When did right on red start in Massachusetts?

NO TURN ON RED, YOU SEE THE SIGN AT MORE THAN 70% OF ALL INTERSECTIONS IN CAMBRIDGE, BUT CITY LEADERS ARE LOOKING TO TAKE IT A STEP FURTHER. >> WE REALLY FELT LIKE IT WAS AN IMPORTANT SAFETY ISSUE TO BAN IT CITYWIDE. MARY: VICE MAYOR ALANNA MALLON IS LEADING THE CHARGE, SHE SAYS NEW YORK HAS LONG BANDIT TURNING ON RED -- BANNED TURNING ON RED TO PROTECT PEDESTRIANS AND CYCLISTS, AND SHE HOPES THIS SAFETY TREND SPREADS. SHE HOPES IT IS A SAFETY TREND THAT SPREADS. >> MAKE SURE WE’RE SAYING TO OUR NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES YOU SHOULD BE BANNING THESE APPROACHES AS WELL. MARY: CITY COUNCIL VOTED 7 TO 2 TO LEGALLY EXPLORE HOW IT COULD PASS SUCH A BAN, BUT ACKNOWLEDGED THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE FLEXIBILITY AND EXCEPTIONS, ESPECIALLY AT HEAVILY TRAVELED THOROUGHFARES LIKE ALEWIFE PARKWAY AND MEMORIAL DRIVE, WHERE NO TURN ON RED WOULD CRIPPLE TRAFFIC FLOW. CAMBRIDGE COUNCILOR PAUL TONER WAS ONE OF THE NO VOTES. >> I FEEL LIKE WE DON’T NEED IT BC RIGHT NOW OUR TRAFFIC DEPT HAS BEEN DOING IT FOR 30 YEARS, AND RATHER THAN ASK OUR CITY TO DO INVESTIGATORY WORK, WE CAN JUST KEEP GOING OUT PUTTING UP NO TURN ON RED SIGNS WHERE IT’S APPROPRIATE. MARY: CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS ARE ALSO A BIT SPLIT. >> I THINK THERE’S ENOUGH RESTRICTIONS ON TRAFFIC AND CARS RIGHT NOW. MARY: BUT ASK A BIKE LANE USER ABOUT THE BAN. >> NEW LANES, NEW RULES. YEAH. MARY: WOULD YOU FEEL SAFER? >> YEAH. FACTS. DEFINITELY. MARY: SO NOW THE PROPOSED BAN MOVES ALONG TO THE CITY SOLICITOR, MANAGER AND THE TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT. THEY HOPE TO HAVE ANSWERS BY YEARS END, AND THEN, THE CITY WOULD ALSO NEED TO WORK WITH

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Is right on red allowed in Massachusetts?
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Is right on red nationwide?

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Cambridge, Massachusetts lawmakers propose 'No turn on red' ban

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Updated: 11:35 PM EST Nov 7, 2022

A Massachusetts city that has already banned right turns on red at more than 70 percent of all of its intersections is now looking to take the traffic law a step further.The Cambridge, Massachusetts City Council voted 7 to 2 on Monday night how to legally explore if it could pass a right turn on red ban across the city. "We really felt like it was an important safety issue to ban it citywide," vice mayor Alanna Mallon said. Only one city in the United States has a no turn on red ban. The New York City law has been on the books for several decades. Washington D.C.'s City Council passed a law last month that would institute a similar ban, but that legislation still needs Congressional approval and would not take effect until Jan. 1, 2025.Montreal, Canada's second biggest city, which is a popular destination for New Englanders, also bans right turns on red. Mallon, who is leading the charge, says the measure protects pedestrians and cyclists and hopes the safety trend spreads. "We're saying to our neighboring communities you should be banning these approaches as well," Mallon said. The council acknowledged that there would have to be flexibility and exceptions to a potential city-wide rule, especially at heavily traveled thoroughfares like Alewife Parkway and Memorial Drive, which could potentially cripple traffic flow. "I feel like we don't need it because right now our traffic department has been doing it for 30 years," Cambridge city councilor Paul Toner, who was one of the no votes, said. "Rather than ask our city to do investigatory work, we can just keep going out putting up no turn on red signs where it's appropriate."According to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, drivers can make a right turn at a red light only after coming to a complete stop and yielding to pedestrians or other vehicles. "You may not turn on red if a no turn on red sign is posted," MassDOT's "Rules of the Road" guide says. "You can turn left on a red light when driving on a one-way street and turning left onto another one-way street."

There are so many rules of the road, so many signs, traffic signals, lines painted on the street, it can get confusing. But what about basic stuff? You know, like, the old red arrow on the traffic signal?

Slater and Marjo were discussing an issue with local intersection in Pittsfield, MA where there was a new traffic light installed accompanied by a "yield" sign. So, you've got to stop for the red light and THEN yield?

Now, we all pretty much know the rule for a solid red light. It means stop. However, unless signage is posted saying the contrary, turning right on red is permitted.

A red traffic light against a blue and cloudy sky

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A steady red circle means “stop.” Do not go until the light turns green. You can make a right turn on a red light only after you come to a complete stop and yield to pedestrians or other vehicles in your path. You may not turn on red if a NO TURN ON RED sign is posted. -

BUT, WHAT ABOUT A SOLID, NOT BLINKING, RED ARROW? CAN YOU TURN RIGHT?

Traffic light at night

konglinguang

You would think that a red arrow SPECIFICALLY means you cannot turn right while red, but, in actuality, you can.

A steady red arrow means the same as a steady red, circular signal. However, it only applies to vehicles going in the direction of the arrow. The same rules for “turning on red” apply in Massachusetts. -

So, for all the times I thought I was breaking the law by turning right on a solid red arrow, I guess I wasn't!

In other states, however, this same rule DOES NOT apply.

LOOK: The top holiday toys from the year you were born

With the holiday spirit in the air, it’s the perfect time to dive into the history of iconic holiday gifts. Using national toy archives and data curated by The Strong from 1920 to today, Stacker searched for products that caught hold of the public zeitgeist through novelty, innovation, kitsch, quirk, or simply great timing, and then rocketed to success.

LOOK: Here are the pets banned in each state

Because the regulation of exotic animals is left to states, some organizations, including The Humane Society of the United States, advocate for federal, standardized legislation that would ban owning large cats, bears, primates, and large poisonous snakes as pets.

Is right on red allowed in Massachusetts?

You can make a right turn on a red light only after you come to a complete stop and yield to pedestrians or other vehicles in your path. You may not turn on red if a NO TURN ON RED sign is posted. You can turn left on a red light when driving on a one-way street and turning left onto another one-way street.

When was right turn on red invented?

California first allowed drivers to turn right on red lights in 1939.

Is right on red legal in Boston?

According to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, drivers can make a right turn at a red light only after coming to a complete stop and yielding to pedestrians or other vehicles. "You may not turn on red if a no turn on red sign is posted," MassDOT's "Rules of the Road" guide says.

Is right on red nationwide?

All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico have allowed right turns on red since 1980, except where prohibited by a sign or where right turns are controlled by dedicated traffic signals.