ATLANTA — Update: The proposal to eliminate right turns on red lights in some parts of Atlanta was passed by a vote of 10-3 by the Atlanta City Council on Monday.
Original story: The Atlanta City Council is due to take up a proposal today that would ban right turns at red lights in some parts of the city.
The full City Council meeting is at 1 p.m. Monday afternoon. The council is expected to vote on a proposed ordinance that would ban right turns at red lights in Downtown, Midtown and Castleberry Hill.
The proposal was advanced last week out of the City Council Transportation Committee in a 3-1 vote, with two members abstaining.
The proposal was considered last month but put on hold so Councilman Jason Dozier, who introduced it, could clean up some of the language of the legislation and discuss how it would be implemented.
Atlanta’s debate over eliminating “right on red” in some parts of the city is one that has taken place in several places around the country.
According to the Federal Highway Administration, making a right turn at red lights was illegal in the U.S. until the 1970s when it was allowed “as a fuel savings measure.” The law requires motorists to come to a full stop and yield to cross street traffic and pedestrians prior to a right turn, however the administration reports that “many motorists do not fully comply with the regulations.”
Atlanta is far from the first city to consider a widespread ban on right turns at red lights.
A ban in Washington D.C. takes effect next year. New York City, Denver, Indianapolis, Seattle, and Raleigh are among the areas that have severely limited or outright eliminated turns on red.
Councilman Dozier spoke to 11Alive's Rarione Maniece in January, and cited data including 38 pedestrian deaths in collisions with cars in 2022, amid a broader 50% rise in pedestrian deaths since 2020, as reasons for the legislation.
"I like to come Downtown a lot with my daughter, we go to Atlanta United matches, and we see all those folks that are coming down to Mercedes-Benz Stadium," Dozier said. "Too often cars, Ubers, Lyfts or whatever are just trying to get in and out and not really paying attention to the people around them."
He said the proposal was about enhancing the pedestrian experience in some of Atlanta's most walkable areas.
"It is the heart of our city and we want to make sure that people feel safe crossing the street," he said. "We want to make sure that pedestrians have a fighting chance when it comes to just trying to live their lives."