{"id":2089978,"date":"2023-11-04T12:09:02","date_gmt":"2023-11-04T16:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-cities-consider-banning-common-traffic-move\/"},"modified":"2023-11-04T12:20:17","modified_gmt":"2023-11-04T16:20:17","slug":"us-cities-consider-banning-common-traffic-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-cities-consider-banning-common-traffic-move\/","title":{"rendered":"US Cities Mull Banning Common Traffic Maneuver"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fus-cities-consider-banning-common-traffic-move%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2089978&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>US Cities Consider\u200b Banning Common Traffic Move<\/h2>\n<p>Sophee Langerman\u200b was on her\u2062 way to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/doctor-brings-bidens-medical-diagnosis-last-year-may-explain-bike-fall\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bicycle safety<\/a> rally in Chicago\u2019s Lakeview neighborhood in June when a car turning right rolled through a red light and slammed into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/biden-responds-bicycle-fall-nobody-prepared-next\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">her bike<\/a>, which\u200b she was walking off the curb and into the crosswalk.<\/p>\n<p>The car\u200b was moving slowly enough that Langerman escaped serious injury, but \u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/san-francisco-bicycle-rider-hysterical-meltdown-seeing-emergency-vehicle-lane\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the bicycle<\/a> required extensive repairs. To\u200c Langerman, \u200dit\u2019s another argument for\u200c ending \u2062a practice that almost all U.S. cities \u2064have embraced for decades: the legal prerogative \u2064for a driver to turn right after stopping at a red \u2062light.<\/p>\n<p>A dramatic rise in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/appreciate-prayers-desantis-involved-car-crash-traveling-campaign-event\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">accidents<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/pedestrian-cyclist-deaths-safe-cars-afcf8e6fd1b1cbfbd1a5360a29f08308\">killing or injuring pedestrians<\/a> and bicyclists has led to a myriad of policy and infrastructure changes, but moves to ban right on red have drawn some\u200d of the most intense\u2064 sentiments on both\u2063 sides.<\/p>\n<h3>City Councils Taking Action<\/h3>\n<p>Washington, D.C.\u2019s\u2064 City Council last year approved a right-on-red ban that takes effect in 2025. New\u200c Chicago Mayor Brandon\u2062 Johnson\u2019s transition plan called for \u201crestricting\u200d right turns on red,\u201d but his administration\u2062 hasn\u2019t\u2064 provided specifics. The college town of Ann Arbor, Michigan, now prohibits right\u2063 turns at red lights in the downtown area.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/california-public-transit-9002a8b3e0270db28587835a85c2ccb0\">San Francisco<\/a> leaders recently voted to urge their transportation\u200c agency to ban right \u200don red across the city, and other major cities such as Los Angeles, Seattle and Denver have\u200d looked\u2062 into bans as well.<\/p>\n<h3>Arguments\u200b for and Against<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cDrivers should not have the option to decide for themselves when they think it\u2019s safe,\u201d said Langerman, 26. \u200d\u201cPeople are busy. People are distracted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But Jay Beeber, executive \u2063director for policy at the National Motorists Association, an advocacy organization for drivers,\u2062 called it a \u201cfallacy\u201d to assume such blanket bans would make \u2062streets safer.<\/p>\n<p>He cited an \u2063upcoming study by his association that analyzed California \u200bcrash data \u2064from 2011-2019 and found that drivers turning right on red accounted for only\u200b about one pedestrian death and less than one bicyclist\u2063 death statewide every\u200b two years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s really behind this movement \u2062is part of the agenda \u200dto make\u2064 driving as \u200bmiserable and as difficult as possible so people don\u2019t drive so \u2064much,\u201d Beeber said.<\/p>\n<p>Safety advocates \u200dcounter that official \u200dcrash\u2062 reports are often mislabeled,\u200b undercounting the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/blind-pedestrians-safer-crosswalks-signals-chicago-61d62685127d3e2228e91860e2c998b2\">dangers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Historical Context<\/h3>\n<p>The United States is one of \u200dfew major countries that generally allow right turns on red. Concerned that cars\u200b idling at stop lights could compound an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/strategist-for-ousted-ca-governor-gray-davis-advising-gavin-newsom-set-up-war-room-to-smear-anyone-associated-with-recall-efforts\/\" title=\"Strategist For Ousted CA Governor Gray Davis Advising Gavin Newsom, Set Up \u2018War Room\u2019 to Smear Anyone Associated with Recall Efforts\">energy crisis<\/a>, the U.S. government warned\u200c states in the 1970s \u200cthat they could risk some federal funding should cities prohibit right on red, except in specific, clearly marked areas. \u200bAlthough another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-cities-consider-banning-common-traffic-move\/\" title=\"US Cities Mull Banning Common Traffic Maneuver\">energy-conscious provision capping speed limits<\/a> at 55\u200d mph has long been abandoned, right on red has endured.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s an example of bad policy,\u201d said Bill Schultheiss, director of engineering \u200dat Toole Design Group, which consults\u2064 with \u200cpublic transportation agencies. \u201cIt made sense in the context of \u2062the gas crisis, but it was way\u200c oversold on what it would achieve. It\u2019s a mandate that doesn\u2019t consider the full \u2064consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Current Efforts and Concerns<\/h3>\n<p>Right on red has never been allowed across most of New \u2064York City, where large signs alert Manhattan\u2019s visitors \u200cthat the practice is prohibited there. But it \u200bwas the default policy\u2062 practically everywhere else in the \u200bU.S. until last year\u2019s vote in the nation\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n<p>Safety advocates \u2063who pushed\u200d for the change in Washington, D.C., are bracing for blowback\u200c from drivers, particularly if the city also\u200d allows the\u2064 so-called Idaho Stop in which cyclists are permitted to go through a red light after stopping to make sure the coast is clear.<\/p>\n<p>Critics argue that banning right on red will not only inconvenience motorists but also slow down commuter buses and deliveries. The United Parcel Service hasn\u2019t taken an official position\u200d on right on \u2063red but has long directed its drivers to avoid left turns whenever possible, viewing \u2062them as inefficient.<\/p>\n<p>Priya Sarathy \u200bJones, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-administration-walks-back-regulation-protecting-single-sex-homeless-shelters\/\" title=\"Biden Administration Walks Back Regulation Protecting Single-Sex Homeless Shelters\">deputy executive director<\/a> at the Fines and Fees Justice Center, is concerned penalties from right-on-red\u2064 bans will fall \u200ddisproportionately on lower-income drivers who have to drive to work because they\u200b can\u2019t afford housing near public transit. If there\u2019s more enforcement at red lights, more cameras\u200d are certain to\u2062 follow, she said. And in the Chicago\u2062 area, any discussion of red light policy often conjures up memories of the region\u2019s vilified red-light camera \u2063program, which spurred bribery charges against public officials accused \u2064of trying to influence the high-profit contracts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt generates a lot of money for the city, instead of our decisions\u200b being driven by safety strategies\u200d backed by evidence,\u201d she said, suggesting that road infrastructure\u200c improvements \u200cwould be \u2062a \u200bmuch more\u200c effective way to reduce accidents.<\/p>\n<h3>Continued \u200dDebate<\/h3>\n<p>There are no recent, nationwide studies of how many people are hurt or killed by right-turning drivers.<\/p>\n<p>According to a national \u200dreport by the Governors Highway Safety Association, more than 7,500 people walking were struck and \u200dkilled by automobiles in \u200c2022, the highest \u2063number since 1981. \u200cThe spike, which <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/recessions-and-depressions-accidents-detroit-business-34890b827ea0d3cf3e4eff8f3a8df6b6\">included all accidents<\/a> \u2063\u2014 not just\u2063 those involving right turns on red, was attributed in part to an increase in larger vehicles such \u200cas SUVs and pickup trucks on the road.<\/p>\n<p>The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that the\u2064 odds a pedestrian would be \u2062killed when struck by an\u2062 automobile turning right were 89% higher \u200cwhen the vehicle was a pickup\u2064 and 63% higher when it was an SUV, due to larger blind spots and the deadlier force \u200cassociated with heavier models.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese big, blunt \u200cfront hoods,\u2062 they knock people down and run over them, as opposed to before when people would crumple onto\u2063 the hood,\u201d said Mike\u200d McGinn, a former Seattle \u2062mayor who is\u200c the executive director of America Walks, a national nonprofit that advocates \u200dfor pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods.<\/p>\n<p>Much of the research looking directly at the \u200cimpact of right-on-red policies is years if not decades old, but both \u200bsides argue it\u2019s \u2062still relevant.<\/p>\n<p>The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration\u200b in a 1994 report to\u2063 Congress looked at four years of crash data from \u200bIndiana, \u200bMaryland and Missouri and three years of data from Illinois, counting\u2063 a combined \u200c558 injury crashes and four fatalities stemming \u2064from right turns on red. Advocates of a ban point out that\u2064 study came before the nation\u2019s vehicle fleet grew much larger and more lethal.<\/p>\n<p>But Beeber said the National Motorists Association \u2063study of California found that even when there was an\u200c accident associated with right turns on red, at \u2062least 96% of the injuries sustained by pedestrians or cyclists were minor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne injury or death is too many,\u201d said Washington state Sen. John Lovick, the primary sponsor of a bill this year that would \u200dhave prohibited right on red statewide near schools, parks and \u200ccertain other locations. \u201cIf it were me \u2064at \u200bthat intersection crossing, I would want something done.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lovick\u2019s bill didn\u2019t make it out of committee, but Seattle this year made it the default policy to\u200d prohibit right on red when new \u2064traffic signals are added.<\/p>\n<p>Melinda Kasraie testified \u200con behalf of Lovick\u2019s bill at a legislative hearing, sharing her experience being struck by a car turning right on red in Seattle. She needed a total knee \u2064replacement, had to give up her 20-year job and\u200d moved to\u2064 a small town in part due \u2064to her newfound fears of crossing the street.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2064 just needed \u2062to wait 20 more seconds and he\u2062 would have had a\u200d green light, and that 20 seconds made a big impact on me,\u201d Kasraie said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-style: italic\">The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ap-right-turn-red-pedestrian-deaths-rising-us-cities-considering-bans\/\">US Cities Consider Banning Common Traffic Move<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\">The Western Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2>Which US\u200d states can you not turn right on red?<\/h2>\n<p><span>All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico \u2064have allowed right turns\u2064 on red since 1980, except where prohibited by\u200b a sign or where \u200cright turns \u200dare \u2064controlled by dedicated traffic lights. Ashed \u200drestrictions on right turns \u200con red in the 1970s as a way to reduce fuel consumption.\u2062 Today, it is estimated \u200cthat about 90% of traffic signals \u2062in the U.S. allow right turns on \u200bred, although some \u2063municipalities have implemented their own restrictions.<\/p>\n<p>However, the increase in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/safety-concerns-drive-california-dmv-to-revoke-cruises-driverless-testing-permits\/\" title=\"California DMV revokes Cruise's driverless testing permits due to safety concerns.\">accidents involving pedestrians<\/a> and bicyclists has brought \u200bthe practice\u200b of right \u2063turns on red under scrutiny. Supporters of the bans argue that it would increase safety \u2063for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/elderly-man-killed-after-being-dragged-by-van-in-los-angeles-idd\/\" title=\"Elderly man in LA identified after fatal van dragging.\">vulnerable\u2062 road users<\/a>, as drivers turning right are often focused on looking left for oncoming traffic and may fail to see pedestrians or bicyclists crossing in front of them. They believe that removing the option for right\u200d turns on red would force drivers\u200b to be more cautious and attentive.<\/p>\n<p>Opponents of \u2063the bans argue \u200dthat \u200dthe data does not support the need for such extreme measures. They believe that the number of accidents caused by right \u200dturns on red\u200b is relatively low compared\u200d to other factors such as distracted driving or speeding. They also argue that restricting right \u2062turns on red would increase congestion and frustrate drivers, \u200bfurther \u200bdiminishing the appeal of driving.<\/p>\n<p>The\u2064 debate over banning\u2064 right turns \u2063on red is not limited \u200bto specific \u200bcities. It\u2063 extends to a\u2063 national level, with organizations like \u2062the National Motorists Association \u200cadvocating against such bans. They argue that it\u2062 is important\u2062 to strike a \u200dbalance between ensuring safety\u2063 and maintaining the convenience \u200cand efficiency of traffic flow.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, it is up to individual cities to weigh the arguments and make decisions\u200b that they believe will best serve their\u200d communities. For some, the benefits \u200bof increased \u2063safety may outweigh any potential \u200cdownsides. Others may\u2062 choose \u200cto \u2062focus on alternative solutions, such as improving \u200dinfrastructure,\u2062 increasing driver education, or promoting alternative modes of transportation.<\/p>\n<p>As the discussion surrounding right turns on red\u2062 continues, it is clear that finding the right balance between safety and convenience\u200b is\u2064 a complex challenge. The experiences and policies\u2064 of cities\u200c that have implemented bans or restrictions will likely\u200d inform \u2063future decisions\u200c in other municipalities. In the end, the \u200dgoal should be to create transportation systems that prioritize the well-being of all road users while still maintaining efficiency and accessibility.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sophee Langerman narrowly avoided serious injury in June while heading to a bicycle safety rally in Chicago&#8217;s Lakeview neighborhood. A car turning right disregarded a red light and collided with her bike as she stepped off the curb into the crosswalk. Fortunately, the car&#8217;s slow speed prevented severe harm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":2089979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[548],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2089978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservative-news-daily"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2089978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2089978"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2089978\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2089979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2089978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2089978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2089978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}