Atlanta lawmakers approved a new city ordinance banning right turns on red lights in certain areas.
The Atlanta City Council met Monday and passed a new traffic ordinance by a vote of 10-3. FOX 5 Atlanta reported.
“Yay! Thank you to my colleagues for passing legislation to ban right turns on red lights in downtown Atlanta!” said City Councilman Jason Dozier. “Pedestrian safety and quality of life go hand in hand, and I’m incredibly proud of our work to make our streets safer for the most vulnerable.”
The ordinance would prohibit right turns on red lights in Downtown Atlanta, Midtown Atlanta and the Castleberry Hill community. It is expected to go into effect in early 2026 to give the city’s Department of Transportation time to install signs at affected intersections.
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The Atlanta City Council has approved an ordinance banning right turns on red lights at certain intersections in the city. (CyberGuy.com)
Advocates on the City Council said the areas currently prohibited from running red lights are concentrated with cultural attractions, businesses and residences with heavy pedestrian traffic.
Officials say the measures will make these areas safer for pedestrians and “improve the overall quality of life by creating a sense of community, promoting social interaction, and supporting local businesses.” “I will contribute to the improvement.”
Dozier, a co-sponsor of the bill, previously 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,
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Atlanta downtown skyline. Officials said the intersection will be safer for pedestrians if the ban on right turns on red lights is passed. (Dustin Chambers/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Propel ATL, a group that aims to “take back Atlanta’s streets” for pedestrians and cyclists, said many residents support the change.
FOX 5 Atlanta reports that Rebecca Serna, executive director of Propel ATL, said at a January meeting that “right turns at red lights are dangerous for people in wheelchairs, the elderly, and people on bicycles and scooters. “This poses a significant risk to the most vulnerable populations, including humans.”
Opponents of the ban have raised concerns about the more than $100,000 required to install signs at the affected red lights, a project that would divert Department of Transportation resources from other more important sources. He said it would be diverted from the project.
But supporters say if the red light ban is successful, it could expand to other areas of the city, according to FOX 5 Atlanta.
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Several US cities have proposed or enacted bans on right turns at the equator, including New York, Washington DC, and Chicago. (Steve Forst/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
The number of accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists has increased dramatically. some cities in the usa Consider banning right turns at red lights.
In 2023, the D.C. City Council approved the right to ban red, which goes into effect in 2025.
New Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s transition plan called for “restricting right turns on red lights,” but his administration has not released any 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.
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There are no recent studies on the number of people injured or killed by right-turning drivers nationwide.
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.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
