Citywide No Turn on Red Policy and Implementation Plan

Contact: Luke Bornheimer, LukeBornheimer@gmail.com, 617-899-4487 (cell)

Campaign page: NTORsf.com

Policy

Prohibit cars from making turns on red at all signalized intersections in San Francisco

Goal

Implement No Turn on Red at all signalized intersections in San Francisco by the end of 2026

Benefits

No Turn on Red has innumerable benefits—and allowing turns on red has innumerable negative impacts—with the most notable benefits being that No Turn on Red…

1. increases safety and reduces crashes during green lights, red lights, and for all people, including car drivers and especially children, seniors, people with disabilities, and people who walk, bike, or take public transportation
2. makes streets more intuitive and predictable, including for car drivers
3. decreases the number of drivers rolling through crosswalks and cars blocking crosswalks, which increases accessibility, safety, and comfort for children, seniors, and all people walking and using mobility devices to cross the street

Supporting Data

No Turn on Red has is proven to increase safety, accessibility, and comfort for all people—and allowing turns on red decreases safety, accessibility, and comfort—as shown by this data:

• SFMTA found that, 92% of car drivers compiled with No Turn on Red, close calls—when people walking are almost hit by car drivers—decreased by 80%, and crosswalks being blocked—fully or partially—by cars during red lights decreased by more than 70%
• SFMTA found that 20% of injury crashes at signalized intersections involving a person walking or biking resulted from a car driver turning on red
• An analysis from Washington, DC showed that intersections with No Turn On Red had a 97% decrease in conflicts between cars, 92% decrease in car drivers failing to yield to people walking during red lights—and 59% decrease during green lights—and 76% decrease in turn-on-red violations
• A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report found that allowing turns on red increased crashes involving people walking by 44% and crashes involving people biking by 59%
• A separate NHTSA report found that 22% of turn-on-red crashes involved a person walking or biking, and 93% of those crashes resulting in an injury
• A study found that allowing turns on red resulted in a 23% increase in all turn crashes, ~60% increase in crashes involving people walking, and ~100% increase in crashes involving people biking
• A United States Department of Transportation report showed that allowing turns on red increased injury crashes involving people walking by up to 107% and crashes involving people biking by up to 80%, in part because "drivers stopped for a red light are looking left for a gap in traffic and do not see pedestrians and bicyclists coming from their right"
• A study found that allowing turns on red increased crashes by 25%, crashes involving children walking by 30%, people walking by 100%, and elderly people by 110%

Implementation Plan

Implementing No Turn on Red requires the installation of signs at each signalized intersection. SFMTA should install signs as quickly, efficiently, and inexpensively as possible, while prioritizing intersections…

1. on streets on, or streets adjacent to, the High Injury Network (HIN)
2. near schools, playgrounds, parks, and senior centers
3. with Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPIs)
4. in business activity districts or on merchant corridors
5. in Equity Priority Communities
6. in neighborhoods with the highest rates of car-free households
7. near Muni/BART stops or stations
8. on SFMTA’s “Bike Network” and any street with a bike lane (or any bike facility)

To decrease costs, staff resources, implementation time, and roadway fatalities/injuries, SFMTA should install signs on an ongoing basis when doing the following work:

1. Signal work
2. Other intersection improvements (e.g. painting crosswalks, daylighting)
3. Speed-limit reduction work related to AB43
4. Quick-Build Projects
5. Capital and other projects (e.g. Biking and Rolling Plan, Slow Streets)

Tracking & Reporting

Tracking and reporting progress is critical for this policy to ensure SFMTA is keeping track of where it has implemented No Turn on Red and where it still needs to install signs, and building trust with the public by showing that SFMTA is being transparent and following through on its commitment to roadway safety through the implementation of the citywide No Turn on Red policy. With that in mind, SFMTA should track and report progress on a publicly accessible webpage and updating the page daily. This page should have a map showing all signalized intersections, which intersections have No Turn on Red implemented, and which do not.