Sophee Langerman was on her way to a bicycle safety rally in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood in June when a car turning right rolled through a red light and slammed into her bike, which she was walking off the curb and into the crosswalk.
The car was moving slowly enough that Langerman escaped serious injury, but the bicycle required extensive repairs. To Langerman, it’s another argument for ending a practice that almost all U.S. cities have embraced for decades: the legal prerogative for a driver to turn right after stopping at a red light.
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.
Washington, D.C.'s City Council last year approved a right-on-red ban that takes effect in 2025. New Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s transition plan called for “restricting right turns on red,” but his administration hasn’t provided specifics. The college town of Ann Arbor, Michigan, now prohibits right turns at red lights in the downtown area.
Sure, and it has nothing to do with the big ass vehicles being churned out due to loopholes in US law.
https://www.distilled.earth/p/the-loophole-that-made-cars-in-america
Just freaken yesterday I was walking with my kids and there was a sports utility bullshit parked ready to come out of the garage and as we passed I noted that not one of my kids is tall enough to be seen by the driver if they decide to move forward.
A sports utility truck is a truck not a car. Require a CDL to operate or better yet just buy a regular car.
I’m totally down for this. Right turn on red is optional, but people behind me seem to think it’s required and lay on their horns if I stop for more than a second. Like come on, I need a moment to make sure someone isn’t trying to cross!
I’m in favor of prioritizing safety, but if right on red is permitted, then it’s not optional. Just like going on green is not optional. Once you determine that you have the right of way you are expected to take it. This makes you predictable and safe.
Other drivers should be giving you a reasonable amount of time to determine your right of way though. You are also supposed to come to a full stop which should technically take about 3 seconds.
Right on red is most definitely optional. No need to be “predictable” in this situation - you’re coming to a full stop no matter what. How is not moving again unpredictable?
I’ve never heard of such a requirement. Where is that?
Here in Massachusetts, the law (MGL ch 89 sec 8) says: “At any intersection in which vehicular traffic is facing a steady red signal, the driver of a vehicle may make a right turn” (summarized, emphasis mine). May, not shall.
I read the full section, which is about right of way. It is consist with my prior statement. The summary you provided is the one that states that drivers have the right of way on red lights under certain conditions.
You’re framing this as if the people behind you are in any way involved in your decision to make a right on a red. You’re also saying its not optional, which is just blatantly incorrect.
When turning right on red, you get to decide when is safe, not the people behind you. You are not required to turn because that would be a massive safety hazard because people would feel rushed into prevailing traffic, and objectively deciding when a turn was safe to execute is hard when you feel rushed. Being rushed makes everyone less safe, especially pedestrians, because you are distracted. Distracted.
You do not know how responsive their car is, you do not know how comfortable they are full sending it, and you probably cannot see the road as well as they do. This is why when they go is not your decision.
What a beyond stupid take, you are lucky you live somewhere where you are allowed to have your license even though you clearly cannot drive.
Hoonnnkk honnnnkk hooonnnk you go as the person in front of you has a ped crossing in front of them you can’t see.
Hoooonnnkk honnnkk honnnnkk you go as there’s a small gap, but the person in front of you is driving with their mom recovering from surgery, in pain and feeling carsick.
Hooonnkkk honnnkk honnnk you go as a mother is being screamed at by her kids and is trying to get a small moment of rest at the red light, slightly delaying their turn.
You’re a self absorbed dumbass.
You didn’t understand anything I said.
“What’s really behind this movement is part of the agenda to make driving as miserable and as difficult as possible so people don’t drive so much,” Beeber said.
This is an unbelievably idiotic statement, as if cars haven’t been, and don’t continue to be nearly the sole consideration for transportation in almost all American cities.
I don’t agree with this. It has nothing to do with red lights. Drivers will cut out straight in front of me with green lights as well. The problem is proper infrastructure. Make a city where there are so many cyclists that cars can’t miss them. This is why places like NYC have such low incidents at crosswalks.
Or better yet, give cyclists sperated spaces from cars and trucks to ride. Even if it’s just letting them ride on sidewalks. (Although not applicable in this case)
That, and also because NYC has already banned right on red.
“What’s really behind this movement is part of the agenda to make driving as miserable and as difficult as possible so people don’t drive so much,” Beeber said.
Shit. He figured my plan out.
But seriously people driving less would be a win. Cars are awful.
It’s the size of the cars that’s causing the increase.
Wow, you are totally right.
SUVs and pickup trucks do not have to follow the safety regulations of passenger cars.
Passenger cars have rounded pedestrian safe bumpers that are designed to scoop under a pedestrian in a collision, resulting in injuries that are likely to be survivable.
Modern pickup trucks have massive flat grills directly at chest height, which act as a battering ram, and will roll over a pedestrian in a collision, resulting in injuries that are unlikely to be survivable. Pickup trucks and SUVs have large front blind spots that make them more likely to cause collisions than normal cars.
The increasing numbers of pedestrian fatalities is caused by the increasing number and size of pickup trucks and SUVs. This will only change if the feds close the loopholes that allow SUVs to not follow the same regulations as cars.
I think it’s a visibility thing too. Also many distracted drivers.
As someone who went to the US recently and nearly got taken out by a driver rolling right through the crosswalk only looking to her left, get rid of right turn on red. We survive just fine without it (well, it would technically be a left turn here) in Japan.
In the Netherlands it wouldn’t even work as yhere are usually cycle paths or pedestrian crossings that have a green light. Right turns have their own light whenever possible to make sure they are on their own cycle.
I mean, it’s pretty easy to not hit someone while turning right on red if you look where you’re going…
In a lot of cities, it’s extremely difficult to see past the corner because of parked cars. We could cut down on street parking, but people scream if you even consider restricting their parking options.
Especially when those parked vehicles are trucks or SUVs or some other unsafe large vehicle.
I mean I have a hate boner for giant cars as much the average person, but even a reasonably-sized, economy sedan can block my view of the sidewalk/any cars that might be coming around the corner. I would say it’s a 50% chance in my city that, in order to safely turn right on red, I’d need to inch about halfway into the lane I’m turning into, which already has the potential of causing an accident.
The spike, which included all accidents — not just those involving right turns on red, was attributed in part to an increase in larger vehicles such as SUVs and pickup trucks on the road … due to larger blind spots and the deadlier force associated with heavier models.
There it is, this is just one reason why ‘no right turns’ will be a useless half measure, politicians trying to make it look like they’re doing something about the problem because the real solution would be too politically risky.
When I visited the US I was shocked that’s actually allowed. Seemed like a very easy way to kill someone
It’s the “cars above all” mentality.
That said my city is doing this for bicycles which is way more reasonable.
I couldn’t work out how you were supposed to negotiate it as a pedestrian, and assumed there must be some knack that locals learn. Guess the knack is just, don’t be a pedestrian lol.
My own anecdotal evidence, walking several blocks and crossing a busy intersection everyday.
I take attempts to not get hit by looking at the driver and checking to see if they are paying attention. Often a driver will inch forward until they can time turning between cars coming from the opposite side of the intersection or will turn immediately when the light changes. I often have people who wait, but mostly people will just drive past me while I stand waiting to cross.
Car size doesn’t seem to make any difference in how aware the driver is or if they are following driver safety, at least when I’m attempting to keep myself from being hit.
It less serious than this but on my drive home there is this spot with 4 car lengths between stop lights and people with trailers keep taking it as free right to get into the middle of 3 northbound lanes blocking off the far right lane for turning right at the next light
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If there isn’t other cross traffic, I’m going no matter what. In MA, we can even take a left on red onto a one way.
Huge majority of lighted intesections could be replaced with roundabouts/rotaries/traffic circles. Cars should not have to sit at idle if nothing is in the way.
So … she didn’t look both ways as a walking pedestrian?
