Nashville drivers could soon lose one of their most familiar shortcuts: turning right after stopping at a red light. A Metro Council proposal would prohibit the maneuver across most of the city's Urban Services District, with the first vote scheduled for Tuesday, August 4.
The legislation filed by Councilmember Sandra Sepulveda would require “No Turns On Red” signs at signalized intersections throughout the district, according to the Metro Council bill. The measure has nine sponsors and is set for its first of three council votes Tuesday, Axios reports.
The proposed ban would cover Nashville’s busiest core
The bill would apply to every signalized intersection in the Urban Services District unless Nashville’s transportation department determines, after an engineering and safety study, that a right turn can remain without materially increasing risks to pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users or other road users. Emergency vehicles responding to calls would be exempt.
If approved, the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure would have 90 days to identify affected intersections, create an installation schedule and put up or modify signs. The ordinance would also require a public education campaign, followed by a 90-day period in which officers would generally issue warnings rather than tickets unless a turn caused a crash or created an immediate danger.
The push follows a deadly year for people walking and biking
The proposal arrives after 27 pedestrians and cyclists were killed on Davidson County roads in 2025, including 24 pedestrians and three cyclists, according to Walk Bike Nashville. The group has called the toll a reason for immediate action, while Metro’s Vision Zero program aims to eliminate roadway deaths altogether.
Nashville’s own Vision Zero materials say the city ranked 24th nationally in traffic fatalities, with 14.5 deaths per 100,000 residents. The city identifies pedestrians, cyclists and transit users as especially vulnerable around high-injury streets and signalized intersections.
Downtown safety changes have already shown some results
The proposed red-light restriction would join a broader traffic-safety effort already underway downtown. In a May update, NDOT said leading pedestrian intervals and signal changes were associated with a 20% year-over-year reduction in downtown crashes involving people walking.
The bill would require Metro to report back within a year on pedestrian, bicycle and vehicle crashes, fatalities, serious injuries, travel-time impacts and public complaints. It would also ask for recommendations on whether the restriction should eventually expand into the General Services District, meaning Tuesday’s vote could be the opening move in a much larger change to Nashville’s driving rules.
Officials have not yet taken a public position
As of Thursday evening, NDOT and the Metro Nashville Police Department had not publicly weighed in on the proposal, Axios reported. Sepulveda told the outlet that “no turn on red” has appeared in several transportation plans and argued that Nashville should stop waiting for more deaths before acting.
