NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A split-second decision behind the wheel could soon come with a longer wait at some Nashville intersections.
Metro leaders are weighing a plan to ban right turns on red at 59 of the city's busiest pedestrian intersections. Supporters say the change could save lives, while critics worry it could create new traffic headaches.
Council member Sandra Sepulveda is leading the push. Her original proposal covered more than 700 intersections across Nashville, but an updated version narrows that down to 59 locations, most of them downtown and near high-pedestrian areas and school zones.
"This isn't going to happen overnight. Obviously, we are going to do a lot of educating for our general public," Sepulveda said.
"We have had so many pedestrian deaths in a few seconds, which is quite literally a few seconds of people being late, I think, is something that should not affect the possibility of saving a life, right?" Sepulveda said.
"It's just a couple of more seconds that you would be waiting at specific intersections, but there's the possibility that we save a life. And to me, that's absolutely worth it. No one should have to die when they are walking to work, walking to school, walking home. Everyone should make it back at the end of the day," Sepulveda said.
Metro Council member Rollin Horton said the intersections were selected with safety in mind.
"Primarily located in the downtown core, where we have the highest number of pedestrians, as well as in school zone districts, where we have children who we want to make sure are safe walking to school," Horton said.
City data shows right turns on red have led to at least 22 pedestrian injuries and one death since the start of 2025. Cities including New York, Atlanta, Seattle and Jersey City have implemented similar restrictions in busy downtown areas.
Because most of the intersections are downtown, Sepulveda and Councilmember Jacob Kupin hosted a community meeting Tuesday with neighbors and business owners.
"My message is that I'm committed to making sure that my constituents have a voice," Kupin said.
Some who attended the meeting support the proposal, including one resident who described the stakes as personal.
"As a person who's legally blind, downtown is the only part of the city that I can live in without a car," the resident said.
"And so every little moment that I'm in the street is a moment that I am vulnerable to being struck by a car. And so the fewer times we can have cars turning in intersections, the more easily I can cross safely without running the risk of being hit," the resident said.
"Well, I have a lot of days where I'm walking home, and somebody almost hits me because they don't look both ways and they turn on red because they were only looking for oncoming traffic," another pedestrian said.
Others worried the change could create traffic backups and confusion for drivers, and some residents said they want more community input before the proposal moves forward.
"I hope that this is not something that is rushed. I hope that the council lady or the council members and NDOT can engage in a meaningful way with the folks that own property that are at each of these 59 intersections to discuss with them one-on-one," one attendee said.
Horton said the impact on drivers would likely be minimal.
"With the amended legislation, the typical delay any driver could expect is less than 40 seconds if they run into one of these affected intersections. The remainder of intersections in Nashville will remain the same," Horton said.
NDOT says it supports the scaled-back proposal. Horton also said the plan aligns with Nashville's Vision Zero strategy and the city's Connect Downtown study, both aimed at improving pedestrian safety and walkability.
The proposal still needs two more Metro Council votes before it can become law.
Affected intersections:
| Signal ID | Location |
|---|---|
| 1010 | 1st Avenue North/Church Street |
| 1020 | 1st Avenue South/Demonbreun Street |
| 1040 | 2nd Avenue South/Chestnut Street |
| 1060 | 2nd Avenue North/Church Street |
| 1120 | 2nd Avenue North/Union Street |
| 1150 | 3rd Avenue North/Church Street |
| 1155 | 3rd Avenue North/Commerce Street |
| 1170 | 3rd Avenue South/Demonbreun Street |
| 1220 | 3rd Avenue North/Union Street |
| 1260 | 4th Avenue North/Church Street |
| 1270 | 4th Avenue North/Commerce Street |
| 1290 | 4th Avenue South/Demonbreun Street |
| 1295 | 4th Avenue South/Korean Veterans Boulevard |
| 1370 | Rep John Lewis Way N/Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd |
| 1380 | Rep John Lewis Way N/Church Street |
| 1390 | Rep John Lewis Way N/Commerce Street |
| 1395 | Rep John Lewis Way N/Deaderick Street |
| 1400 | Rep John Lewis Way S/Demonbreun Street |
| 1430 | Rep John Lewis Way S/Korean Veterans Boulevard |
| 1440 | Rep John Lewis Way N/Union Street |
| 1445 | 6th Avenue/Broadway |
| 1460 | 6th Avenue North/Church Street |
| 1490 | 6th Avenue South/Demonbreun Street |
| 1495 | 6th Avenue South/Korean Veterans Boulevard |
| 1520 | 6th Avenue North/Union Street |
| 1530 | 7th Avenue/Broadway |
| 1550 | 7th Avenue North/Church Street |
| 1560 | 7th Avenue North/Commerce Street |
| 1590 | 7th Avenue South/McGavock Street |
| 1620 | 8th Avenue/Broadway |
| 1650 | 8th Avenue North/Church Street |
| 1680 | 8th Avenue North/Commerce Street |
| 1800 | 8th Avenue South/McGavock Street |
| 1875 | 9th Avenue North/Buchanan Street |
| 1880 | 9th Avenue/Broadway |
| 1900 | 9th Avenue North/Commerce Street |
| 1910 | 10th Avenue/Broadway |
| 1920 | 10th Avenue North/Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd |
| 1930 | 10th Avenue South/Demonbreun Street |
| 1950 | 11th Avenue North/Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd |
| 1961 | 11th Avenue North/Grundy Street |
| 1965 | 11th Avenue South/Pine Street |
| 1970 | 12th Avenue/Broadway |
| 1980 | 12th Avenue South/Demonbreun Street |
| 1990 | 12th Avenue South/Division Street |
| 2100 | 14th Avenue South/Demonbreun Street |
| 2200 | 17th Avenue North/Jo Johnston Avenue |
| 2245 | 18th Avenue North/Jo Johnston Avenue |
| 2305 | 20th Avenue North/Charlotte Avenue |
| 2473 | 24th Avenue South/Blakemore Avenue |
| 2478 | 25th Avenue South/Blakemore Avenue |
| 2491 | 25th Avenue South/Children's Way |
| 2680 | 49th Avenue North/Charlotte Avenue |
| 2805 | South 7th Street/Main Street |
| 2808 | South 10th Street/Main Street |
| 2820 | South 10th Street/Woodland Street |
| 3495 | Gallatin Pike/Broadmoor Drive |
| 4485 | Old Murfreesboro Road/Smith Springs Road |
| 4569 | Nolensville Pike/Casa Azafran |
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Patsy.Montesinos@NewsChannel5.
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