Seattle adds 73 no-right-on-red intersections (Redmond, Sammamish: elementary school, live in, safety)

[homesinseattle]

Article link here: https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/...-intersections

"Seattle has added 73 intersections where right turns are banned at red lights, increasing its number of no-right-on-red signals by almost 75% since last year.

Why it matters: Drivers turning right on red are more likely to fail to yield to pedestrians and crash than drivers who turn when lights are green, some studies have found.

Yes, but: Many Seattle drivers seem unclear about the recent changes, judging by the level of honking at some of these intersections.

By the numbers: At the start of 2023, Seattle had about 100 intersections with "No Turn on Red" signs, according to the city Department of Transportation.

Now, there are 173 such intersections citywide.
The new no-right-on-red signals are located mostly downtown and along Aurora Avenue North.
Many intersections were updated between June and December, although others had signs posted earlier in the year.
The big picture: City officials are making "No Turn on Red" the default for new or upgraded traffic signals going forward.

It's part of the city's plan to reach its "Vision Zero" goal of ending traffic deaths and serious injuries on city streets by 2030.
What they're saying: "Let's not trade people's safety so people in cars can save a few seconds of waiting for their turn to go," SDOT director Greg Spotts said in a recent blog post.

Of note: In Seattle, right-turn-on-red crashes made up about 9% of all crashes with people walking at signal intersections from 2016 to 2020, according to the city".

[jabogitlu]

Tons of these are new in Belltown. As a frequent pedestrian in that area, I do have to say that the experience feels much safer. Drivers are (on average) less aggressive after these NROR were installed and everyone got used to them.

[rjshae]

There's an intersection near where I live that I avoid for the same reason. Drivers get too aggressive on right turns on red, and I was nearly struck several times before I learned not to walk across there.

[Hemlock140]

One of these is when you get off of I90 at the T-Mobile stadium, and turn right onto First Ave. It's been OK to turn right on red for so long that it's rare for anyone to actually wait. When I waited yesterday the car behind me honked. It's too bad they don't have it set by time of day like the one on East Lake Sammamish and SE 56th in Issaquah. When I pass through to work at 5:30am it seems silly to sit there 2-3 minutes with no cars coming across the whole time.

[jabogitlu]

Originally Posted by rjshae

There's an intersection near where I live that I avoid for the same reason. Drivers get too aggressive on right turns on red, and I was nearly struck several times before I learned not to walk across there.

Gotta train these insane Seattle drivers up right. If you carry an umbrella, baseball bat, or a hammer, and start swinging when you get to the intersection, they'll treat you correctly.

[mhays25]

Hands work too. I used to bang on soooo many fenders before WFH. Red light runners, crosswalk-blockers... Never got in a real fight but got close a few times.

[jabogitlu]

Originally Posted by mhays25

Hands work too. I used to bang on soooo many fenders before WFH. Red light runners, crosswalk-blockers... Never got in a real fight but got close a few times.

Thank you for doing the lord's work!

[NW4me]

Originally Posted by jabogitlu

Gotta train these insane Seattle drivers up right. If you carry an umbrella, baseball bat, or a hammer,
and start swinging when you get to the intersection, they'll treat you correctly.

Originally Posted by mhays25

Hands work too. I used to bang on soooo many fenders before WFH. Red light runners, crosswalk-blockers... Never got in a real fight but got close a few times.

Kudos to the local authorities for taking action to improve safety at intersections.

I'm just an occasional visitor, not a resident, but I haven't noticed much bad behavior by Seattle drivers...
didn't realize it was that prevalent. But I live in San Fran, so my standard of "well-behaved driver"
is a very low bar.

[leastprime]

We live in a high walk score part of Redmond. We have to be extremely careful in crossing certain streets. Always look before crossing the street as a pedestrian or on a bike. A car-truck is 10-100 times massive than a person. Conservation of energy-momentum will send anybody flying a good distance and probably not surviving the landing.

[Hemlock140]

Where we live in Sammamish is car-dependent with a walk score of 9/100, over a mile to the nearest business. Nonetheless, residents love to walk, in decent weather no a daylight hour goes by without someone walking by our house, often with a dog on a leash. For the most part drivers are good about safety because we are used to watching for the people walking. The only bad time is when the local elementary school is about to start and some of the parents are in a hurry and go zipping by, while there are kids along the side of the road (and no sidewalks).