SFMTA delays vote on banning right turns at red lights anywhere in SF

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — San Francisco transit leaders are tabling a vote that could change just about any road in the city.

The SFMTA Board of Directors will wait to decide whether to ban right turns at red lights anywhere in San Francisco.

SFMTA talked until late Tuesday about plans to implement new restrictions at hundreds of intersections across Downtown neighborhoods.

SF transportation agency wants to expand ‘No Turn On Red’ restrictions in city

The signs will go up in an area that has seen the most accidents involving pedestrians.

One big sticking point – whether to make this a citywide ban.

There have been plenty of close calls on San Francisco city streets involving cars and pedestrians.

“I literally treat cars like they don’t see me because that’s for my own safety,” said Carl Compton of San Francisco.

SFMTA will soon ban drivers from making right turns during red lights at 200 intersections across Downtown neighborhoods including South of Market, Union Square, Chinatown, North Beach and the Financial District.

San Francisco’s traffic engineer approved all these locations for “no turn on red” signs.

“No turn on red” signs went up in the Tenderloin in 2021.

The SFMTA says that helped cut down on the number of people being hit by cars.

MORE: Why do we have right-on-red, and is it time to get rid of it?

The city has already given the green light for Downtown and SoMa to move forward with the new restrictions.

Now the SFMTA is expected to expand the policy to more neighborhoods.

The expansion is part of San Francisco Mayor London Breed’s plans to curb traffic deaths and serious injuries on city streets.

Advocates for pedestrians say the policy prevents drivers from driving into crosswalks.

Jodie Medeiros is with Walk San Francisco.

“Pedestrian number one capsulitis in all of our traffic violence. More than 50% of our annual fatalities are people crossing, walking in the crosswalk,” said Medeiros.

People who walk and bike in the city are mixed about the new policy.

MORE: To catch a speeder: 33 new speed cameras to be installed in SF

“It doesn’t work. I’m sorry. It doesn’t work,” said Carl Compton of San Francisco. “To put up a policy to make up for bad drivers seems like bad policy.”

“I think it’s a good idea. I think it’s more like an educational thing. People need to know it’s for their own good,” said Alvin Wong of San Francisco.

Many critics question how the new policy will be enforced given the number of.

“It is something we will be asked to be sure that it is enforced. And again, start with education before penalty,” said Medeiros.

We asked SFPD, the mayor’s office, and SFMTA if the city has the capacity to enforce this policy but haven’t gotten a response.

Traffic safety experts believe this “no turn on red policy” will keep people who walk or bike safe.

To be clear, this is not a citywide ban, as some advocates have hoped for. Seattle, Boston, and Washington, D.C. are also considering similar “no turn on red” policies.