Changes are coming to Phoenix intersections after the City Council approved a plan to lengthen yellow lights.
After conducting field studies at 12 intersections with the University of Arizona, the city’s Street Transportation Department recommended extending yellow lights to improve safety and reduce red-light running.
Director Kini Knudson stressed the change will not stop all red-light runners. For example, after extending the yellow light at three intersections, they saw a 60% reduction.
But when he did the math, Knudson said, “That’s about 500 red-light runners per week or nearly 73 red-light runners per day, and that is just for one intersection. So if that kind of driver behavior is extrapolated out over our 1,200 signalized intersections you are talking about more 87,000 red-light runners per day across our city.”
Changing all the lights will take about three years. The department has not determined which intersections will be addressed first but Knudson expects to rely on rankings compiled by the Maricopa Association of Governments based on crash data.
In February 2022, Phoenix leaders adopted a roadway strategy known as Vision Zero. It prioritizes safety so deaths and severe injuries are eliminated.
