Atlanta lawmakers are considering a new city ordinance that would make it illegal to turn right on a red light in certain areas.
Several Atlanta City Council members introduced the plan at a meeting earlier this week. FOX 5 Atlanta reported.
The ordinance makes it illegal to turn right on a red light in Downtown, Midtown and Castleberry Hill.
The proposal is supported by 11 out of 16 City Council members. He said the three districts designated by the ordinance are home to cultural attractions, businesses and residences with heavy pedestrian traffic.
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Atlanta city leaders are considering an ordinance that would ban right turns on red lights at intersections in some neighborhoods. (CyberGuy.com)
Officials say the ordinance will make these neighborhoods safer for pedestrians and “improve the overall quality of life by creating a sense of community, encouraging social interaction, and supporting local businesses.” “I will contribute to the improvement.''
Councilman Jason Dozier, a co-sponsor of the bill, told Fox News Digital that he proposed the ordinance because Atlanta has seen a significant increase in pedestrian injuries and deaths from motor vehicle collisions.
“Since 2020, pedestrian fatalities have increased by 50%, resulting in 38 pedestrian deaths on Atlanta streets last year,” Dozier said in an emailed statement. “When cars are allowed to turn at a red light, they typically sneak into the crosswalk and drivers only look for oncoming traffic, not pedestrians or cyclists. To make matters worse, the size of the car is The number has increased over the past 20 years, so even if drivers are careful,
A dramatic increase in fatalities and injuries to pedestrians and cyclists is prompting several U.S. cities to consider banning right turns at red lights.
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Vehicles drive on a freeway in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. (Alyssa Pointer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In 2023, the Washington DC City Council approved a ban on right turns at the equator, which will go into effect in 2025. Chicago's new Mayor Brandon Johnson's transition plan calls for “restricting right turns at the equator,” but his administration has not released details. The college town of Ann Arbor, Michigan, currently prohibits right turns at red lights in the downtown area.
San Francisco leaders recently passed a resolution calling on transit agencies to ban red lights citywide, and other major cities, including Los Angeles, Seattle and Denver, are considering similar bans.
Right turns on red lights have long been banned in New York City, and large signs have been posted warning drivers not to make the obvious right turn in Manhattan.
There are no recent studies on the number of people injured or killed by right-turning drivers nationwide.
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Several U.S. cities have moved to ban right turns on red lights in recent years after a spike in accidents involving pedestrians. (Steve Forst/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
Proponents and critics of the ban point to a 1994 report to Congress from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that analyzed four years of crash data from Indiana, Maryland and Missouri, and three years of data from Illinois. are doing. The report tallies 558 accidents resulting in injury or death and 4 accidents resulting in death due to right turns at red lights.
According to data from Propel ATL, an Atlanta traffic and pedestrian safety advocacy group, there will be 38 pedestrian fatalities in 2022, a 23% increase over 2021 fatalities, FOX 5 Atlanta reported. Reported.
According to FOX 5 Atlanta, the organization reports that just 10% of Atlanta's roads account for half of all fatal pedestrian crashes and 60% of all pedestrian-bicyclist crashes. There is.
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“We're talking about this law from the perspective of motorists and pedestrians, but it's a people-centered policy aimed at keeping people safe, especially our most vulnerable residents,” Dozier said. said.
“People want to be in a place where they feel safe, and something as simple as making it easier for families to cross the street goes a long way toward building a culture and community around safety,” he explained. “This is especially important for local businesses, because increased foot traffic translates to increased sales and revenue. Businesses thrive where people want them. Walkability is not only good for people, it's good for the local economy, and this legislation promotes that.”
The Atlanta City Council Transportation Committee is scheduled to consider the ordinance at its meeting next Wednesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
