Supervisor Preston and Transportation Safety Advocates Move to Ban Right Turns on Red
Today, at the Board of Supervisors, Supervisor Dean Preston will introduce a Resolution calling for the San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency (SFMTA) to ban right turns on red. Once implemented, San Francisco would follow New York City’s lead and become the second largest city in the country to ban these turns. Several other large cities like DC and Seattle have begun implementing bans to varying degrees as well.
Supervisor Preston’s announcement follows the successful implementation of the “no turn on red” (NTOR) regulations at over 50 intersections in the Tenderloin, which were approved at a February 2021 Public Hearing. The Tenderloin was the first neighborhood in San Francisco to have widespread speed limit reductions, aimed at eliminating traffic fatalities and severe injuries through comprehensive, community-based approaches.
“With the successful NTOR implementation in the Tenderloin, and the tragic increases citywide in traffic fatalities, we should be expanding NTOR to every neighborhood, particularly every street on the High Injury Network,” said Supervisor Preston. “We have the tools, and we should be using these tools in a coordinated way, with urgency, to ensure we are doing everything possible to prevent serious traffic injuries and fatalities. Banning turns on red won't solve everything, but it is an important step in a positive direction."
Prohibiting turns while facing a red traffic signal is a tried and proven method for reducing traffic collisions and keeping crosswalks clear of vehicles so that pedestrians may safely cross. This includes right turns, as well as legal one-way street to one-way street left turns.
Right turns on red pose a threat of injury and death to bicyclists and pedestrians, disproportionately impacting communities of color, children, seniors, and those with disabilities. According to the the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, turn-on-red crashes account for 20% of pedestrian- or bicycle-related injury crashes involving drivers turning at signal-based intersections. SFMTA’s 2012-2015 collision report showed that 40% of collisions happen when drivers fail to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks.
“Allowing turns on red is an outdated policy that makes streets more dangerous and stressful for all people, especially children, seniors, and people living with disabilities, said Luke Bornheimer, Community and Sustainable Transportation Organizer, and the lead organizer behind the Citywide No Turn on Red campaign . “Implementing No Turn On Red citywide will make it safer, easier, and more comfortable for people to cross the street, as well as safer and more predictable for people in cars. Thank you to Supervisor Preston for continuing to lead on roadway safety and policies that are backed by data from San Francisco and around the world.”
These bans have been proven to be effective in San Francisco with the 2021 SFMTA study on NTOR implementation in the Tenderloin showing that 92% of motorists complied with the new restriction, there was an 80% decrease in “close calls”, and there was a 70% decrease in vehicles blocking or encroaching crosswalks during red lights.
San Francisco continues to struggle to meet its Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic fatalities by 2024. In 2022, the City experienced 37 traffic deaths, one of the most deadly years since Vision Zero was passed in 2014, and has already had 16 traffic fatalities in 2023.
Preston’s resolution follows his extensive advocacy and leadership during the pandemic for slow streets, muni restoration, protected bike lanes, and speed reductions. That record includes:
Leading on the establishment of Slow Streets in D5, including Lyon, Golden Gate & Page
Championing car-free JFK and the Great Walkway.
Successfully advocating for $17.6 million in federal funding for safe streets improvements in the Western Addition, including traffic signal upgrades, quick builds, and speed reduction work.
Establishing Fell Street parking-protected bike lane along the Panhandle, and securing design funds to establish a similar lane on Oak Street.
Securing speed limit reductions on Geary, Hayes, Fillmore, Divisadero, Haight, and other busy streets in District 5.
Championing shared spaces, including closure to cars of Hayes Street in Hayes Valley and the Golden Gate Greenway in the Tenderloin.
Transforming post-fatality protocols to create public transparency with the creation of the City’s Traffic Fatality Tracker and memorial posters with links for more information at collision sites.
Leading Transit First efforts at the board, including restoration of suspended lines and service, stopping fare hikes, making Free Muni for Youth permanent, and eliminating parking at over 1000 bus stops so Muni riders have uninhibited access to transit.