DC Following NYC with Right-On-Red Ban — Will Others Finally Follow?

The nation’s capital is poised to become the second major city in the United States to repeal a dangerous law that allowed drivers to make right turns at red lights — and some advocates believe other communities are overdue to follow.

In a preliminary vote last week, the Washington, D.C. council unanimously approved the Safer Intersections Act, which will prohibit right-on-reds except at designated intersections, as well as allow cyclists to treat stoplights as yield signs, since they’ll, ostensibly, no longer have to worry about “right-hook” crashes with drivers. (Warning: footage depicted in the previous link may be disturbing.) The proposal, which still must pass a final vote, would go into effect in 2025, contingent upon (because this is the District of Columbia) Congressional approval.

But if it passes, D.C. will join New York City as one of just two major metropolitan areas in the U.S. that have made the reform.

Whatever the fate of DC’s right-on-red bill, advocates in other cities are already getting inspired to pursue similar moves in their own communities — and if the Safer Intersections Act passes, it could serve as a template for their efforts.

“There’s not much that’s complicated about right turn on red: you ban it, or it’s legal,” said Alex Baca, DC policy director for Greater Greater Washington. “To the extent that other jurisdictions are looking for model legislation, they could gank text from this; to the extent that they are looking for an excuse to do it because someone else has done it and therefore doing so doesn’t seem like so much of a liability …they can [possibly do that too].”