Resident asks Council to ban right turns on red at key downtown intersections to protect pedestrians

A resident urged the Saint Charles City Council on Oct. 6 to consider making three signalized downtown intersections no-turn-on-red at all times to improve pedestrian safety.

Ted Laskiewicz, who identified himself as a Saint Charles resident, asked the Council to consider the intersections of Main Street at Third Street, Main Street at Second Street and Main Street at Riverside Avenue. He said right-turning drivers often have to creep forward to see oncoming traffic, which places vehicles into pedestrian crosswalks and can place pedestrians at risk.

Laskiewicz cited Saint Charles Police Department annual-report crash listings for recent years to show these intersections have appeared in the city’s top crash-location lists (2021–2024). He also referenced a 2020 fatal pedestrian crash and said the upcoming downtown festival will increase pedestrian and vehicle traffic, heightening the need to consider no-turn-on-red restrictions for pedestrian safety.

What was requested: Convert the three named signalized intersections to no-turn-on-red at all times to reduce vehicle encroachment into crosswalks and protect pedestrians during normal and high-traffic events.

What the Council did: The item was presented as public comment; the transcript records the request and the statistics cited but contains no Council motion or recorded action on the request during the meeting.