it all in
you got it all in. I hope you feel better.
Speaker 3 (12:45):
I hope I offended. So I hope I hope in Massachusetts, no,
I think.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
I just want you to know you're the second call
it from West Virginia. Tonight. We're building a base in
West Virginia. Okay. A guy in the first hour. It's
Bobby from West Virginia, and he was telling me how
he used to he hunts wild boar in Georgia. Sounds
like you're sort of guy. Oh, I got to go well.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
And by the way, Dan, it's dear season down here.
So far, I got two bucks from the freezer. Tomorrow
is dough season. I'll get a third. That's my red meat.
I don't eat beef anymore. Deer are a free range animal.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
And for those of you when need him that just
learned it.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Okay, Tom, Tom, I got it. I got out of callers,
get them into Thanks, good night, bye bye. Tom feels
he's a passionate college Georgian bridge. Want to joge you
in next on Nightsager right ahead?
Speaker 4 (13:42):
Hey, how you doing Dan?
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Great?
Speaker 7 (13:45):
I want them to keep it on the books, but
I'd like to see the fine up to to at
least one hundred bucks I got I got nailed in
Luxembourg and two hundred bucks. And you almost you and
you don't know it, but you almost got nailed in
Germany when you went there. I think it was your
(14:07):
last day. You were talking about it and your bus
was leaving. You ran across the street. You're lucky you
didn't get caught, because the Germans enforces too.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
So when you get nailed in Luxembourg, did you have
to write a check or give him some cash on
the spot. It wasn't. I gave you a court date
three weeks from now.
Speaker 7 (14:28):
No, I was with a gale from Luxembourg, and you
know they speak English too, But no, we paid cash
right on the spot. We got it. You know, we
got a legitimate ticket. But Europe brilliant forces to jaywalkin laws,
and I wish we were too, and I wish we would,
(14:51):
you know, have a hefty fine, because.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
I mean dollar means nothing. Here you go, officer. I'm
very happy. And I don't think anyone that I can
in America or within the sound of our voice, has
been stopped for jaywalking or worse yet, in any way,
shape or form penalized. But so you had to how
did you come up with the hundred You had a
hundred in your pocket?
Speaker 7 (15:17):
No, I've had to pain in euros and we had
a lot of euros on it on us. But you know,
I shake it down.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
Boy, that sounds like police work. In Luxembourg. You could
almost shake shake out a town tourists down. Hey, come here,
you help me hundred.
Speaker 7 (15:31):
Bucks Dan That that was the year two thousand when
when I was a truck driver in Germany from sixty
three to sixty six. Yeah, they were real. They were
enforcing the laws in Germany. It's u and the last
thing I wanted to do was run somebody over and
my deuce in a half. So, I mean, Europe's got
(15:55):
it together. They lost enough people in the World War
Two they don't want to lose anymore.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
But no, I understand that. So when you were there,
if you were driving a deuce and a half, you
were working for the US government.
Speaker 7 (16:07):
That's right. But but I worrying all in olive drab uniform, Yes, exactly.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
But I know up a two one hundred.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
I know.
Speaker 7 (16:18):
I lived in brockd Up for nine years and I
noticed on my main street, I even forget the name
of it. Before I got to my house, there was
a crosswalk every twenty feet, but they didn't use them.
I almost wiped out a few people. And I don't
want I don't want to do that.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
That's the reason why I think the law should stay
in the books. And whether or not, I'm not quite
with you. Increasing the fine, maybe increasing the twenty five
bucks or something, make it something that people yeah, yeah, yeah,
but certainly more than a dollar. But yeah, but I
don't The last thing I want is to have, you know,
my picture in the paper saying someone ends up on
(16:54):
the hood of Dan Ray's car. I don't want that
at all, you know, even though today, once again, you know,
I stopped at a couple of crosswalks to allow people
to go across, and they it's you know, college students.
They never look, they never say, they give you a
nod of a wave or a nod of the head
or thank you. It's like you there. They have priorities,
(17:20):
doesn't matter what the circumstances are. And if you're kind
enough to stop, which I always do, don't expect to
have anyone ever say thank you. When I go across
the street and a crosswalk and someone stops at me,
I go out of my way, thank you very much.
Speaker 7 (17:35):
And oh yeah, I give them my heads up myself.
And this is not part of your show, is not
part of you. I never blocked the box.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
Never.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
Oh that's a different I would now those should be
twe hundred dollar fines those.
Speaker 7 (17:51):
Yes, there you go.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
All right, Thanks, George's always.
Speaker 7 (17:55):
Are You're welcome? All right, buddy, Thanks.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
You six four ten thirty. That's the only lines that
are open right now. I got two of them. Therefore
you six months seven two five four to ten thirty.
Back with Laurie uh and Connie. Laurie from Idaho, Connie
from Medford and I got room for you at six
months seven two five four ten thirty. Should they basically
(18:18):
take the jaywalking law off the books in Massachusetts or
leave it? I think you leave it just so that
some people might at least think about it if they're
going to jump out into traffic. That's my thought. Love
to know what you think. Back on Nightside after.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
This Night Side Thought with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's
news radio.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
So we're talking about jaywalking. Let's see what Laurie in
Idaho says. I don't think they have rules against Jaywalkee
and Idaho. I suspect do they, Laurie.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
I don't know. I haven't checked.
Speaker 8 (18:55):
No, I don't think so. But I do know when
I was, you know, back in New England Boston Arey,
I had, you know, two thoughts on the law. If
I wanted jay walk, I wish it weren't there, and
if someone idiot was walking in front of me, I'm
glad it's there. So which is probably what everybody else.
Speaker 3 (19:10):
Has been saying.
Speaker 8 (19:11):
And you know, and her good reason. But your last
collar brought up a very interesting point. My parents were
in Germany from fifty to fifty six or fifty seven. Well,
my dad was doing his army service, and they say,
a little bit longer becauthing liked it. And so even
like my mom would come back to visit me in Mastitute, Massachusetts,
why is down there, said a little bit. And if
I wanted to same thing, go all the way up
half a block, to go across and go back down
(19:32):
half a block that's just right across the street, and
there's no traffic, she would have a fit. And now
I understand why because they lived in Germany for seven
years in the fifties.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
But so so in Germany. Your parents were very respectful
of the law because, as George said, you get grabbed
for it.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (19:52):
Yeah, and it was it was the rule. And my
dad was obviously in the army there, and so they
obeyed if they lived off off base.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
But she she's always very good for the Germans fault.
They're rules followers, you know, as a society.
Speaker 8 (20:05):
Well, and then my mother respected that.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Yeah, no, I get it, I get it.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
It was like all the loss.
Speaker 8 (20:10):
But that explains why I never knew why she was.
She's freaked out so badly every time I said, let's
just run across the streets here, we can do this.
Now we're j jay walking.
Speaker 4 (20:19):
Who's looking?
Speaker 2 (20:20):
Yeah, I've jay walked in different places, and I think
you're a little more cognizant of it when you're in
what did they say when in Rome, do as the.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
Romans do, right, exactly?
Speaker 8 (20:30):
And she was young, I mean, you know, she was twenty. Yeah,
but but I was always very very you know, cattal era.
But as sometimes no traffic was around, I would never
dive in front of traffic. But I did get really
pissed off and picked off when you know, these kids
with the headphones on and just walk across the street
and not care.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
We need we need a hold.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
That's a whole that's a whole nother story, as as
I said, right, but.
Speaker 8 (20:54):
We need the law books to protect us from that.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Yeah. No, every day I drive through a couple of
student areas and it just looks to me like the
student's attitude is, hey, guess what you know. I'm here,
I paid my tuition. I got to be able to
do whatever I want to do. And that bothers me
a bit. But I just think my feeling is leave
it in the books, because even if one person thought
(21:19):
about it and didn't put themselves in a position where
they're going to be run over by two thousand pounds
of steel and rubber, that's a good thing. That's that's
a good thing. And maybe, as George said, let's let's
make it a little more, a little bit more of
a bite that it's one police office going to enforce
(21:40):
one dollar fine. Most police officers going to laugh at that,
say what, I'm wasting my time?
Speaker 8 (21:45):
Well so, but then if you if you can get
away with that, you know, jay walking across the street,
you know a couple of lanes and nobody's there. If
the police officer could go and collect the buck, they're
not going to get you for it, But if it's higher,
they're going to notice it. So I don't know. It's
kind of a double resort.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
It definitely is, and you've got to be got to
be always careful of who's around in the circumstances. Laurie
loved them. Loved a couple of text you sent to
me lately. I'm glad we're in the same wavelength from
a humor point view. Thanks Mustard, Doctor Soon six thirty,
(22:22):
triple eight nine, ten thirty or six one seven nine.
Got a bunch of lines open here, so fill them up.
Jaywalking is it something that bothers you? There's a there's
an effort right now by group that is in that
is and we attempted to have the group join us tonight,
but I don't think producer Marita was able to reach them. Uh.
(22:45):
They are organized and they want to get rid of jaywalking.
They want to make it so that jaywalking no well,
that the penalty against jaywalking no longerings exists. Connie is
in me. Hi, Connie, welcome, Hi Dan, how are you.
I'll do great? Thanks for calling it well.
Speaker 6 (23:07):
You know, I have a story. I think I was
about twenty years old and that happened. I was coming
home from a friend's house and I was going to
cross you know, I was in Midford Square like, and
I was going to cross the street. There was nothing around,
and all of a sudden, when I got to like
the middle of the of the street, well, there was
a car on top of me.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
Oh yeah, okay, you mean you were hit by a car.
Speaker 6 (23:34):
Yeah, I was hit by a card. Where as a
family in this car that that. Evidently they didn't see me,
and by the time they did, I was already on
the ground, so they stopped. Okay. Then before you know it,
the police were there, the ambulance and they took me
to the hospital here in Medford, Lawrence Morrow, and I
(23:55):
had a baseball on my leg and I had to
cut under my chin. My parents didn't even know that
at the time until they called him, you know, if
the hospital called them. But anyways, I didn't realize that
was going to happen, because, like I said, I usually
walked you look before I crossed the street. But evidently
(24:16):
it happened to me, and I said, oh my god,
I'm in trouble.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
Now, So I asked you this, have you ever jaywalked again?
Speaker 6 (24:24):
I mean since that. No, But well now I'm now
I'm old. Now I'm maybe six years old. I'm not
going to jaywalk. I look at all of the traffic
lights now too.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
So no, but I went with you when you were younger.
When you were you said a teenager.
Speaker 6 (24:39):
I think no, I think I was about twenty. I
think at the time.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
That's okay, Yeah, you're quite young at twenty.
Speaker 8 (24:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (24:47):
Now i'm eye six years old. Now I'm eye six,
and I don't think that I was going to do that.
I learned my lesson after that happened. And I don't
think there was any any laws in the book for
jaywalking then. Anyway, when I was that age that.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
That I know of the law of survival, it was okay.
Speaker 6 (25:09):
So I mean if there is one now, then yeah,
they should do something about it, because a lot of
people they don't look, they don't look at at at
when they cross, especially young people. I noticed they have
their their cell phones glued to their ears and they're
not paying attention to the traffic, you know, and they're.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Walking as someone who you didn't have a cell phone
back in those.
Speaker 6 (25:37):
Days, right, we didn't. But now that they have them,
that's what they do. They're not looking at the traffic.
And this makes me very nervous because I drive, but
like I say, usually I stop all the time when
I see somebody that's walking on the street, or even
(25:58):
when they're going to Wegmans and Method, I usually stop
because I know that's a very busy place, so I stop.
But when I do, they have those phones, they glued
to the end. They don't even pay attention because they're
either texting or they're talking on the phone. And that
makes me nervous.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
It makes me nervous too. Thank you for call, Thanks
so much. Be careful out there.
Speaker 6 (26:24):
Okay, Oh I will thank you for taking my call.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Dan, thanks for calling in. Have a good night, have
a nice celebrate Christmas. I assume oh you.
Speaker 6 (26:34):
Too, Yes you too Christmas because I listen to you
all the time. I listen to it night all the time.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
Well, thank you very much, don't you ever. Okay, talk
to you soon. Have a great night.
Speaker 6 (26:43):
Okay, you too.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
Let me get Gary for Muburn in here. Gary will
always have sort of a an interesting take. Gary, your
take on the jaywalking laws in Massachusetts. They're there, they're
not particularly enforced. Is it time to get rid of them?
Speaker 4 (26:59):
I'm totally confused by the subject come out of but
as I get older, sixty one years of age, I
definitely do not jaywalk. When you're younger, you do it.
And the lady at eighty six years of age, God
bless you for calling at the Dan show. You sounded
very lively and talking about young people. The cops should
be getting off their butts and writing them out a
(27:20):
checkout for twenty five dollars right away by you.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
Know, well, where what what the police? First of all,
the police, Uh, the fine for jaywalking in Massachusetts is
a dollar. A dollar.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
That's terrible, So I got bump it up first.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
The first question that we're trying to just to get
your confusion straighten out here, the question is is it
worth it to have it on the books if all
the fine is a dollar? Because what police offers waste
his time unless somebody's doing it so so obviously, or
maybe even in the middle of the street taunting people.
(27:59):
Do you j I'll bet you do. I'll bet you do.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
Gary, what's that?
Speaker 2 (28:07):
Stay with the program, Gary? Do you j walk?
Speaker 4 (28:11):
At sixty one years later, I stopped doing that type
of time I get as I get older, I go
more by the law and so far because I see
the younger people and so forth, and I want to
try to be a little bit more of an example.
But one time before I let you go, because I'm
working right now, Dan, I want you to know Gary
Tangway filled in for you while you were gone. Okay,
I don't worry about Yeah, David from San Francisco called
(28:31):
in last week, and David, I just want you to
know we all love David. We don't agree with what
he says, me and you, but we love David. David.
If you're listening, and Gary Tangway hung up on him
so disrespectfully when you have an outside call outside Erie, Dan,
you always treat everybody more special because they're not from
(28:51):
New England.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
Correct, No, I treat everybody special. But here's the deal.
I didn't hear Gary the call that Gary had. I
know Gary a little bit, worked with him in Channel four.
He's a very decent guy. David could be a very
frustrating caller.
Speaker 4 (29:06):
Okay, he wasn't frustrating. He was very nice and that
station and Gary sang way, they owe him an apology.
Speaker 9 (29:13):
David, we love you.
Speaker 3 (29:14):
Keep calling it to be a favorite.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Call Gary next week and explain it to him. Okay,
I'm sure he'll appreciate hearing from you. Appreciate it. Thanks,
thanks so much. Thanks gone. Gary has a tendency. Gary
from Woburn has a tendency to kind of leave the
conversation while it's half over. But that's okay, So I
want to wrap it up on the other side, and
we're going to talk for the balance of the hour
(29:37):
about jaywalking. Jaywalking's on the books in Massachusetts. You're not
supposed to jaywalk. Ironically, the fine is only a dollar, okay,
so it's an unenforced law. I say keep it on
the books, and I say raise the price, so it's
worth the police officer's effort to write a ticket. Jaywalking
(29:59):
is dangerous. It's also dangerous to me when I'm driving
my car, and one thing I do not want is
to end up having someone on the hood of my
car as an ornament. So I'm looking at it from
the perspective of a pedestrian who has jaywalked. I'm more
than happy to admit that if I look both ways
and I realized there's nothing I'm probably gonna go across
(30:23):
the street to prefer to go across in a sidewalk
in a crosswalk. But so I'm I'm not without sin
on this one. But I'm more concerned about I'm driving
and all of a sudden there's someone who's not looking.
And I've had those situations, both with drivers and with walkers,
and I always try to drive as defensively as possible.
And my attitude is there's someone out there today that
(30:44):
wants to crash in to me, I want to avoid them.
My question to you is jaywalking. Should the lost stay
in the books? That's number one? If it's if you
agree it should be on the books. Should the should
the find go up a little bit? I think so.
I mean I think a dollar this kind of a
ridiculous number might have been good around the time of
I guess when cars first came on the road, but
(31:07):
I think we're past that stage now. So love to
get your opinion. Six one, seven, two four ten thirty,
six seven nine three one ten thirty. Kathy from Ludenberger
is on the other side. I'd love to hear from
you on this, and we are going to talk after
the eleven o'clock News tonight about why is Congress sitting
on the radio in cars bill? You'll be interested with
(31:29):
some of the statistics. It's a majority of support in
both the Senate and the House, and yet it has
not been acted upon. I don't want to see this
bill die. I want to see it pass because I
think we need AM radios in cars. I say that
selfishly from the point of view of as a talk
show host. I know many of you are listening on
(31:49):
radio right now in your cars, but I also think
that in the time of a national emergency, AM stations
have a much bigger area that they broadcast to the
FM stations. FM stations are wonderful, and they're great for
music and things like that, but it has really a
small footprint. WBC has a huge footprint, and in the
case of some sort of natural disaster, a man made disaster,
(32:12):
we need as much communication, as much communication as possible,
and as many media outlets to spread that information as possible.
Coming right back on Nightside, let's finish up on Jaywalking
between now and ten give me a call.
Speaker 1 (32:26):
Coming back now back to Dan ray Line from the
Window World Nightside Studios on WBZ the news radio.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
All right, let's get everyone in here, starting off with
Kathy and Lunarburg. Kathy, your thoughts on jaywalking. Is it
a law we should keep a get rid of.
Speaker 10 (32:43):
Definitely keep Okay, I agree wholeheartedly with what you said.
I think the fees should be higher. People are paying
less attention these days, walking around you attached their phones.
I was in downtown Boston last night and it's amazing
to me how many people just you know, shoot out
(33:05):
here and they are not paying any attention. So, but
I have to say, what drives me absolutely nutstand especially
out where I am is now we have bike lanes
and allowing bikes to ride almost in the middle of
the road. It's so illogical and encouraging it. I mean,
(33:25):
everything is so upside down.
Speaker 8 (33:28):
I look, I.
Speaker 2 (33:33):
Get they get everything they ask for and more and more.
It's like they'll say, give us a bike lane ten
feet wide. They say no, no, no, no, no, We'll
give you.
Speaker 8 (33:41):
One fifteen feet I know, I know.
Speaker 10 (33:45):
And electric bikes, oh my god, you know, even more
of a hazard. So it's like anything goes, you know,
just like the cafes.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
Well, we talked last time about opening up cannabis.
Speaker 10 (34:00):
Cat, I know I was listening. Yeah, I don't agree
with that either, Vanity.
Speaker 2 (34:05):
What you do in Boston went to a play or
have dinner or something or.
Speaker 10 (34:10):
Mattheop holiday party?
Speaker 2 (34:13):
Easy, easy to find parking spaces.
Speaker 4 (34:15):
Right, oh sure, so you know good?
Speaker 2 (34:21):
Yeah, and all the garages are reasonably priced. How much
sixty dollars, seventy dollars?
Speaker 10 (34:27):
I don't know. I let my husband pay.
Speaker 4 (34:30):
I didn't be at all.
Speaker 2 (34:32):
Right, Jaffy is always thanks so much for calling. Appreciate
you all right, thanks, thanks, I get two more in
here before the end of the night. Bill in South Boston,
Bill you next time, night said, welcome.
Speaker 9 (34:41):
Back, Hi Dan, thank you your Darren. There's another side
to the whole j walking thing, and that is being
able to safely walk through a crosswalk.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (34:53):
So, in other words, you.
Speaker 9 (34:55):
Don't have a lot of confidence walking through a crosswalk
in Massachusetts because this rare little or limited enforcement. But
I think if people actually had confidence walking through a
crosswalk and they were repercussions for somebody driving through them,
we might have a little bit less jaywalking.
Speaker 2 (35:11):
That's a good point that that's that's a good point.
But again, if I'm going to crosswalk. I don't. I
don't have a light shopping traffic. I'm gonna make sure
the traffic.
Speaker 9 (35:21):
I'm not gonna oh yeah, no you no, no, no no.
But it's still it is amazing, though. I've been in
the middle of a crosswalk and had a coach bus
while I'm halfway through the crosswalks go speeding through it.
And it was a couple of times where it's been
a close call.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
But you do have to use caution.
Speaker 9 (35:39):
But when somebody's speeding around the corner, you know, you
obviously have to walk, pick up your feet and make time.
I lived in southern California about twenty five years ago.
I was out there for about a decade and two
things I learned very quickly was you don't jaywalk and
you don't drive through a crosswalk. And for that reason,
you know, that's one thing that they very much have
together out there. And also is there's six to eight
(36:02):
lanes in each direction on the highway. People actually use
turn signals. They abide by the traffic law because the
California Highway Patrol is all over you if you're driving erradically,
So I ride bill.
Speaker 2 (36:15):
What Bill, you've used a term that we're unfamiliar with
here in New England's a turn signal. It's like a
holy kid exactly.
Speaker 9 (36:24):
Well, if I wonder, sometimes you'll see it hundred hundred
thousand dollars car and for some reason it doesn't come
with directionals. It's amazing, you.
Speaker 2 (36:31):
Know, I get I gotta get one more in here.
Speaker 3 (36:35):
I love to call take care everybody.
Speaker 2 (36:39):
Take it easy, Merry Christmas. All right, let's go to
John and Drake and John, I'm gonna sneak in for
about a minute or so because you're calling leap it.
You got the microphone.
Speaker 5 (36:47):
Go ahead, John, Oh no, this is a perfect again.
Check this out right. I had a jaywalker and there
was no Crosswalky jaywalks walked into my car, sell down,
and now I have to go in front of the
merit rating board because I got points on my driving record.
Now I also had a witness that saw the whole
thing happen. The gentleman had a fluorescent vest on underneath
(37:12):
his jacket, but yet he walked into the side of
my car around fell and broke his glasses. Now he
was also quite frankly liability wise. They went after my
insurance company. So now I have to dispute the fact.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
What besides broken glasses. First of all, he walked into
your car. You didn't hit him, he hit you case,
that's right, as I'm concerned John, if I'm the hearing officer, no, you.
Speaker 5 (37:39):
Are, and the report says differently. But guess what I
have to dispute that. I have to dispute it because
family members were around the corner from this particular incident
and walked up to the scene and said, well, we
don't sue.
Speaker 7 (37:51):
People, but yet they did put in acclaim.
Speaker 9 (37:54):
How about that?
Speaker 2 (37:56):
And the gentleman keep me posted. Tell the hearing officer
as far as Dan Ray's concerned, case dismissed. Maybe that
will help.
Speaker 5 (38:05):
I'm glad I got one in. Thank you sir, and
happy all days.
Speaker 2 (38:08):
Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas to you two. Thanks to talk
to you. So here comes the eleven. Right after the eleven,
we're going to talk about how we keep AM radios
in cars. I've been meaning to do this for some time.
I think it's an important issue for me. I hope
it's an important one for you. We'll be back. I'll
explain right after the break here at the at eleven
o'clock
It's night time with Dan Ray. I'm Boston Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
All right, So here's an interesting, I think, a very
interesting issue and question which has come up. But apparently
there is a push to legalize or decriminalize at least
jaywalking in Massachusetts. Now you don't hear much about jaywalking,
but the law is still on the books and the
(00:30):
fine is only a dollar, which struck me as kind
of interesting. I mean, how do they collect the fine.
It's look, it may be on the books, but it
is not observed. I see people all the time jaywalking.
I jwalk. I probably do it less now than I
(00:53):
did thirty years ago, when I knew I could basically
sprint through any intersection without a care of the world,
because I was pretty quick. As you get older, you
lose a little bit of that quickness. Let me put
it like that. I think anyone on the wrong side
of fifty will understand what I'm talking about. When you're
(01:14):
twenty or twenty five, across that street in about four seconds,
that's easy. But when you're fifty or so, it may
take a little longer, but beyond that it takes substantially longer.
The bottom line is that we all jaywalk at the
same time, my feeling is the fact that it is
(01:38):
still illegal probably is a good thing, because I don't want.
You know, first of all, if I jwalk, I'm assuming
the consequences of my actions. If I'm really dumb and
I don't look both ways and I don't follow the
crosswalk and all of that, and I get hit and
(02:00):
hurt or worse, don't shed any tears because that will
have been my stupidity which put me in that situation.
And if the fact that a statue is still in
the books doesn't make me think, well, maybe I can
wait for the light because it's really not worth it,
(02:21):
and then I'm a dummy, and I'm not a dummy. However,
I kind of like it on the books because I
swear to God, I don't want you as a hood
ornament on my car. Okay, I mean you may be
a great person. You probably are a great person. I'd
(02:41):
love you to call my show any night. We can
have a conversation, we can have a discussion about any topic.
But the one thing I do not want to meet
you at the intersection of the hood of my car
and you because I'm assuming people won't jaywalk. But I'm
(03:06):
assuming that there will be someone in that group of
pedestrians who might decide to dart out against the traffic light.
So I am a very mixed mind here, I guess.
I guess actually I'm kind of in favor when I
(03:27):
think about what I just said of keeping this law
in the books. Probably I would bet you that there's
no city or town in Massachusetts which has collected more
than five bucks from jaywalkers. If the finds a panel
is a park, that's number one. Number two. Uh, you
(03:50):
have no idea how many people's lives might have been
saved because they said, you know, it would be just
my luck if I jump out here, some police officers
to grab me. And I would suspect most people don't
know that the fine for jaywalking is a dollar. I mean,
(04:12):
I'll give the police officer five dollars. Of course you
can't do that, but just to be rid of it.
So that's the question. There is apparently some groups in
Massachusetts there are who are trying to eliminate any penalty
or fine for jaywalking. Now, my suspicion is a lot
(04:33):
of those groups want to in effect take back the
streets and take back the crosswalks, And I understand that,
just as the bicyclists have taken back a lot of
the asphalt with their bike lanes. So the question is
it's illegal in Massachusetts to jaywalk. The fine for jaywalking is,
(05:00):
believe it or not, a dollar. It's almost as if
you should take it off the books because of that.
That sounds like something from you know, the sixteen hundreds.
They find they find people a pence or whatever was
the coin of the realm back then, A dollar, nothing
when you think about it. So I just want to
(05:21):
throw it out there real quickly and let's get some
conversation going on it. If you've ever jaywalked and regretted it,
meaning you jaywalked and you came close to paying a
much different penalty than a dollar, I'd love to hear
from you if you have ever had a close encounter
(05:43):
with a jaywalker. And again, if you have a close
encounter with a jaywalker, who do you think is going
to prevail you, the person behind the two thousand pound
vehicle or the jywalker. You know the answer. I don't
even have to tell you on that. One six, one, seven, two, five,
(06:05):
four ten thirty six one seven nine three one ten
thirty Take it off the books. You say, well, it's
a victory for freedom, But I think I think that
that might be just the incentive that some as Tom Minino,
God bless him, would say, some knucklehead would end up
(06:27):
as a hood ornament on on on my car or
your cars your car. And by the way, given a
choice between someone ending up as a hood ornament on
my car or your car, I nominate your car. I
want nothing to do with that. Six one seven, two
four thirty six one seven, nine three one ten thirty
will get it going. On the other side of the
break back on night Side after this.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Now bent to Dan Way live from the Window World
night Side Studios on WBZ News.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Radio, Jaywalkers, Let's see what people think. I think there's
a purpose of it it being on the books. To
be honest with you, Tom and West Virginia. Tom next
on nights Side, Agree or disagree, buddy.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
No, I disagree. Here's the point. Number one. We have
crosswalks for a reason. And the people that are pushing this,
no doubt are probably leftists that you know, in the future,
because Donald Trump is now president, the country is starting
this wing right. These are the same jerks that are
gonna want to block intersections. They're going to go you know,
(07:33):
we were to save the wheels, all right. You know.
They almost remind me like a South Park cartoon that
you know, at some point just get.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
You know, we live in that climate.
Speaker 4 (07:46):
You change and you can't.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Redreage your gasoline, pick up drug or.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Tom. I'm trying to figure out where you are in
the issue. In other words, right now, it's it's a
stat it's a law in massage use. It's the finest,
the finest dollar. Keep it, yeah, I'm with you. Keep
it yeah, because there's a lot of people out.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
You know, but but they're they want to change it
because at some point there's going to be organized groups
of Marxist led people that are trying to weaken any
law whatsoever to block traffic because we have inter message Joe,
you know, these are the losers of our society that
(08:32):
you know, you can't organize a protest on Boston Common
and may bring.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Realistically realistically, Uh, when they have a protest and they
link their arms, so they put their arms in in
thats of cement. They're not claiming they're jaywalking, they're there.
I don't like those people at all. You know that,
but having it as on the books. Because there are
(09:02):
some people who are rules followers. I'm not one of them, necessarily,
because I'd admit I jaywalk, but I'm not stupid. I
don't jaywalk on Route one twenty eight or four ninety five.
If I'm on a street and there's nothing coming in
each direction, I double check a couple of times that
I can scoot across. Okay, technically ijwalk, but it's an
(09:22):
intelligent form of jaywalking as opposed to just jaywalking and
getting hit by a car.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Dan Dan, I've worked in thirteen states in one US territory, okay,
and the one thing that you find about Northeastern cities
is people jaywalk all the time because I have to
get from point A to point B. Okay, But you
use common sense. In other words, if you're on Commonwealth
Avenue and the light is green and you pause in
(09:50):
between cars, I understand that. And I don't know anybody
who has ever been cited. Because I used to live
in Beacon Hill. Starting in nineteen seventy eight, I met
and I did the same thing. I'm not at across
walk all right, but you know, if I'm on Cambridge Street,
and Beacon Hill, and I need to get to the
(10:12):
donut shop across the street. I'm gonna go on a diagonal.
I'm not gonna go down and wait, you know, for whatever.
But I never got a citation for that. But I
know where this is going, all right, And it's all
about legalities. And you know, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
I tell you where I think.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
It's going to start.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
Let me tell you where I think this is going. Okay,
I think it's going because I think some of the
groups that I forget the name of the group, but
it's like walk Boston or something like that. And I
think there's going to be This is part of the
we want to take the streets back. Uh. And we
don't want any or anything that prevents us from doing
(10:56):
what we want.
Speaker 4 (10:57):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
And and and the enemy of the people in those
those gas powered automobiles this is.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
Yeah, well those those are probably the same people that
a few years ago that were slashing tires and Beacon
Hill to stop global warming. I'm sick of these weenies,
I really am. And you know something, uh And I
always bring this up the progressive talk show host and well,
we've got to change are the way we drive with
(11:27):
electric vehicles. Really, you live on Joystreet and Beacon Ill.
How are you going to charge your electric vehicle? You
live on the third floor in a brownstone. Are you
going to run a three hundred foot extension cord out
to your vehicle on the streets of Joystreet and Beacon Hill? Really?
Speaker 2 (11:44):
You know? So?
Speaker 3 (11:45):
But here's the point. And when I always bring up China,
they go, well, they'll eventually get to it in fifty years.
Speaker 5 (11:51):
You know.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
No, if you really believe in man make climate change
and that we've all got to stop driving gas powered vehicles,
the whole world at the same point in time has
to do the same thing. The United States of America
represents five percent of the world's population. If I'm not mistaken,
all right, five percent of the world's population that drives
(12:14):
gas power vehicles is not going to change climate change.
And at some point somebody News needs to do a
little bit of critical thinking instead of some weenie wearing
a man bun that you know is a barista at
Starbucks who gets two minutes on Channel five of like,
we've good to.
Speaker 6 (12:34):
Save the planet.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
Man, We've good save more years to save the world.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Oh you got it, Tom, you got it all in
you got it all in. I hope you feel better.
Speaker 3 (12:45):
I hope I offended. So I hope I hope in Massachusetts, no,
I think.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
I just want you to know you're the second call
it from West Virginia. Tonight. We're building a base in
West Virginia. Okay. A guy in the first hour. It's
Bobby from West Virginia, and he was telling me how
he used to he hunts wild boar in Georgia. Sounds
like you're sort of guy. Oh, I got to go well.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
And by the way, Dan, it's dear season down here.
So far, I got two bucks from the freezer. Tomorrow
is dough season. I'll get a third. That's my red meat.
I don't eat beef anymore. Deer are a free range animal.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
And for those of you when need him that just
learned it.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Okay, Tom, Tom, I got it. I got out of callers,
get them into Thanks, good night, bye bye. Tom feels
he's a passionate college Georgian bridge. Want to joge you
in next on Nightsager right ahead?
Speaker 4 (13:42):
Hey, how you doing Dan?
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Great?
Speaker 7 (13:45):
I want them to keep it on the books, but
I'd like to see the fine up to to at
least one hundred bucks I got I got nailed in
Luxembourg and two hundred bucks. And you almost you and
you don't know it, but you almost got nailed in
Germany when you went there. I think it was your
(14:07):
last day. You were talking about it and your bus
was leaving. You ran across the street. You're lucky you
didn't get caught, because the Germans enforces too.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
So when you get nailed in Luxembourg, did you have
to write a check or give him some cash on
the spot. It wasn't. I gave you a court date
three weeks from now.
Speaker 7 (14:28):
No, I was with a gale from Luxembourg, and you
know they speak English too, But no, we paid cash
right on the spot. We got it. You know, we
got a legitimate ticket. But Europe brilliant forces to jaywalkin laws,
and I wish we were too, and I wish we would,
(14:51):
you know, have a hefty fine, because.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
I mean dollar means nothing. Here you go, officer. I'm
very happy. And I don't think anyone that I can
in America or within the sound of our voice, has
been stopped for jaywalking or worse yet, in any way,
shape or form penalized. But so you had to how
did you come up with the hundred You had a
hundred in your pocket?
Speaker 7 (15:17):
No, I've had to pain in euros and we had
a lot of euros on it on us. But you know,
I shake it down.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
Boy, that sounds like police work. In Luxembourg. You could
almost shake shake out a town tourists down. Hey, come here,
you help me hundred.
Speaker 7 (15:31):
Bucks Dan That that was the year two thousand when
when I was a truck driver in Germany from sixty
three to sixty six. Yeah, they were real. They were
enforcing the laws in Germany. It's u and the last
thing I wanted to do was run somebody over and
my deuce in a half. So, I mean, Europe's got
(15:55):
it together. They lost enough people in the World War
Two they don't want to lose anymore.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
But no, I understand that. So when you were there,
if you were driving a deuce and a half, you
were working for the US government.
Speaker 7 (16:07):
That's right. But but I worrying all in olive drab uniform, Yes, exactly.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
But I know up a two one hundred.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
I know.
Speaker 7 (16:18):
I lived in brockd Up for nine years and I
noticed on my main street, I even forget the name
of it. Before I got to my house, there was
a crosswalk every twenty feet, but they didn't use them.
I almost wiped out a few people. And I don't
want I don't want to do that.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
That's the reason why I think the law should stay
in the books. And whether or not, I'm not quite
with you. Increasing the fine, maybe increasing the twenty five
bucks or something, make it something that people yeah, yeah, yeah,
but certainly more than a dollar. But yeah, but I
don't The last thing I want is to have, you know,
my picture in the paper saying someone ends up on
(16:54):
the hood of Dan Ray's car. I don't want that
at all, you know, even though today, once again, you know,
I stopped at a couple of crosswalks to allow people
to go across, and they it's you know, college students.
They never look, they never say, they give you a
nod of a wave or a nod of the head
or thank you. It's like you there. They have priorities,
(17:20):
doesn't matter what the circumstances are. And if you're kind
enough to stop, which I always do, don't expect to
have anyone ever say thank you. When I go across
the street and a crosswalk and someone stops at me,
I go out of my way, thank you very much.
Speaker 7 (17:35):
And oh yeah, I give them my heads up myself.
And this is not part of your show, is not
part of you. I never blocked the box.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
Never.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
Oh that's a different I would now those should be
twe hundred dollar fines those.
Speaker 7 (17:51):
Yes, there you go.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
All right, Thanks, George's always.
Speaker 7 (17:55):
Are You're welcome? All right, buddy, Thanks.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
You six four ten thirty. That's the only lines that
are open right now. I got two of them. Therefore
you six months seven two five four to ten thirty.
Back with Laurie uh and Connie. Laurie from Idaho, Connie
from Medford and I got room for you at six
months seven two five four ten thirty. Should they basically
(18:18):
take the jaywalking law off the books in Massachusetts or
leave it? I think you leave it just so that
some people might at least think about it if they're
going to jump out into traffic. That's my thought. Love
to know what you think. Back on Nightside after.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
This Night Side Thought with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's
news radio.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
So we're talking about jaywalking. Let's see what Laurie in
Idaho says. I don't think they have rules against Jaywalkee
and Idaho. I suspect do they, Laurie.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
I don't know. I haven't checked.
Speaker 8 (18:55):
No, I don't think so. But I do know when
I was, you know, back in New England Boston Arey,
I had, you know, two thoughts on the law. If
I wanted jay walk, I wish it weren't there, and
if someone idiot was walking in front of me, I'm
glad it's there. So which is probably what everybody else.
Speaker 3 (19:10):
Has been saying.
Speaker 8 (19:11):
And you know, and her good reason. But your last
collar brought up a very interesting point. My parents were
in Germany from fifty to fifty six or fifty seven. Well,
my dad was doing his army service, and they say,
a little bit longer becauthing liked it. And so even
like my mom would come back to visit me in Mastitute, Massachusetts,
why is down there, said a little bit. And if
I wanted to same thing, go all the way up
half a block, to go across and go back down
(19:32):
half a block that's just right across the street, and
there's no traffic, she would have a fit. And now
I understand why because they lived in Germany for seven
years in the fifties.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
But so so in Germany. Your parents were very respectful
of the law because, as George said, you get grabbed
for it.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (19:52):
Yeah, and it was it was the rule. And my
dad was obviously in the army there, and so they
obeyed if they lived off off base.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
But she she's always very good for the Germans fault.
They're rules followers, you know, as a society.
Speaker 8 (20:05):
Well, and then my mother respected that.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Yeah, no, I get it, I get it.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
It was like all the loss.
Speaker 8 (20:10):
But that explains why I never knew why she was.
She's freaked out so badly every time I said, let's
just run across the streets here, we can do this.
Now we're j jay walking.
Speaker 4 (20:19):
Who's looking?
Speaker 2 (20:20):
Yeah, I've jay walked in different places, and I think
you're a little more cognizant of it when you're in
what did they say when in Rome, do as the.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
Romans do, right, exactly?
Speaker 8 (20:30):
And she was young, I mean, you know, she was twenty. Yeah,
but but I was always very very you know, cattal era.
But as sometimes no traffic was around, I would never
dive in front of traffic. But I did get really
pissed off and picked off when you know, these kids
with the headphones on and just walk across the street
and not care.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
We need we need a hold.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
That's a whole that's a whole nother story, as as
I said, right, but.
Speaker 8 (20:54):
We need the law books to protect us from that.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Yeah. No, every day I drive through a couple of
student areas and it just looks to me like the
student's attitude is, hey, guess what you know. I'm here,
I paid my tuition. I got to be able to
do whatever I want to do. And that bothers me
a bit. But I just think my feeling is leave
it in the books, because even if one person thought
(21:19):
about it and didn't put themselves in a position where
they're going to be run over by two thousand pounds
of steel and rubber, that's a good thing. That's that's
a good thing. And maybe, as George said, let's let's
make it a little more, a little bit more of
a bite that it's one police office going to enforce
(21:40):
one dollar fine. Most police officers going to laugh at that,
say what, I'm wasting my time?
Speaker 8 (21:45):
Well so, but then if you if you can get
away with that, you know, jay walking across the street,
you know a couple of lanes and nobody's there. If
the police officer could go and collect the buck, they're
not going to get you for it, But if it's higher,
they're going to notice it. So I don't know. It's
kind of a double resort.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
It definitely is, and you've got to be got to
be always careful of who's around in the circumstances. Laurie
loved them. Loved a couple of text you sent to
me lately. I'm glad we're in the same wavelength from
a humor point view. Thanks Mustard, Doctor Soon six thirty,
(22:22):
triple eight nine, ten thirty or six one seven nine.
Got a bunch of lines open here, so fill them up.
Jaywalking is it something that bothers you? There's a there's
an effort right now by group that is in that
is and we attempted to have the group join us tonight,
but I don't think producer Marita was able to reach them. Uh.
(22:45):
They are organized and they want to get rid of jaywalking.
They want to make it so that jaywalking no well,
that the penalty against jaywalking no longerings exists. Connie is
in me. Hi, Connie, welcome, Hi Dan, how are you.
I'll do great? Thanks for calling it well.
Speaker 6 (23:07):
You know, I have a story. I think I was
about twenty years old and that happened. I was coming
home from a friend's house and I was going to
cross you know, I was in Midford Square like, and
I was going to cross the street. There was nothing around,
and all of a sudden, when I got to like
the middle of the of the street, well, there was
a car on top of me.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
Oh yeah, okay, you mean you were hit by a car.
Speaker 6 (23:34):
Yeah, I was hit by a card. Where as a
family in this car that that. Evidently they didn't see me,
and by the time they did, I was already on
the ground, so they stopped. Okay. Then before you know it,
the police were there, the ambulance and they took me
to the hospital here in Medford, Lawrence Morrow, and I
(23:55):
had a baseball on my leg and I had to
cut under my chin. My parents didn't even know that
at the time until they called him, you know, if
the hospital called them. But anyways, I didn't realize that
was going to happen, because, like I said, I usually
walked you look before I crossed the street. But evidently
(24:16):
it happened to me, and I said, oh my god,
I'm in trouble.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
Now, So I asked you this, have you ever jaywalked again?
Speaker 6 (24:24):
I mean since that. No, But well now I'm now
I'm old. Now I'm maybe six years old. I'm not
going to jaywalk. I look at all of the traffic
lights now too.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
So no, but I went with you when you were younger.
When you were you said a teenager.
Speaker 6 (24:39):
I think no, I think I was about twenty. I
think at the time.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
That's okay, Yeah, you're quite young at twenty.
Speaker 8 (24:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (24:47):
Now i'm eye six years old. Now I'm eye six,
and I don't think that I was going to do that.
I learned my lesson after that happened. And I don't
think there was any any laws in the book for
jaywalking then. Anyway, when I was that age that.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
That I know of the law of survival, it was okay.
Speaker 6 (25:09):
So I mean if there is one now, then yeah,
they should do something about it, because a lot of
people they don't look, they don't look at at at
when they cross, especially young people. I noticed they have
their their cell phones glued to their ears and they're
not paying attention to the traffic, you know, and they're.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Walking as someone who you didn't have a cell phone
back in those.
Speaker 6 (25:37):
Days, right, we didn't. But now that they have them,
that's what they do. They're not looking at the traffic.
And this makes me very nervous because I drive, but
like I say, usually I stop all the time when
I see somebody that's walking on the street, or even
(25:58):
when they're going to Wegmans and Method, I usually stop
because I know that's a very busy place, so I stop.
But when I do, they have those phones, they glued
to the end. They don't even pay attention because they're
either texting or they're talking on the phone. And that
makes me nervous.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
It makes me nervous too. Thank you for call, Thanks
so much. Be careful out there.
Speaker 6 (26:24):
Okay, Oh I will thank you for taking my call.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Dan, thanks for calling in. Have a good night, have
a nice celebrate Christmas. I assume oh you.
Speaker 6 (26:34):
Too, Yes you too Christmas because I listen to you
all the time. I listen to it night all the time.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
Well, thank you very much, don't you ever. Okay, talk
to you soon. Have a great night.
Speaker 6 (26:43):
Okay, you too.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
Let me get Gary for Muburn in here. Gary will
always have sort of a an interesting take. Gary, your
take on the jaywalking laws in Massachusetts. They're there, they're
not particularly enforced. Is it time to get rid of them?
Speaker 4 (26:59):
I'm totally confused by the subject come out of but
as I get older, sixty one years of age, I
definitely do not jaywalk. When you're younger, you do it.
And the lady at eighty six years of age, God
bless you for calling at the Dan show. You sounded
very lively and talking about young people. The cops should
be getting off their butts and writing them out a
(27:20):
checkout for twenty five dollars right away by you.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
Know, well, where what what the police? First of all,
the police, Uh, the fine for jaywalking in Massachusetts is
a dollar. A dollar.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
That's terrible, So I got bump it up first.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
The first question that we're trying to just to get
your confusion straighten out here, the question is is it
worth it to have it on the books if all
the fine is a dollar? Because what police offers waste
his time unless somebody's doing it so so obviously, or
maybe even in the middle of the street taunting people.
(27:59):
Do you j I'll bet you do. I'll bet you do.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
Gary, what's that?
Speaker 2 (28:07):
Stay with the program, Gary? Do you j walk?
Speaker 4 (28:11):
At sixty one years later, I stopped doing that type
of time I get as I get older, I go
more by the law and so far because I see
the younger people and so forth, and I want to
try to be a little bit more of an example.
But one time before I let you go, because I'm
working right now, Dan, I want you to know Gary
Tangway filled in for you while you were gone. Okay,
I don't worry about Yeah, David from San Francisco called
(28:31):
in last week, and David, I just want you to
know we all love David. We don't agree with what
he says, me and you, but we love David. David.
If you're listening, and Gary Tangway hung up on him
so disrespectfully when you have an outside call outside Erie, Dan,
you always treat everybody more special because they're not from
(28:51):
New England.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
Correct, No, I treat everybody special. But here's the deal.
I didn't hear Gary the call that Gary had. I
know Gary a little bit, worked with him in Channel four.
He's a very decent guy. David could be a very
frustrating caller.
Speaker 4 (29:06):
Okay, he wasn't frustrating. He was very nice and that
station and Gary sang way, they owe him an apology.
Speaker 9 (29:13):
David, we love you.
Speaker 3 (29:14):
Keep calling it to be a favorite.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Call Gary next week and explain it to him. Okay,
I'm sure he'll appreciate hearing from you. Appreciate it. Thanks,
thanks so much. Thanks gone. Gary has a tendency. Gary
from Woburn has a tendency to kind of leave the
conversation while it's half over. But that's okay, So I
want to wrap it up on the other side, and
we're going to talk for the balance of the hour
(29:37):
about jaywalking. Jaywalking's on the books in Massachusetts. You're not
supposed to jaywalk. Ironically, the fine is only a dollar, okay,
so it's an unenforced law. I say keep it on
the books, and I say raise the price, so it's
worth the police officer's effort to write a ticket. Jaywalking
(29:59):
is dangerous. It's also dangerous to me when I'm driving
my car, and one thing I do not want is
to end up having someone on the hood of my
car as an ornament. So I'm looking at it from
the perspective of a pedestrian who has jaywalked. I'm more
than happy to admit that if I look both ways
and I realized there's nothing I'm probably gonna go across
(30:23):
the street to prefer to go across in a sidewalk
in a crosswalk. But so I'm I'm not without sin
on this one. But I'm more concerned about I'm driving
and all of a sudden there's someone who's not looking.
And I've had those situations, both with drivers and with walkers,
and I always try to drive as defensively as possible.
And my attitude is there's someone out there today that
(30:44):
wants to crash in to me, I want to avoid them.
My question to you is jaywalking. Should the lost stay
in the books? That's number one? If it's if you
agree it should be on the books. Should the should
the find go up a little bit? I think so.
I mean I think a dollar this kind of a
ridiculous number might have been good around the time of
I guess when cars first came on the road, but
(31:07):
I think we're past that stage now. So love to
get your opinion. Six one, seven, two four ten thirty,
six seven nine three one ten thirty. Kathy from Ludenberger
is on the other side. I'd love to hear from
you on this, and we are going to talk after
the eleven o'clock News tonight about why is Congress sitting
on the radio in cars bill? You'll be interested with
(31:29):
some of the statistics. It's a majority of support in
both the Senate and the House, and yet it has
not been acted upon. I don't want to see this
bill die. I want to see it pass because I
think we need AM radios in cars. I say that
selfishly from the point of view of as a talk
show host. I know many of you are listening on
(31:49):
radio right now in your cars, but I also think
that in the time of a national emergency, AM stations
have a much bigger area that they broadcast to the
FM stations. FM stations are wonderful, and they're great for
music and things like that, but it has really a
small footprint. WBC has a huge footprint, and in the
case of some sort of natural disaster, a man made disaster,
(32:12):
we need as much communication, as much communication as possible,
and as many media outlets to spread that information as possible.
Coming right back on Nightside, let's finish up on Jaywalking
between now and ten give me a call.
Speaker 1 (32:26):
Coming back now back to Dan ray Line from the
Window World Nightside Studios on WBZ the news radio.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
All right, let's get everyone in here, starting off with
Kathy and Lunarburg. Kathy, your thoughts on jaywalking. Is it
a law we should keep a get rid of.
Speaker 10 (32:43):
Definitely keep Okay, I agree wholeheartedly with what you said.
I think the fees should be higher. People are paying
less attention these days, walking around you attached their phones.
I was in downtown Boston last night and it's amazing
to me how many people just you know, shoot out
(33:05):
here and they are not paying any attention. So, but
I have to say, what drives me absolutely nutstand especially
out where I am is now we have bike lanes
and allowing bikes to ride almost in the middle of
the road. It's so illogical and encouraging it. I mean,
(33:25):
everything is so upside down.
Speaker 8 (33:28):
I look, I.
Speaker 2 (33:33):
Get they get everything they ask for and more and more.
It's like they'll say, give us a bike lane ten
feet wide. They say no, no, no, no, no, We'll
give you.
Speaker 8 (33:41):
One fifteen feet I know, I know.
Speaker 10 (33:45):
And electric bikes, oh my god, you know, even more
of a hazard. So it's like anything goes, you know,
just like the cafes.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
Well, we talked last time about opening up cannabis.
Speaker 10 (34:00):
Cat, I know I was listening. Yeah, I don't agree
with that either, Vanity.
Speaker 2 (34:05):
What you do in Boston went to a play or
have dinner or something or.
Speaker 10 (34:10):
Mattheop holiday party?
Speaker 2 (34:13):
Easy, easy to find parking spaces.
Speaker 4 (34:15):
Right, oh sure, so you know good?
Speaker 2 (34:21):
Yeah, and all the garages are reasonably priced. How much
sixty dollars, seventy dollars?
Speaker 10 (34:27):
I don't know. I let my husband pay.
Speaker 4 (34:30):
I didn't be at all.
Speaker 2 (34:32):
Right, Jaffy is always thanks so much for calling. Appreciate
you all right, thanks, thanks, I get two more in
here before the end of the night. Bill in South Boston,
Bill you next time, night said, welcome.
Speaker 9 (34:41):
Back, Hi Dan, thank you your Darren. There's another side
to the whole j walking thing, and that is being
able to safely walk through a crosswalk.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (34:53):
So, in other words, you.
Speaker 9 (34:55):
Don't have a lot of confidence walking through a crosswalk
in Massachusetts because this rare little or limited enforcement. But
I think if people actually had confidence walking through a
crosswalk and they were repercussions for somebody driving through them,
we might have a little bit less jaywalking.
Speaker 2 (35:11):
That's a good point that that's that's a good point.
But again, if I'm going to crosswalk. I don't. I
don't have a light shopping traffic. I'm gonna make sure
the traffic.
Speaker 9 (35:21):
I'm not gonna oh yeah, no you no, no, no no.
But it's still it is amazing, though. I've been in
the middle of a crosswalk and had a coach bus
while I'm halfway through the crosswalks go speeding through it.
And it was a couple of times where it's been
a close call.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
But you do have to use caution.
Speaker 9 (35:39):
But when somebody's speeding around the corner, you know, you
obviously have to walk, pick up your feet and make time.
I lived in southern California about twenty five years ago.
I was out there for about a decade and two
things I learned very quickly was you don't jaywalk and
you don't drive through a crosswalk. And for that reason,
you know, that's one thing that they very much have
together out there. And also is there's six to eight
(36:02):
lanes in each direction on the highway. People actually use
turn signals. They abide by the traffic law because the
California Highway Patrol is all over you if you're driving erradically,
So I ride bill.
Speaker 2 (36:15):
What Bill, you've used a term that we're unfamiliar with
here in New England's a turn signal. It's like a
holy kid exactly.
Speaker 9 (36:24):
Well, if I wonder, sometimes you'll see it hundred hundred
thousand dollars car and for some reason it doesn't come
with directionals. It's amazing, you.
Speaker 2 (36:31):
Know, I get I gotta get one more in here.
Speaker 3 (36:35):
I love to call take care everybody.
Speaker 2 (36:39):
Take it easy, Merry Christmas. All right, let's go to
John and Drake and John, I'm gonna sneak in for
about a minute or so because you're calling leap it.
You got the microphone.
Speaker 5 (36:47):
Go ahead, John, Oh no, this is a perfect again.
Check this out right. I had a jaywalker and there
was no Crosswalky jaywalks walked into my car, sell down,
and now I have to go in front of the
merit rating board because I got points on my driving record.
Now I also had a witness that saw the whole
thing happen. The gentleman had a fluorescent vest on underneath
(37:12):
his jacket, but yet he walked into the side of
my car around fell and broke his glasses. Now he
was also quite frankly liability wise. They went after my
insurance company. So now I have to dispute the fact.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
What besides broken glasses. First of all, he walked into
your car. You didn't hit him, he hit you case,
that's right, as I'm concerned John, if I'm the hearing officer, no, you.
Speaker 5 (37:39):
Are, and the report says differently. But guess what I
have to dispute that. I have to dispute it because
family members were around the corner from this particular incident
and walked up to the scene and said, well, we
don't sue.
Speaker 7 (37:51):
People, but yet they did put in acclaim.
Speaker 9 (37:54):
How about that?
Speaker 2 (37:56):
And the gentleman keep me posted. Tell the hearing officer
as far as Dan Ray's concerned, case dismissed. Maybe that
will help.
Speaker 5 (38:05):
I'm glad I got one in. Thank you sir, and
happy all days.
Speaker 2 (38:08):
Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas to you two. Thanks to talk
to you. So here comes the eleven. Right after the eleven,
we're going to talk about how we keep AM radios
in cars. I've been meaning to do this for some time.
I think it's an important issue for me. I hope
it's an important one for you. We'll be back. I'll
explain right after the break here at the at eleven
o'clock
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