Testimony on
HB 381 – State Highway Administration – Urban Core and Urban Center Traffic Control Devices –
No Turn on Red

Environment and Transportation Committee
Maryland House of Delegates
by Cheryl Cort

Date: February 12, 2026
Position: Support

Please accept these comments on behalf of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, the leading non-profit organization in the D.C. region, including suburban Maryland, advocating for walkable, bikeable, inclusive, transit-oriented communities as the most sustainable and equitable way for the DC region to grow and provide opportunities for all. 

We wish to express our support for HB 381 – No Turn on Red. Right Turn on Red prohibition in urban areas is a basic pedestrian safety rule. Safer streets for walking and biking are the foundation of successful main streets and downtowns. 

Right turns on red were rare as a practice before the 1970s when the federal government pushed state governments to permit right on red. In Europe that never happened, and no turn on red is still the rule. It’s not even posted on signs because it is understood that urban areas do not allow right on red. 

Transportation engineers in the United States now question the belief that right on red is more efficient for motor vehicle flow and does not take a toll on safety. Research shows significant increased right turn crashes for people walking and biking after the onset of allowing right turn on red in the 1970s. Recent assessments show that after the implementation of no turn on red,  failure-to-yield incidents and vehicle conflicts dropped dramatically. (source: Bill Schultheiss, PE, and Mariel Colman, PE, AICP, Toole Design, Right Turn on Red: It’s Time to Reconsider).

As for costs, we know that Montgomery County’s Dept of Transportation’s fiscal impact analysis for posting signage for no right on red was between $575,000 – $775,000 for 156 locations, or roughly $3,700 to $5,000 per intersection.

Regarding MD SHA context zones focusing no right on red in Urban Cores and Urban Centers. While we support this, we note this is a very limited set of areas. In fact, Prince George’s County has no Urban Cores, and only one Urban Center — University of Maryland at College Park campus. This is despite several main streets in Prince George’s that could and should be designated as Urban Centers.

We again want to express our support for this helpful safety bill and ask the committee for a favorable report. Thank you.