Drivers are no longer allowed to take right turns at any red light in Cambridge.
Drivers aren't legally allowed to turn right on red anymore in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
State law allows drivers to make right turns at red lights unless otherwise noted by "No turn on red" signs. Those signs now bar the maneuver at every traffic light in Cambridge.
Two years ago, city leaders approved the plan. The city recently finished installing signs at intersections.
"What happens when people are trying to turn right on red is that they are really focused on finding that gap in traffic in front of them, and then they frequently will not then double-check for pedestrians or bikes," said Cambridge Transportation Commissioner Brooke McKenna.
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She and the majority of the Cambridge City Council passed a resolution in 2022 banning drivers and cyclists from turning right on red to prioritize safety. This already applied to 80% of the city's intersection, but she says about 225 more signs were needed to make it clear.
"We do have a lot of people in Cambridge who are passing through, and since it's not the standard across the state, it's really important to have the 'No turn on red' signs,'" McKenna said.
Since 2019, Cambridge has averaged 157 crashes a year that are serious enough to require an emergency response.
The city says prohibiting right turns on red as part of its "Vision Zero" plan will ultimately save lives.
"We are not increasing enforcement of these violations, but CPD will always enforce when a violation is observed or if we receive community feedback," the Cambridge Police Department said in a statement.
The department added that it could not say how many tickets it had given out for illegal right turns at red lights because it falls under a broader law including illegal left turns.
