When David Greaves was a college student, he was struck by a vehicle making a right turn at a red light as he cycled through a crosswalk along West End Avenue.
The collision went unreported. Greaves said he thought he was fine.
But though he walked away relatively unscathed that day, his story’s especially relevant years later as Nashvillians debate the merits of banning right turns at red traffic lights. A Metro Nashville Council bill proposing such a ban, starting with about 60 intersections mostly located within the heart of downtown and near school zones, is in the thick of its process toward approval.
The latest turn in the debate was a Sept. 22 community meeting at Cannery Hall, hosted by downtown council member Jacob Kupin and District 32
council member Sandra Sepulveda, the bill’s main sponsor.
Sepulveda told the room that with 28 pedestrians and bicyclists dead after being struck by drivers in Nashville this year to date, and another more than 300 left seriously injured, she thought something needed to happen to stop the trend.
Greaves was one of the several dozen Nashvillians in the room Sept. 22, some of them pedestrian safety advocates and others downtown stakeholders, looking to hear more from the council members and representatives with the Nashville Department of Transportation and the Metro Nashville Police Department about how exactly the proposal would work.
There were points of frustration, like when one downtown neighbor spoke about how residents in the area weren’t consulted about the proposal. Some in the room wondered whether city officials were considering more possible pedestrian safety solutions than just this one, while others asked for more specific data about precisely how many pedestrian deaths have resulted from a collision while a driver turns right on red.
The data’s not perfect. Capt. James Williams, who oversees the Metro Nashville Police Department’s traffic division, said MNPD has issued 225 citations so far this year for drivers turning right at red traffic lights at intersections where the practice is already forbidden. But some instances go unreported when officers elect to only issue warnings instead, though Williams noted that MNPD does keep track of repeat offenders regardless.
And tracking exactly where crashes like these occur is complicated by MNPD incident reports that, according to NDOT Deputy Director Derek Hagerty, only indicate whether a crash was within a few hundred feet of a crosswalk, rather than a more precise location.
“We look at data, then it doesn’t capture everything that actually happens,” Greaves said of the debate. “And it’s really important to understand that, you know, we can eliminate these dangers happening, and we don’t need to wait for people to die.”
But there were also some examples shared of where limits to right turns at red lights already appear to be working in Nashville. Williams said throughout the county from the start of 2025 through Aug. 3, 2026, there were just four crashes involving a pedestrian or bicyclist being hit by a driver reported at intersections where turning right on red is already forbidden, compared to 49 at intersections where right turns on red are permitted.
It’s clear that the ban isn’t intended to be a one-size-fits-all solution, though. Hagerty said it’ll take more than just one tool to address Nashville’s rash of pedestrian deaths and injuries this year.
Greaves, for his part, was struck by a vehicle while cycling once again just two months ago, but this time by a car that ran a red light while he was cycling through an intersection with a green left turn arrow. The debate will continue from here, with the bill set to return to Nashville Council agendas starting next month.
“I hope that we see the intended results,” Greaves said.
Austin Hornbostel is the Metro reporter for The Tennessean. Have a question about local government you want an answer to? Reach him at ahornbostel@tennessean.com.
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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Will right turn on red ban keep pedestrians safe? What numbers show
