A Staten Island lawmaker wants drivers in his borough exempted from New York City’s right-on-red ban.
Councilmember Frank Morano, a Republican, introduced legislation last month that would require the city transportation department to study intersections in the borough where the rule could be lifted.
New York City is a rare place where the ban is in effect. Most everywhere else in the country allows drivers to turn right at red lights, so long as they make a complete stop and mind incoming traffic. But Morano argues Staten Island isn’t like the other four boroughs, and shouldn’t be subject to the same traffic laws.
“ Staten Island is much more like, from a driver's perspective, the rest of the state and places like New Jersey,” Morano said. “So I've always felt that we should have the ability to make right turns on red, right turns at intersections where there's a red light as the rest of the state does, unless of course, it's not safe to do so.”
The study envisioned by Morano’s bill would focus on a select number of intersections in the borough where it could be safe to lift the ban. He said it would factor in each corner’s visibility, space to turn, car traffic and pedestrian activity.
Staten Islanders were mixed on the proposal, with some seeing it as a way to speed up their commutes and others raising concerns over the safety of pedestrians, particularly children.
Morano suggested a handful of intersections in the borough’s Annadale neighborhood that could be included as part of the study.
One of those intersections at Amboy Road and Huguenot Avenue is right next to Tottenville High School and the Richard H. Hungerford School, where locals said hundreds of kids flood the sidewalks every morning and afternoon.
Christine Devito said allowing right turns on red lights at the intersection would imperil schoolchildren.
“The high school’s right there and there’s always kids crossing the street here,” said Devito, 52, as she sat in her car at the intersection. “As much as I would love to be able to turn right on red, it’s more important for the kids to be safe.”
“Better safe than sorry,” she added.
Drivers near an intersection near Elias Bernstein Intermediate School — another corner targeted by Morano’s proposed study — said the crossing is devoid of foot traffic while kids are in school. Local motorist Tony Forna said the ban actually makes the area more dangerous because drivers tend to rush to make right turns before the light changes.
“We always wait here at lights and it’s actually dangerous for the kids that are coming out of school,” said Forna, 52. “When the light turns red, people are still trying to turn.”
The city’s transportation department said right turns are allowed at red lights at just 305 locations across the city, and 186 of them are on Staten Island. DOT spokesperson Scott Gastel said those intersections have clear visibility and sufficient gaps in traffic to turn safely.
“ It's not ideological. It's totally practical. It's not meant to be a left-right issue,” Morano said. “It's about engineering, safety, data and real-world traffic conditions on Staten Island, which, for better or worse, are different than the rest of the city.”
