Fitchburg, WI Public Conduct: Jaywalking (2026)

City Code § 68-135(d) restricts pedestrian use of medians on the city's 'covered highways,' the arterial and collector streets listed in subsection (g), such as Fish Hatchery Road, McKee Road, Lacy Road, Seminole Highway and USH 14. No person may be on a median of a covered highway unless they are in the process of crossing the highway in a safety zone or crosswalk. The ordinance builds in an evidentiary shortcut for enforcement: staying on the median through two consecutive opportunities to cross legally, whether that means two changes of the traffic signal or two lulls in traffic, is prima facie evidence of a violation, and after those two chances the person is no longer considered to be using the safety zone or crosswalk for purposes of the crossing exception.

The section's stated purpose is that pedestrians are 'increasingly using highways in ways for which the roads were not designed,' including staying on medians 'for purposes other than crossing the highway,' which the common council found creates safety hazards and distracts drivers. Exceptions cover people on sidewalks, those actively using a crosswalk or safety zone to cross, law enforcement and rescue workers, people boarding a legally invited vehicle such as a taxi, highway maintenance workers under city or state direction, and streets closed under a street use permit.