Recent collisions have councillor mulling ban on right turns at red lights

A recent string of vehicle collisions with pedestrians and cyclists, including a fatal incident in mid-July, has one Ottawa city councillor planning to ask the city to consider a ban on drivers turning right while facing a red light. 

Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster said Thursday she'll ask the city to mull options, including a city-wide ban and one just affecting the downtown core.

Troster, who sits on the city's public works and infrastructure committee, said she witnessed the aftermath of a collision at the corner of Lisgar and Elgin streets on Wednesday that left a male cyclist "in agony." Paramedics said he suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital in stable condition. 

Earlier on Wednesday, another cyclist was struck at Bank Street and Gladstone Avenue, sustained serious injuries, and was taken to hospital in serious but stable condition, according to paramedics.

Police said both collisions involved cyclists who, according to witness accounts, were traveling in the wrong direction while vehicles were executing lawful right turns.

Those incidents followed a more serious one on July 7, near a crosswalk at Elgin Street and Laurier Avenue W., in which a female pedestrian was hit by a truck and died. 

Troster said she's heard concerns about how banning right turns at red lights could negatively impact traffic flow but said the pros outweighed the cons.

"Our neighbourhoods need to be safe, and if it means slowing down the flow of traffic, even just a little bit to make sure that that person can make it across the street, it's worth it," she told CBC.

Local cycling advocacy group Bike Ottawa said it supported Troster's idea, adding that a more robust network of protected bike lanes in the city would help too. 

Beacon Hill-Cyrville Coun. Tim Tierney chairs the public works and infrastructure committee. He said he prefers a more targeted approach to improving pedestrian safety. Money from the city's speed cameras can help reconstruct intersections to make them safer, he said. 

While acknowledging that banning right turns at red lights would need to undergo professional evaluation by engineers, Tierney said such a measure struck him as potentially making things more dangerous. 

"Now [drivers will try] to turn at the same time all the pedestrians are crossing through the intersection, creating even greater conflict," he said. 

Total bans might also increase greenhouse gas emissions because vehicles are idling longer, Tierney added. 

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said that if there are downtown intersections where it makes sense to eliminate right turns on reds, "then we will look at that."

"Every intersection is different and there are different factors at play," he added. "We have to look at the evidence. I'm not sure that one solution applies to every intersection throughout downtown, but I'm willing to look at all the options."