NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nashville drivers could soon face new restrictions at red lights across much of the city. Metro Council is weighing a proposal that would ban most right turns on red within the Urban Services District as part of a broader effort to reduce traffic deaths and serious injuries.
District 16 Council Member Ginny Welsch, one of the bill’s sponsors, said Nashville’s roads have become increasingly dangerous.
“We know overall that the streets of Nashville are extremely dangerous. For the past several years, we’ve had over 100 people killed on our roads,” Welsch said.
The bill is led by Council Member Sandra Sepulveda and co-sponsored by Welsch and others. It is part of Nashville’s Vision Zero initiative, which aims to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries.
“So this is just one tool in our toolbox to implement Vision Zero, the goal of which is to eliminate all pedestrian deaths, all deaths on the street,” Welsch said.
Welsch said driver behavior at red lights is a key factor behind the push for the ban.
“We know a lot of people are injured because of right turn on red. We know that people don’t stop on right turns on red. They kind of roll through the stop,” Welsch said.
Some residents say the change would make them feel safer. Jen Swanlund, a nurse who lives in the area, said the current rules create dangerous situations for people on foot.
“I don’t think it’s a bad idea with the way the traffic is around here and how many accidents there are. It might be good if it was just one rule and nobody had to worry about when they could turn,” Swanlund said.
Swanlund said she has experienced close calls while walking home.
“Well, I have a lot of days where I’m walking home, and somebody almost hits me because they don’t look both ways and they turn on red because they were only looking for oncoming traffic,” Swanlund said.
Others expressed concerns off camera that the ban could create more traffic delays and confusion for drivers. Welsch pushed back on those concerns, pointing to intersections where similar restrictions are already in place.
“We have seen that this small thing has really had a positive impact on keeping people alive on the streets,” Welsch said.
The bill receives its first reading at Metro Council on Tuesday. If approved, the new rules would take effect 150 days after the ordinance is enacted.
Under the proposal, the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure would install “No Turn on Red” signs at signalized intersections throughout the Urban Services District. Transportation officials could still permit right turns on red at certain intersections following an engineering and safety study. Emergency vehicles responding to emergencies would be exempt from the ban.
The city would also launch a public education campaign before full enforcement begins. During the first 90 days after implementation, Metro Council is requesting that officers issue warnings in most cases unless a violation contributes to a crash or creates an immediate danger to another roadway user.
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