Posted on 08/05/2026 6:34:54 PM PDT by Red Badger
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.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Patsy.Montesinos@NewsChannel5.com
I am a conservative and I support banning right turn on red. Because it has become abused with people not stopping at all before turning right and that is the hazzard.
I also support the goals of Vision Zero. Throw me out of the group if you don’t like it.
I am very involved in pedestrian and bicycle safety issues here in Portland Maine. We have had a committee that advocates on these issues. The committee looks at the issues with a mostly sceintific outlook before deciding to support or oppose an issue.
Musical Interlude:
Nashville Cats (1967) (Luvin’ Spoonfull)
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There’s thirteen hundred and fifty-two guitar pickers in Nashville
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrvFx9-qTHI
We have many “No Turn on Red” intersections here in Florida for that very reason.
Not all intersections are engineered for ROR..............
These is no right on red on the EU, Asia or India nor left on red in the UK or Australia it’s purely a made up thing from the 1970s and the oil crisis in the US to reduce idling at stop lights nothing more nothing less. It’s not some grand freedom it was like the 55mph speedlimits designed to save fuel during a crisis. Stop acting like it’s a birth right it’s not and half the signaled.intersections in major 5-6 lane metros already have no turn on red to keep mouth breathers from hitting peds or pulling across 3 lanes of traffic.without looking.
how about just ticket them if they don’t come to a full stop?
That doesn’t tell me who those women are.................
I don’t know where they’re looking because everyone has extra dark tinted windows now, especially the gang bangers.
Some European visitors for the World Cup were really confused about signs that read, “No Turn On Red”. Apparently, they don’t allow right turns on red over there ever.
I was once sitting at a red light where almost all people turn right but I was going straight through the intersection. The guy behind me gave short “toot-toot” on his horn. I didn’t move because the light was still red. Then he gave a longer “toooooooot-tooooooot” and motioned with his hand for me to turn right. I still didn’t move because the light was still red and I rolled down my window and pointed up at the light. THAT really ticked him off. He stood on the horn and was waving his arms around like a crazy man motioning for me to go on to the right. After the light turned green, I went straight through the intersection. I don’t know what the guy did, but he didn’t catch up to me and apologize.
My experience in Phoenix is that there is a certain percentage who ignore “No Right Turn on Red” signs. The is an off ramp on Priest Dr off Route 60 here that has poor visibility of cars coming out of the underpass, but cars make the right turn on red. Crashes do happen there at times. Not as bas at at 40th Street and Baseline Road, where “Go Straight on Red” is observed by some drivers if it turned red less than 6 seconds earlier. Both my wife and I were honked at for NOT going through a fresh red light, which means the car behind intended to go through too.
Both of my uber drivers in Nashville were from California.
IMO, that wouldn't fix the problem completely. Right-turning drivers who do look to their left to ensure the lane is clear usually focus where you'd expect - the cross-traffic back at the intersection. There's now a big problem with drivers in a left-turn lane (cross street heading opposite of the right-turning car) getting a green arrow... and instead of turning left, they pull a U-turn right in front of the right-on-red traffic. I've seen three such accidents in as many weeks, one of them a very hard hit with a wheel sheared off and bouncing through traffic. It's all due to people missing turns due to smartphone distraction, then being too impatient to find a safe place to turn around.
But orthogonal to auto make is race and gender...
right-on-red was mandated by Federal legislation in 1975 as a requirement to receive certain Federal funds ... only exceptions are for banning it at specific intersections for safety purposes ...
The jerks that think people riding on bicycles have some right to be on the road are the ones pushing the hardest to end right turns on red, for obvious reasons.
I visited my son in Tennessee, and that’s the first thing I noticed. People didn’t use their turn signals.
Dead pedestrians reduce carbon load ev3n further.
Win-win
These jackwagons make left-hand turns by slowly egging their way into the traffic, cutting off cars, and making the left.
Turn signals are an option in many cases.
.......
Is there any other way?
A crumpled right front fender is POWER in Boston.
Nothing to lose, man!
well, the laws of physics prove that if this situation was to be left alone, the number of deaths would decrease on their own!! just sayin...
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