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Council advances first-passage traffic amendments restricting some right-on-reds after months-long study
Summary
After multi-year committee work, the council advanced amendments restricting right-on-red turns at specified intersections as part of a broader traffic safety package; one proposed amendment to remove a right-on-red at Congress/Derby failed.
The Salem City Council advanced a set of traffic ordinance amendments Thursday that prohibit right turns on red at multiple intersections across the city, moving the package forward after years of committee discussion and review by the Transportation Division and police. The measures are part of a larger effort councilors described as prioritizing pedestrian safety.
Council debate was extensive. Supporters cited pedestrian safety, sight-line concerns and repeated near-misses. Councilor Marcello, who led the multi-year effort, cited crash and pedestrian-safety data considered by the Transportation Commission and said the changes reduce risk for vulnerable road users. Councilor Davis and Councilor Merkel said that even when crash records show few reported collisions, residents describe close calls that matter for safety.
Opponents warned about increased congestion and enforcement limits. Councilor Harvey and others said adding multiple no-right-on-red restrictions could worsen downtown gridlock, delay first-responder travel and increase idling emissions. Some councilors urged expanded enforcement tools such as camera enforcement rather than blanket turn prohibitions.
Councilor Jerslow moved an amendment to exclude one intersection (Congress Street at Derby Street) from the package, arguing that removing right-on-red there would push traffic into Pickering Wharf; the motion failed on a roll-call vote (8 nays, 3 ayes). Two scrivener corrections and two technical amendments recommended by committee and Councilor Cohen were adopted. The committee-recommended package then moved forward; votes on specific sections produced recorded tallies (multiple sections passed with 10-11 yeas and one or two nays depending on the section).
Councilors noted this is only part of a broader set of traffic-safety efforts: the Transportation Division will continue analyzing intersections, the police traffic division will be involved in enforcement planning, and councilors discussed the possibility of state-level authorization for automated enforcement.
