In the future, there will be almost no more free right turns on red. Not allowing drivers to make a free right turn at a red light, or a left turn from a one-way street, will be what the city is calling the default setting for any new or modified traffic signal. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) stated in a recent memo that by the end of this year expect to go from about 100 intersections where turn-on-red had been restricted to close to 150.
There are over 1,000 red-light intersections that SDOT maintains citywide. The city has also announced deployment of no-turn-on-red along Aurora Avenue as an interim spot improvement as the city designs potential longer-term improvements for the corridor, adding right turn restrictions to its list of immediate safety interventions.
This new intersection policy that makes restrictions against right turn on red the way to go is based on research. And, Seattle is looking to deploy the safety measure all over town. The plan is also to install no-turn-on-red signage at 41 intersections around downtown in advance of this summer’s events season.
A study the city cited in their memo showed that driver-to-driver conflicts were reduced by 97%, and vehicle-pedestrian conflicts were reduced by 92% following the installation of consistent no-turn-on-red signage. This is based on a study published in the journal of the Institute of Traffic Engineers, looking at Washington, D.C.’s implementation of no-turn-on-red restrictions at 100 intersections in 2019.
The Vision Zero program recommended restricting right-on-red among other safety interventions after their research. In the future, every time a project within the department replaces or modifies a traffic signal, SDOT will have to find a reason justifying not to add “no turn on red” signage.
