Why don't longtime Seattleites jaywalk?
Yes, it's illegal. But that doesn't stop residents of other cities from doing it.
SoundQs host Deborah Wang teamed up with The Record producer Adwoa Gymiah-Brempong and sidewalk artist Peregrine Church to answer this listener question about jaywalking.
Church has studied the way Seattleites use sidewalks and pedestrian crossings. He's got some theories on why longtime Seattle residents generally avoid jaywalking.
It could be an offshoot of the Seattle Freeze: Longtime Seattleites aren't driven to step out of their comfort zones with new people, or by scurrying across the street against the light.
It could also have something to do with clothing. A couple of academic studies found people are more likely to jaywalk if they see a man in a suit do it first, and suits are not common workday dress here.
On this episode we discuss jaywalking and other ways Seattle culture shows up on the sidewalk.
Listen to the episode by clicking the play button above or on your favorite podcast app. SoundQs is a weekly podcast where our KUOW reporters tackle questions submitted by our listeners.
Have a question about the Seattle region for us to answer? Drop it here:
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Deborah Wang
Contributing Reporter, Editor, & Host
Deborah is a contributing reporter, editor and host at KUOW. Since joining the staff in 2005, Deborah has done everything from political reporting to podcast hosting and is now serving as Interim News Director. She is an award–winning radio and television journalist whose career spans more than three decades.
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