#ITE (the Institute of Transportation Engineers) began recommending #RTOR (right turn on red) as a fuel saving measure in 1986. ITE rescinded that guidance in September 2019, writing:
"The existing [recommendation] fails to provide a sufficiently robust analysis of the impacts, especially with regards to the potential impacts on the safety of #pedestrians using #crosswalks."
ITE's full statement on rescinding the RTOR recommendation:
https://www.ite.org/pub/?id=B59F0054-B3AE-FD5C-81E5-62E18920B5DC
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So, since first recommending the use of right turn on red in urban settings 37 years ago, ITE has determined a) they don't know whether allowing RTOR was safe for pedestrians, b) there was never enough data to support allowing RTOR, and c) it's no longer OK to prioritize traffic flow over safety.
The notion of getting rid of RTOR is becoming increasingly popular, with multiple media outlets arguing for its demise (e.g., https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2022/10/right-turn-on-red-ban-washington-dc-gas-crisis/)
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Yet in most US states, turning right on a red light is still allowed by default.
There's no evidence #RTOR does what it was meant to do: save fuel.
There is evidence that it increases the risks to pedestrians even when (especially when) they are using crosswalks and following traffic signals.
There's widespread acknowledgment that our longstanding focus on traffic flow kills people.
Why are we still turning right on red? This is the lowest of the low hanging fruit. Ban #RTOR.
@DrTCombs Traffic lights need to do more to recognize when there is a danger and turn green if you can safely go. Self driving cars prove we can see cars, bikes and pedestrians (mostly), put the same technology on traffic lights and now we can save fuel by having it turn green before you arrive when it is safe and you have slowed down to a reasonable speed (something else that can be sensed - want to enforce speed limits, just ensure that someone who drives the limit has less red lights!). Many traffic lights around me have various barriers that a driver cannot see through/around easily so the cameras/sensors can be put where it drivers cannot see and so get a better understanding of what is going on.
@bluGill Cameras are actually still pretty bad at recognizing pedestrians though, whether they are on cars or on poles. And they are bad systematically, and they can be hacked. Clarifiying and simplifying the rules such as "red means don't go, always" would do a whole lot more to improve safety.
If traffic lights aren't in a location where drivers see them, that's a different problem that ought to be reported as an emergency.
