Just curious what places you can’t turn right (or left in places that drive on the left) after coming to a stop at a red traffic light?
Here in Ontario you can, but Quebec does not allow this. I believe most Provinces/States will let you turn, but I really don’t know for sure…
Thanks…
New York City doesn’t allow it in any of the five boroughs unless otherwise posted.
If you happen to be African American and are driving in New Jersey, it’s probable cause for a stop and frisk.
To paraphrase Woody Allen, in talking about Los Angeles:
“Just because you can make a right-on-red doesn’t make it a place worth living in.”
(Of course, the IMDB doesn’t have this quote on its page for the movie. Grr.)
You can’t turn right on a red light ANYWHERE if it’s prohibited by a posted sign.
In L.A., there are several intersections where right turns on red aren’t allowed, but nobody ever seems to pay heed to those signs until they get a ticket.
There is one or two intersections in NM that not only can you not turn right on red, YOU MUST HAVE A GREEN ARROW TO TURN RIGHT. This has to be the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard of! Whats the big idea?
Most intersections where right-on-red is prohibited that I’ve seen usually either a high pedestrian traffic area or an intersection where visibility for oncoming traffic is limited to a degree.
There’s an intersection of the latter type that I travel through frequently that I hate, because whenever I need to turn right there I always seem to get to the intersection just after the light turns red. The visibility at this intersection is hampered because traffic on the busy and speedy (40mph speed limit) cross street is coming out of a sweeping left-hand curve just before they enter the intersection. Cars appear around the curve very suddenly. The no turn on red sign is there for a good reason, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it!
In Washington State you can turn left from a two-way onto a one-way street after stopping at the red light. I love this law! How many hours of your life have you sat and waited at a red light with absolutely no traffic on the one-way street?
::chuckles at subject line::
I have nothing to add, just wanted to point that out. 
Its always fun to do that with a New Yorker in the car…
I don’t know about Canada, but for 20 years (01-Jan-81) there is a right-turn-on-red throughout the USA. Congress’ theory was to make traffic laws uniform throught the USA. For some reason, New York City was exempt of this law because of the prohibitive expense of putting up no-turn-on-red signs. I believe NYC is the only place. Here in Massachusetts, they went one better. In a thumb-your-nose-at-the-law gesture, Massachusetts put up a no-turn-on-red sign at every intersection, probably at federal expense. Incidentally, the right-turn law allows a left turn on a red signal if (and only if) both streets are one way and the driver will not pass across any traffic.
If you are turning left onto a one-way, there will be no oncoming traffic. The oncoming traffic would either yield and turn right or wait for a green light and go straight through the intersection.
I’m pretty sure Quebec just changed this law (i.e. within the last week or two.)
Since this hasn’t been restricted to just the US, I’ll add my own data point.
Turning any direction on red in Japan is illegal. All the foreigners I’ve talked with who’ve gotten Japanese licenses said that they were asked this question by the examiner. Probably because it’s legal in so many other places.
–sublight.
Quote: Here in Massachusetts, they went one better. In a thumb-your-nose-at-the-law gesture, Massachusetts put up a no-turn-on-red sign at every intersection.
Well, I live in Massachusetts, and there are hardly any of these signs; turning right on red is OK just about anywhere.
My friends from Germany always found it odd that we could go right through a red light (after stopping, of course). They thought it went against what a red light stood for: stopping.
No they haven’t…and it would be pure stupidity if they did with the way people drive here. At busy intersections we usually get a straight green arrow at first to allow the pedestrians to scramble out of the way before all those cars turning right mow them down…after about 45 seconds THEN you get the solid green which you can (obviously) turn on. If they are that careful with the green light I’m sure they will never allow the right turn on red…at least not in Montréal.
Oops…I should have checked up on this first. Apparently starting Jan. 15th certain municipalities in Quebec will allow right turns on red.
http://www.canada.com/cgi-bin/cp.asp?f=/news/nationalpost/stories/20001122/378858.html
But not in Montreal.
My recollection was that the primary rationale for the federal law was that it would save gas.
I’ve never been to Massachusetts, but I understand this was only in Boston. New York’s reason for getting the exemption was that they have lots of pedestrian traffic and right turn on red would cause too many accidents. I believe Boston wanted an exemption too, but couldn’t persuade the powers-that-be to give them one.
As IBBen pointed out, in Washington state you can do it from a two way road. That’s also true here in Oregon. But I think you can only do it if there’s no left turn signal.
North Tonawanda, New York is another city that doesn’t allow right turns at red lights. There’s a “NO TURN ON RED” sign at every signal in the city.
So add it. The IMDB quotes are all added by its users.