Ban right turns on red at intersections, proposes Vancouver city councillor | Daily Hive

Posted sign banning right turns on the red-light traffic signal. (Bluestork/Shutterstock)

Vancouver city councillor Lucy Maloney of the OneCity Vancouver party has introduced a new member motion calling for new major vehicle turning restrictions on right turns at red-light traffic signal patterns across the city.

She asserts there is a need for such a ban as the practice is dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists at the intersections.

The proposal calls for City of Vancouver staff to explore city-wide measures that would prohibit right-turn-on-red movements in locations where they conflict with pedestrian safety programs or cycling infrastructure.

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These banned locations would include all intersections that feature, or are slated to feature, Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPIs); intersections where right-turning vehicles cross bike lanes, greenways, and multi-use paths; and signalized intersections with a history of high pedestrian or cyclist injury rates that are not already subject to such restrictions. The motion also directs staff to work with TransLink to apply these measures at intersections within the Major Road Network.

If adopted, these changes would mark one of the most significant intersection-safety reforms in Vancouver in years.

Maloney, a longtime cycling and road safety advocate who was elected to Vancouver City Council in the April 2025 by-election, cites research showing that permitting right turns during a red light significantly increases collision rates.

The City’s own data also indicate that conflicts involving right-turning vehicles are among the most common types of pedestrian collisions — many occurring when pedestrians cross with a walk signal. A 2015 City study similarly found that 13 per cent of cyclist-driver collisions happen during right-turn movements.

The provincial government also previously issued some literature supporting the prohibition as an effective intervention.

“Where Right Turn On Red (RTOR) is permitted, drivers must look for pedestrians crossing from the left and right, for cyclists approaching from the rear, while simultaneously trying to find a gap in the vehicle and cyclist stream crossing the intersection from the left. This is a highly complex scenario requiring high driver workload and greater risk of driver error,” reads the provincial government’s recommended safe roadway design guide in March 2018.

“With a site-specific prohibition on RTOR, drivers can only proceed to turn right on green. By separating road users from one another through time, this strongly reduces the likelihood of conflict between road users.”

According to the provincial government, in B.C., most of Canada, and the United States, laws were largely put into effect in the 1970s to enable drivers to make a right-turn-on-red unless posted signage notes it is not permitted at the intersection. In Europe, most default laws prohibit such a turn at the red signal.

The City has already been expanding its use of Leading Pedestrian Intervals, which give pedestrians a head start of several seconds before vehicles receive a green light. LPIs improve visibility and reinforces pedestrian right-of-way — but only if vehicles are prevented from turning right on red during that interval.

Her motion notes that banning right turns on red is increasingly common internationally. The Island of Montreal, New York City, and Washington, D.C. all have citywide prohibitions. A 2018 pilot project in Washington, D.C. saw dramatic reductions in conflicts, including a 97 per cent decrease in vehicle-to-vehicle conflicts and a 92 per cent drop in failures to yield to pedestrians. Seattle has also begun requiring right-turn-on-red restrictions at all new or upgraded signalized intersections.

In a separate member motion on road safety, city councillor Sean Orr of the COPE party is proposing a program for the City to measure how fast cars are actually driving at locations where people have been killed on Vancouver roads. The City would focus first on the most recent fatal crashes and aim to study about 20 sites each year, collecting speed data for at least two days — and ideally a full week — around the anniversary of each incident. To get the program started, Orr suggests using provincial grant funding to buy equipment or cover City staff/contractor costs.

Both motions by Maloney and Orr will be deliberated by City Council next week.

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