San Francisco Supervisor Pushes for Expanded "No Turn On Red" Policy Amid Rising Traffic Fatalities

San Francisco Supervisor Dean Preston introduced a resolution yesterday, urging the city to expand the ban on right turns on red lights. The legislation aims to protect pedestrians and cyclists, following the implementation of a similar ban in over 50 intersections in the Tenderloin neighborhood, which has been associated with a significant reduction in traffic crashes and fatalities.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's (SFMTA) analysis found that turning on red accounts for 20% of pedestrian- or bicycle-related injury crashes involving drivers, making them dangerous for the city's residents. The SFMTA last year discovered that close calls between vehicles and pedestrians decreased following the ban in the Tenderloin in 2021. The Tenderloin ban also led to a 70% reduction in vehicles blocking or encroaching into crosswalks on a red light as reported by Axios.

Preston believes that expanding the "No Turn On Red" (NTOR) policy to every neighborhood, especially those with high traffic-related injuries and fatalities, would contribute to increased pedestrian safety. The decision ultimately falls to the SFMTA board of directors. If they adopt the resolution, it would signify the official stance of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors as per the San Francisco Chronicle.

San Francisco is witnessing a rise in traffic fatalities, with a 33% increase during the pandemic compared to the three years prior, which makes Preston's call for the expansion of the NTOR all the more pressing. The policy would align San Francisco with cities like New York, where right turns on red are already banned at most intersections, and Seattle, which began phasing out right-on-red turns in May to reduce collisions involving cars and pedestrians.

Transportation safety advocate Luke Bornheimer has also supported the NTOR policy, asserting that banning turns on red would make it safer and easier for children, people with disabilities, seniors, and others to cross the street. In an email, SFMTA spokesperson Stephen Chun said the transportation agency is "deeply committed" to eliminating traffic-related fatalities in San Francisco and is still reviewing the details of Preston's resolution via Axios.

Although the success of NTOR in reducing traffic fatalities and injuries in the Tenderloin speaks for itself, not all motorists may welcome the idea of banning right turns on red throughout the city. However, Preston's nonbinding resolution, along with similar bans being explored in Seattle and Washington, D.C., emphasizes the necessity to address the stagnation in progress on San Francisco's Vision Zero deadline to eliminate all traffic deaths by 2024.