Kirkwood, MO Public Conduct: Jaywalking (2026)

Section 14-288, 'Manner of crossing street,' requires that anyone crossing a roadway outside a crosswalk do so by a route at right angles to the curb or by the shortest practical route to the opposite curb; diagonal or angled jaywalking violates the section even where no crosswalk exists nearby. Section 14-290, 'Prohibited crossing places,' layers three additional bans on top of that general rule. First, between adjacent intersections where traffic signals are operating, pedestrians may not cross anywhere except in a marked crosswalk, regardless of angle.

Second, no pedestrian may cross a roadway other than in a crosswalk anywhere within a business district, which removes the shortest-route option entirely in downtown Kirkwood. Third, the code bars crossing diagonally at an intersection unless official traffic control devices authorize it, and bars crossing at any street specifically designated by other City ordinance. Section 14-289 ties the two together: a pedestrian crossing outside a marked or unmarked crosswalk at an intersection must yield the right-of-way to all vehicles on the roadway, so a jaywalker carries the right-of-way burden even before considering the crossing-location violation itself. 395) but are enforced as City of Kirkwood ordinance violations by the Kirkwood Police Department, not as state citations.