A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to Policy Order 2022 #283, regarding the feasibility of banning turns on red signal indications

Page1 of 2 MEMORANDUM To: Yi-an Huang, City Manager From: Brooke McKenna Acting Chief, Traffic, Parking, + Transportation Department Date: January 18, 2023 Subject: POR 2022 #:283 Feasibility of banning turns on red signal indications In response to the Council Order requesting a report on the feasibility of banning vehicles from making turns on red signal indications, we report the following: It is widely agreed upon that restricting turns on red is a significant safety improvement for vulnerable road users and drivers in most scenarios. The act of turning on red often requires a driver to advance into the crosswalk and/or designated bicycle area to look for a gap in cross-traffic. When a suitable gap in traffic is identified for the turn to take place, compliance for yielding to vulnerable road users whose space has been encroached upon is low. Allowing turns on red shifts a driver’s attention to finding the quickest way through the intersection and away from being aware of other road users around them. This increases the likelihood that vulnerable road users are injured during turns at locations where turning on red is allowed. By default, state law permits right turns after a complete stop at a steady red signal. See G.L. c. 89, §8. Left turns are also permitted at a steady red signal if traveling on a one- way street and turning onto another one-way street. In addition, the law permits local municipalities to restrict such turns by posting signage to that effect. As such, a turn on red is permitted under state law unless a “No Turn On Red” sign is posted. Due to the specific posting requirements under state law, the City cannot ban turns at red signal indications solely through a change to the City’s Traffic Regulations. Instead, a “No Turn on Red” sign must be posted at every location where such a restriction is deemed appropriate. Given that a wholesale ban of turns on red cannot be accomplished solely through a change to the City’s Traffic Regulations, we propose the following to achieve the goal of restricting turns on red at all locations other than those where such turns do not pose a safety issue: 1. The Traffic, Parking, + Transportation Department will develop a policy that outlines our position that most turns on red should not be permitted and details the exceptions where such restrictions are not needed. We will make the policy available on our website.

Page 2 of 2 2. By the end of 2023, the Department will identify and sign all locations where “No Turn on Red’ signs are needed and not already installed, as well as documenting any locations identified as safe for turns on red. The use of “No Turn On Red” restrictions is already widespread in Cambridge; approximately 80% of the City’s intersections already have “No Turn On Red” signs at one or more approaches to the intersection. 3. We will reach out to the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) to work towards restricting turns on red at all appropriate locations under State control. 4. A modification of the Cambridge Traffic Regulations to include a provision for a no left turn on red regulation by removing the “right” turn specificity in the existing regulation: Section 4.5 Traffic Control Legend: (c) Steady Red Signal (2) No driver of a vehicle facing a red indication shall make [any] a right turn where official “No Turn on Red” traffic signs are installed and maintained prohibiting such turn.