The Atlanta City Council Transportation Committee voted to hold the proposal to bar turning right at red lights for another cycle as its sponsor, Councilman Jason Dozier, told fellow lawmakers the City’s Law Department and Department of Transportation are working to “cross our Ts and dot our Is” to perfect the ordinance.

“I know many of y’all see a lot of the cars in this city don’t always yield to pedestrians as we try to cross in crosswalks, big old SUVs encroaching in crosswalks,” said Dozier. “We want to save lives at the end of the day.”

Dozier said this ordinance (Ordinance 24-O-1011) would add to some of the things the City DOT is already doing to improve pedestrian safety.

“This is a really efficient, low-hanging-fruit way to help support that effort. Cities across the country are already doing it, and it’s something that Atlanta would help be able to lead the way on,” he says.

Councilman Antonio Lewis explained that he did not sign on to the ordinance as proposed over concerns that it could lead to selective enforcement or profiling by police.

“We know that traffic stops have led to Black folk dying, particularly in this city right here,” said Lewis.

Dozier countered that the law would not rely solely on enforcement--that there would be significant signage and education surrounding the intersections changed to become no-right-on-red ones. He notes Atlanta already has similar intersections, including some near City Hall.

Councilwoman Keisha Sean Waites says she supports the legislation, but hopes for an amendment which would consider the huge events Atlanta hosts in the downtown area, in particular around the Baker Street corridor.

“The larger hotels--Marriott Marquis, Hyatt, Hilton--where there are massive conventions there, we would be sitting there forever trying to make a right turn if you were to enforce something like this,” said Waites.

The Transportation Committee’s next regularly-scheduled meeting is January 31, 2024.

©2024 Cox Media Group