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We've prepared answers to frequently asked questions on the notion of prohibiting vehicular turns on red. If you have a question that we don’t address above, please email us at [email protected]!
How frequent are collisions involving vulnerable road users and vehicular turns on red at intersections in Ottawa?
Unfortunately, this data isn’t publicly available. Some collision data for 2024 is available from the Ottawa Police Service, and the Province has published some 2023 data; but none of this pertains to vehicular turns on red. Open Ottawa offers data (unfortunately 2022 is the most recent) on whether a collision occurred at a signalized intersection with a vehicular turn, but not whether the signal was red. This lack of information is one reason why we’ve asked in our petition for data on vehicular turns on red.
Are vehicular turns on red truly dangerous for vulnerable road users generally?
Apparently so. One study “showed a 43% increase in pedestrian–vehicle crashes at sites that adopted RTOR [right turns on red], more than half of which involved a vehicle turning right on a red signal at a signalized location. The majority (67%) of these RTOR crashes involved a driver looking left for an opportunity to enter traffic and striking a pedestrian coming from the drivers’ right.”
What’s the evidence that prohibiting vehicular turns on red is safer for vulnerable road users?
In San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighbourhood, which banned vehicular right turns on red, a study showed that these restrictions “can keep crosswalks clear and reduce close calls on major intersections.” A prohibition in Washington, D.C. at 100 intersections resulted in a 92 per cent reduction in vehicle–pedestrian conflicts.
Will drivers actually comply with a prohibition on vehicular turns on red?
The indications are positive. The Tenderloin study showed a) 92 per cent driver compliance, b) 5 to 1 reduction in close calls, c) 70 per cent reduction in vehicles blocking or encroaching on crosswalks. As a result of this study, the city’s traffic unit recommended expanding the program.
Doesn’t allowing vehicular turns on red reduce emissions?
No. A major study showed that vehicular turns on red are “only marginally useful in lowering emissions and only under certain contexts.” This question also reflects a misconception: that vehicular congestion increases emissions owing to cars idling. While many idling vehicles do produce emissions (even though some automatically turn off rather than idle), making car travel easier adds cars to the road, which in turn increases total emissions.
Will conflicts between drivers and pedestrians increase, given that there’s less time for drivers to turn right during a green phase?
Probably not. Returning to the Tenderloin study, there was “no significant change in the percentage of turning vehicles that yield at the crosswalk to pedestrians on a green light.”
Prohibiting vehicular turns on red isn’t enough; we should also build raised, continuous crosswalks at unsignaled crossings, for example, and ban slip lanes.
We couldn’t agree more. We focus on prohibiting vehicular turns on red to get this implemented immediately, but we keep advocating for continuous sidewalks and against slip lanes when we intervene on individual projects. Unfortunately the opportunities to make installing continuous sidewalks and omitting slip lanes standard practice are few, and both of these must be pursued on a project basis—which we do at every opportunity.
Your campaign doesn’t go far enough: why focus on downtown?
While we would certainly support a broader prohibition, we believe that it would encounter resistance from a majority of Council. We think that enacting this measure downtown is an obvious step that a majority of Council must accept, and this will in turn demonstrate the measure’s efficacy and lead to its adoption elsewhere in the city.
Are injuries from turns on red the whole story? What about near misses?
Near misses are definitely an issue, as they’re much more difficult to track. A study from the Canadian Automobile Association found that “near misses most often involved vehicles making a right turn. More than half (55% of pedestrians and 50% of cyclists) had a close call with a vehicle…Extrapolated nationwide…1 in every 770 pedestrians, and 1 in every 500 cyclists, would experience a high-risk or critical near miss—defined as an incident with an 85% chance of causing serious injury or death.”
Is there any connection between turns on red and equity?
Yes. Appleyard et al. report that “a higher proportion of RTOR collisions were occurring in low socioeconomic status (SES) areas.”
Does Ottawa’s policies and commitments support prohibiting vehicular turns on red downtown?
Yes. According to our Official Plan, “the transportation network for the Downtown Core shall prioritize walking and cycling for short trips, and cycling and transit for longer trips, such that convenience and safety for pedestrians, cyclists and transit users shall take priority over private motor vehicle access and movement in the Downtown Core” (Policy 5.1.2). The Road Safety Action Plan Program’s 2025 Implementation Plan commits to “proactively review locations applying leading pedestrian interval (LPI) criteria, implementing LPI and/or No Right Turn on Red, where criteria is [sic] met.”
What other jurisdictions have banned vehicular turns on red?
Montreal and New York sensibly have never allowed vehicular turns on red. Washington D.C. enacted this measure at many of its intersections this year. Last fall, Ann Arbor banned right turns at 50 signalized intersections in its downtown core. Even Atlanta, that bastion of car culture, banned vehicular turns on red in large swathes.