Seattle Transitions to No Right Turns on Red

All newly installed or repaired traffic signals in Seattle will bar drivers from turning right on red. As Ryan Packer points out in The Urbanist, “The change doesn’t mean that right-on-red will be restricted every single intersection in Seattle anytime soon, but rather that every time a project within the department deals with replacing or modifying a traffic signal, SDOT will have to find a reason justifying not to add ‘no turn on red’ signage.” Allowing cars to turn right on red will now require a “significant operational reason.”

In Washington, D.C., banning right turns on red resulted in a 97 percent reduction in driver-to-driver conflicts and a 92 percent reduction in vehicle-pedestrian conflicts. According to a study published in the Institute of Traffic Engineers (ITE) journal, “These improvements came at overall minor impacts to traffic operations. These findings have helped the District identify a low-cost safety tool that will help in its pursuit of Vision Zero.”

Packer adds that “The new policy will not apply when the city does routine maintenance, or when it modifies signals to add Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS), which provide low-vision people auditory clues that it’s safe to cross the street. The rule will also not apply when signal timing is the only thing about a signal that is modified.”

SDOT expects roughly 150 intersections will have restricted turns on red by the end of this year, “still just a fraction of the over 1,000 signalized intersections that SDOT maintains citywide.”