Speeders. The jaywalking fine in that jurisdiction was negligible because it hadn’t been updated in like 100 years, so the cops probably didn’t think it was worth their time for a $1 ticket.

You are correct in my opinion. I don’t like how many people assume it’s a green arrow or that you must go if able, but I wouldn’t give it up.

None while I lived there, which was a few years. I had a close call once because people sped a lot, so the perceived distance wasn’t always reliable. Cops camped out not far from the area sometimes because it was instant tickets as a result.

A lot of America is made up of roads that most people would agree in isolation should only be crossed at designated/signaled areas. However, if your entire municipality is just made up of those roads and you don’t prioritize crossing areas, pedestrians will naturally cross illegally.

I lived in an apartment building that had a parking lot across the street. The nearest crosswalk was a few minutes walk in either direction. The owner tried to petition the city to add a crosswalk, but the laws prohibited too many crosswalks regardless of the practical needs. He even offered to pay for it himself. So, you had tons of people who lived there crossing illegally.