Spokane council approves pilot ban on turns on red in Riverside to improve pedestrian safety

The Spokane City Council on Monday approved a resolution authorizing a pilot ban on turns on red in the Riverside neighborhood to enhance pedestrian safety.

The measure, sponsored by Council member Zippone and Council President Wilkerson, comes after public commenters and safety advocates cited recent pedestrian fatalities and national research showing turns on red increase conflicts. "In the last decade, Spokane's Riverside neighborhood has had 19 pedestrian fatalities," said Eric Lowe, a Riverside resident, during public comment. "The study found that turns on red are unsafe for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers."

Why it matters: Council members and community members said the policy targets an area with repeated deadly and near‑miss collisions and could reduce driver-to-pedestrian conflicts quickly and at low cost if paired with clear signage and public education. Opponents, including several downtown residents, said the ban would not solve issues they described as tied to drug use, enforcement gaps, and chaotic downtown behavior.

Supporters pointed to research and local experience. Council member Dylan said the policy is evidence-based and could be the start of broader changes, citing an Institute of Traffic Engineers study that showed large reductions in driver-to-driver and vehicle‑pedestrian conflicts where similar restrictions were installed with consistent signage and education. "This really is a low cost safety tool that I think will be really positive change for the city of Spokane," Dylan said. Council member Cathcart said signage must be conspicuous to prevent confusing pedestrians who might step into intersections thinking turns are disallowed.

Public commenters were split. Abby Sachs, who said she works near Maine and Brown, described repeated close encounters when drivers turned while she had a walk signal and urged the council to expand the ban citywide. Will Hewings (appearing as Will Hewings in the record) and other speakers said enforcement should focus on existing laws and on addressing people they described as unpredictable pedestrians; Hewings opposed the resolution. Several commenters asked the city to combine the policy with leading pedestrian intervals and stronger enforcement.

Discussion versus decision: Council debate focused on safety data, signage design, enforcement needs, and whether the ban should begin as a neighborhood pilot. Council members who supported the resolution emphasized that complementary education and automated enforcement would increase effectiveness. The council voted to approve the Riverside pilot; the roll-call tally was not recorded in the transcript record provided.

The council indicated the ban would be implemented with attention to signage and public outreach; members said they expect to monitor results and consider expansion to other high‑crash corridors.

Ending: Council members said the change is intended as a first step, not a final solution. Dylan asked staff to track outcomes and community feedback so the city can evaluate whether to broaden the restriction or add engineering changes.