Right on Red: The Culture War Comes for Traffic Lights

[djg21]

Nothing terribly surprising, but it’s an interesting article.

This election year has surfaced all kinds of demographic divides in American politics: Men vs. women, childless people vs. parents, cats vs. dogs, MMA fans vs. Swifties.

But a pair of obscure provisions that passed the GOP-run House Appropriations Committee shows that another divide is driving politics in 2024: Republican motorists vs. Democratic pedestrians.
. . . .

The provisions are not just a case of earnest traffic-engineering wonkery sneaking into Congressional oversight. They represent a culture-war cause just as real as D.C.’s needle-exchange efforts or mask mandates, two other targets of current GOP riders. At the core of it is the politically revealing question of cars versus other ways of getting around.

In blue cities across the country, local road policy in the past decade has been tweaked in the name of making things safer and more enticing for non-drivers — often by making things slower and more annoying for motorists.
. . . .

Just about every study that I’ve seen shows that [right turn on red] increases crashes,” Sam Schwartz, the prominent traffic engineer and former New York City traffic commissioner, told me.

“Right now we’re seeing this surge in pedestrian crashes. It is often pedestrians and bicyclists who get caught in the crosswalk.”

Schwartz doesn’t buy the idea that there’s something unfair about impinging on motorists’ domain. “The pedestrian was here first,” he said, noting that Americans used to be free to cross streets wherever they wanted. “The pedestrian got corralled.” (Schwartz told me that the term “jaywalking” was originally a slam against rubes who would come to cities and not know that you could only cross at the corner: “A jay was a hayseed,” he said.)

That is, to put it mildly, not the point of view among conservatives

https://www.politico.com/news/magazi...icans-00174179

[Bob Ross]

Coincidentally, twice in the past 24 hours I have seen motorists here making a left on red!!!

It wouldn't surprise me if there is an underlying political bias to any/all of this traffic misbehavior.

[eddief]

right here in Santa Rosa, CA they have just slurry sealed the entire downtown and applied a fresh batch of paint lines everywhere. To that end it appears to be in favor of "traffic calming" and painted bike lanes by reducing two lanes of car traffic in each direction to one lane each plus bike lanes each.

It looks cool and new but, even as a cyclist, I wonder about the cost benefit analysis of the dollars spent, the slowing of car traffic, and the relatively minor amount of bicycle traffic that will ever take advantage.

[robt57]

See this a lot in Portland on lefts onto one way multi lane roads. Like folks coming off the I-205 bypass.

As a cyclist, I can say most of my almosts are right turns on red drivers that mostly skip over the stop parts, or even slow down.

This is when I cross with the walk light being on.


Just googled this: Oregon does allow drivers to make a left turn on red, but only when turning onto a one-way street.

[Bruce K]

Little known traffic law (and I hope they changed it), but here in Massachusetts it is legal to make a left turn on red if the street you are entering is one-way.

BK

[paredown]

Originally Posted by Bruce K

Little known traffic law (and I hope they changed it), but here in Massachusetts it is legal to make a left turn on red if the street you are entering is one-way.

BK

Used to be true for Vancouver, BC as well. Haven't driven there for a number of years so I have no idea if it is still legal to do so.

[vertr]

We have a lot of these signs and seattle and they get ignored frequently. Many of the signs are there to protect cyclists specifically who are in a two-way protected bike lane that gets their own time in the light cycle. Drivers will turn right into cyclists who have the green because the protected bike lane is on one side of the street or the other, not both.

[sg8357]

Here we use Italian traffic light laws.

Green = Go
Yellow = Go faster
Red = Go very fast

[slowpoke]

Originally Posted by eddief

To that end it appears to be in favor of "traffic calming" and painted bike lanes by reducing two lanes of car traffic in each direction to one lane each plus bike lanes each.

There's a saying among bike commuting wonks that paint is not protection. I.e. it's not really proper infrastructure.

[reuben]

Originally Posted by slowpoke

There's a saying among bike commuting wonks that paint is not protection. I.e. it's not really proper infrastructure.

And it's slippery when wet.

[dustyrider]

And to think I’d just be happy to see people actually stop at red lights.
Look out for yourself cause nobody else is!

[bikinchris]

Originally Posted by Bob Ross

Coincidentally, twice in the past 24 hours I have seen motorists here making a left on red!!!

It wouldn't surprise me if there is an underlying political bias to any/all of this traffic misbehavior.

In most places, if you are ON a one way street and turning left onto a one way street, you can turn left on red after coming to a complete stop. But only from the far left lane and onto the far left lane.

[Peter P.]

The number of drivers who are oblivious to the "No Turn On Red" signs amazes me. Are they illiterate or selfish?

[Alistair]

FWIW, right turn on red (well, left, since they drive backwards) doesn’t exist in the UK and they seem to be fine.

Right on red doesn’t seem to impact me much as a pedestrian - but the roads I cross on my walk to work are either fully signaled (for cars and peds) or four way stops. I can’t think of a road near me that I’d cross while cars going the same direction have a red (and cross traffic has the green). What I really hate is having my walk signal coincide with car traffic. IE cars are making right on green right into me while I have the crossing signal. I waited patiently instead of playing frogger, but people still try to kill me. Not a month goes by that I don’t yell at, gesture at, or smack a car that ignored my signal and turned right into me. So many drivers are self-entitled, uncaring assholes.

[Alistair]

Originally Posted by Peter P.

The number of drivers who are oblivious to the "No Turn On Red" signs amazes me. Are they illiterate or selfish?

Based on other behavior, selfish.