Outrageous moment a police officer chases a woman across the street during blitz on jaywalking where hundreds of pedestrians were slapped with $75 fines
- Pedestrians nabbed in massive police operation targeting jaywalkers in Sydney
- Officers were seen patrolling North Sydney, Chatswood and Crows Nest
- Footage showed an officer chase after a woman and explain pedestrian rules
- Another officer was seen handing out an infringement notice to a man
A police officer chased after a woman who crossed the street during a massive police sting targeting jaywalkers.
7 News footage showed the woman crossing Walker Street, in North Sydney, earlier in the week.
An officer tricked out in a yellow vest approaches the woman from behind and taps her on the shoulder to grab her attention.
He then gives the woman a rundown of the law and lectures her in safely crossing the street.
A police officer chased after a woman who crossed the street during a massive police sting targetting jaywalkers
Eventually, he lets her off without handing her a fine.
Police sent out more than 180 fines during two-days of pedestrian ‘compliance operations’.
Officers were fielded across Sydney’s north shore in places like North Sydney, Chatswood and Crows Nest.
In a separate incident, an officer can be seen writing up an fine for a pedestrian caught jaywalking, while others are seen monitoring crosswalks.
Of the fines, 136 were for jaywalking and 50 were given to cyclists for either riding on the footpath or not wearing a helmet.
Social media users have taken to Reddit to slam the operation.
‘Wasn’t someone recently asking why everyone hates Sydney?’ one person said.
Another one commented: ‘Imagine that being your job.’
In NSW, it is illegal to cross a road while a pedestrian light is red and you must wait for the green man to appear – but it remains a contentious law.
Jaywalkers can be slapped with a $75 infringement notice if they are caught unlawfully crossing the road.
Police have noted 35 pedestrians have already died on NSW roads in 2019.
NRMA road safety expert Dimitra Vlahomitros has said in the past that while widely unpopular, the jaywalking offence was in place to save lives.
‘We’ve got a situation where last year road toll was falling but pedestrian fatalities were higher – that’s quite a concern for us,’ Ms Vlahomitros told Daily Mail Australia.
Police sent out more than 180 fines during two-days of pedestrian ‘compliance operations’ across Sydney (stock image)
‘What we saw in 2018 was 67 pedestrians lost their lives on our roads in NSW – and that’s up from 54 the previous year. That’s quite alarming.
‘We know what works in changing people’s behaviour is enforcement… We’ve got to make sure that everybody is doing the right thing and being safe.’
A NSW transport spokesman has also previously told Daily Mail Australia the laws were in place to safeguard pedestrians because ‘they have no protection in a crash’.
‘Pedestrians need to always cross at the lights, obey traffic signals, look both ways before crossing and not get distracted by phones or music,’ the spokesman said.
‘Drivers also play a vital role in keeping pedestrians safe. It’s important that drivers slow down and comply with traffic lights, especially in areas where pedestrians are out and about.’