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Right turns on red — it’s time for a change

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/2026/02/23/right-turns-on...

By Brent Bellamy

OVER the past two years in Winnipeg, 25 pedestrians or cyclists have been killed in vehicle collisions.

More than one per month. On average, every second day in our city, a pedestrian or cyclist is struck and injured seriously enough to be reported to police. Every third day, one of those victims is sent to hospital.

Like most cities in Canada and the United States, Winnipeg has prioritized vehicles in its urban design since the last horse and buggy left the streets. In recent years, however, that has begun to change, with the city taking important steps to improve safety for vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists. These efforts include adding traffic-calming measures such as bike lanes, speed humps and narrowed intersections. Traffic lights with leading pedestrian intervals, which allow pedestrians to begin crossing five seconds before vehicles, have significantly improved safety downtown.

Despite this progress, those troubling collision statistics demonstrate how important it is to continue looking for solutions to make our city’s streets safer. Further action could include converting one-way streets back to two-way, lowering residential speed limits and accelerating the construction of protected infrastructure.

Many cities have also begun re-examining right turns on red (RTOR), a vehicle-prioritizing rule that exists in only two countries in the world. You can probably guess which ones. The policy originated in the United States during the 1970s Middle East oil embargo and was promoted as a fuel-saving measure to reduce idling at stop lights. Canadian cities soon followed suit, with only Montreal, New York City and, as of last year, Washington, D.C., prohibiting the practice.

Since its widespread implementation, RTOR has been a target of road safety advocates, criticized for prioritizing vehicle movement at intersections, where most collisions occur and where cyclists and pedestrians are most vulnerable.

When drivers approach an intersection intending to turn right on a red light, their attention is often directed to the left, searching for an opening in traffic to accelerate into, rather than carefully scanning for people crossing in front of them. This action also encourages drivers to make rolling stops or to stop as close as possible to the cross street, instead of stopping before the sidewalk. If you are a frequent pedestrian, you likely know the experience of trying to cross the street and finding a vehicle in the curb lane blocking the crosswalk in front of you as the driver looks for space in traffic to make the right turn into.

Findings from numerous studies conducted in different cities over many years support the safety concerns raised by advocates and intuitively felt by pedestrians. A recent large-scale study from San Jose State University analyzed California road data from 2011 to 2022 and found that ROTR movements were linked to 39,000 collisions and 134 pedestrian or cyclist fatalities during that time. The researchers also found that the increasing size of vehicles played a significant role in doubling the pedestrian fatality rate in right-turn collisions over those years.

Canadian studies reinforce these findings. A Toronto Public Health report found that right turns on red accounted for 13 per cent of all vehicle-pedestrian collisions in the city between 2008 and 2012. Similarly, after municipalities in Quebec outside of Montreal approved the practice in 2003, a Transport Québec study found it contributed to five deaths and more than 600 injuries in the first six years.

Collision statistics are essential for informing policy, but the perception of safety is often overlooked as a powerful factor shaping how people use streets and public spaces. Regardless of what the data shows, if people don’t feel safe walking, they are less likely to do so, making communities less walkable, less livable and less vibrant.

This is where even low-risk conflicts caused by RTOR movements, such as cars blocking crosswalks in front of pedestrians, become impactful. That uncertainty heightens the sense of vulnerability and creates a subtle but real deterrent to walking. Eliminating right turns on red lights helps reassert a clear hierarchy: when the light is red for drivers, pedestrian space is fully protected.

That clarity improves predictability, reduces hesitation and strengthens the perception of safety.

A recent study of 50 intersections in San Francisco found that eliminating RTOR reduced vehicles blocking crosswalks by 70 per cent and cut close calls by 80 per cent. A 2019 pilot project in Washington, D.C., which led to the recent citywide ban of ROTR, resulted in a 92 per cent reduction in drivers failing to yield to pedestrians.

A 2025 study by the Canadian Automobile Association went beyond collision data to examine “near-miss” interactions at 20 intersections across Canada, including Winnipeg, using 360-degree cameras and AI analytics. It found that about nine per cent of pedestrians at busy intersections experienced conflicts with vehicles, more than half involving right-turning cars while the pedestrian had the right of way. Although most incidents were low to medium risk, they play a critical role in shaping the pedestrian experience and perception of safety.

Winnipeg has made important strides to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists, but collision data show that much more must be done to protect the city’s most vulnerable road users. Right turns on red, a seemingly minor traffic rule, has consistently been linked to collisions, near misses and a diminished sense of safety for pedestrians and cyclists. Eliminating the practice in higher-pedestrian, established neighbourhoods could reduce actual risk while restoring predictability and confidence, encouraging more walking and biking and making streets more livable and vibrant.

By pairing thoughtful infrastructure improvements with policies that prioritize people over vehicles, Winnipeg can continue moving toward streets that are safer, more accessible and truly welcoming for everyone.

Brent Bellamy is creative director at Number Ten Architectural Group.