Right turn on red? With pedestrian deaths rising, US cities are considering bans
Almost every major city in the United States generally allows drivers to turn right at red lights, but that could be changing.
There is a discussion on Hacker News, but feel free to comment here as well.
There's a lot of intersections, especially in downtown/urban areas, that I agree really shouldn't have rights on red. Visibility is just too poor.
At the same time, most suburban intersections are fine to allow turn on reds, especially when designed with dedicated slip lanes and high visibility. It's something that civil engineers should be taking care of, not the legislature.
Functionally, I don't think it would work unless every state adopted the ban.
But I think it's a good idea. When I used to bike and go running (on the right side of the road) there were so many times people would pull up to a red light, look left, then go without ever looking in the new direction they were now traveling in.
Is right turn in red what it sounds like?
If you are at a full and complete stop at the line in the furthest right lane you can indicate your turn, check for and yield to all other traffic (including pedestrians), and make a right turn while the light is red. You don't have to wait for a green light when a right turn can be made safely unless a "no turn on red" sign is posted.
The catch is that when making the turn the only people who have less right of way are pretty much folks backing out of their driveways. That's hyperbole, but you get the picture. One should use extra caution when turning right on red because if there is an accident you will probably be considered at fault.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
A dramatic rise in accidents killing or injuring pedestrians and bicyclists has led to a myriad of policy and infrastructure changes, but moves to ban right on red have drawn some of the most intense sentiments on both sides.
But Jay Beeber, executive director for policy at the National Motorists Association, an advocacy organization for drivers, called it a “fallacy” to assume such blanket bans would make streets safer.
Concerned that cars idling at stop lights could compound an energy crisis, the U.S. government warned states in the 1970s that they could risk some federal funding should cities prohibit right on red, except in specific, clearly marked areas.
Priya Sarathy Jones, deputy executive director at the Fines and Fees Justice Center, is concerned penalties from right-on-red bans will fall disproportionately on lower-income drivers who have to drive to work because they can’t afford housing near public transit.
And in the Chicago area, any discussion of red light policy often conjures up memories of the region’s vilified red-light camera program, which spurred bribery charges against public officials accused of trying to influence the high-profit contracts.
“It generates a lot of money for the city, instead of our decisions being driven by safety strategies backed by evidence,” she said, suggesting that road infrastructure improvements would be a much more effective way to reduce accidents.
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Fuck that noise
Good!
