Atlanta City Council approves right turn on red ban in these neighborhoods

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A proposal to ban right turns at red lights in different parts of Atlanta was approved by the Atlanta City Council on Monday.

“At the end of the day, we’re here to save pedestrian lives, and really change how pedestrians feel when they’re trying to cross the street,” said Councilmember Jason Dozier, who was the lead sponsor of the legislation.

According to the proposal, right turns on red will be banned in Downtown Atlanta, Midtown and the Castleberry Hill neighborhoods.

Dozier estimated that “No-Turn” signs will be added to roughly 300 intersections in these three neighborhoods.

Drivers who violate the ban could receive a citation as soon as signage is posted referencing the no-turn policy.

Councilmember Dozier told Atlanta News First the Department of Transportation will be adding signs across the three neighborhoods on a rolling basis.

The legislation calls for all signs to be installed by December 2025.

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The proposal received enough support to pass, with 10 council members voting in favor, three against, and two abstaining. The three nays were Councilmembers Howard Shook, Antonio Lewis and Alex Wan.

This decision aims to address the issue of auto-pedestrian fatalities in the city.

“We’ve seen a 50% increase in pedestrian deaths since 2020, and 38 pedestrians died on Atlanta’s streets last year as a consequence. When cars are allowed to turn at red lights, they typically creep into crosswalks, with drivers looking only for oncoming cars rather than pedestrians or cyclists,” Dozier previously said.

Dozier suggested this could be a pilot with a goal of city-wide implementation.

“I hope that my colleagues see the positive impact that this has on the communities that we’ve started with. And they’ll be willing to explore citywide implementation,” said Dozier.

In a final substitute, the ordinance also stipulates that drivers also cannot turn left at red lights on one-way streets where a right turn isn’t possible.