We drive on the other side, so it’s our left turns. Newer intersections have a red left arrow while the pedestrian light is on green, then the red arrow goes out and the drivers may turn.
Older intersections have slip lanes which are pretty dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists
As much as I like this convention, I have twice seen it almost cause the car I was in (not driving) to strike a pedestrian. I think maybe we should get rid of it. If we want to allow right turns into sparse/nonexistent cross traffic, we need a signal that says “possible cross traffic, but no pedestrian parallel traffic”.
I always understood “right on red” to be “after coming to a full stop”. I don’t remember learning of that to be changed but when I wrote that in an earlier thread, a lot of lemmings jumped on that as false. Assuming it’s the law, I’ve never seen it enforced. However whether it’s law or not, the reality is drivers don’t stop. That’s what makes it dangerous. If they did, pedestrian and cyclist injuries would go way down.
While there’s an argument for changing the law if necessary or enforcing it if it does say to stop, that’s not going to work. Drivers will not give up their bad habits based on targeted enforcement.
There are cities that ban the practice. hallelujah! That’s the answer. “Right on red” was passed in a more car-centric time where much higher injuries and deaths were accepted, and road designers didn’t believe in roundabouts. It’s not ok. It has to go.
Edit: yes, Wikipedia confirms a full stop is legally required in us and Canada. Too bad drivers don’t seem to know that
In one of my incidents, the cabbie did not come to a full stop. In the other of my incidents, the friend had come to a full stop, but she did not notice the pedestrian traffic (which, at the time, wasn’t common [and without signal] at that intersection).
In any case, yeah, “right on red” should be done away with and we can deal with any negative effects (of not having it) better than we can deal with dead or injured pedestrians / cyclists.
My youngest and I have done a lot of walking through our town the last few summers and any close calls were mostly
We drive on the other side, so it’s our left turns. Newer intersections have a red left arrow while the pedestrian light is on green, then the red arrow goes out and the drivers may turn.
Older intersections have slip lanes which are pretty dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists
As much as I like this convention, I have twice seen it almost cause the car I was in (not driving) to strike a pedestrian. I think maybe we should get rid of it. If we want to allow right turns into sparse/nonexistent cross traffic, we need a signal that says “possible cross traffic, but no pedestrian parallel traffic”.
I always understood “right on red” to be “after coming to a full stop”. I don’t remember learning of that to be changed but when I wrote that in an earlier thread, a lot of lemmings jumped on that as false. Assuming it’s the law, I’ve never seen it enforced. However whether it’s law or not, the reality is drivers don’t stop. That’s what makes it dangerous. If they did, pedestrian and cyclist injuries would go way down.
While there’s an argument for changing the law if necessary or enforcing it if it does say to stop, that’s not going to work. Drivers will not give up their bad habits based on targeted enforcement.
There are cities that ban the practice. hallelujah! That’s the answer. “Right on red” was passed in a more car-centric time where much higher injuries and deaths were accepted, and road designers didn’t believe in roundabouts. It’s not ok. It has to go.
Edit: yes, Wikipedia confirms a full stop is legally required in us and Canada. Too bad drivers don’t seem to know that
In one of my incidents, the cabbie did not come to a full stop. In the other of my incidents, the friend had come to a full stop, but she did not notice the pedestrian traffic (which, at the time, wasn’t common [and without signal] at that intersection).
In any case, yeah, “right on red” should be done away with and we can deal with any negative effects (of not having it) better than we can deal with dead or injured pedestrians / cyclists.