Red Light Rewards: A Novel Approach to Slowing Down Drivers?

In recent years, US cities have struggled with high-speed crashes along residential corridors. Punitive measures such as speed cameras and fines have proven ineffective in curbing the issue. Two cities – Albuquerque and Portland – have experimented with a novel approach that rewards careful drivers rather than just punishing those who break speed limits.

By installing speed sensors that grant an early green light to drivers traveling at or below the posted limit, these cities aim to create a “virtual speed bump” that discourages speeding. The rest in red strategy has shown promising results in reducing high-speed crashes and injuries along specific stretches of road. In Albuquerque, officials credit the approach with a dramatic drop in crashes and injuries along one busy corridor.

However, experts caution that this may not be a silver bullet solution. Driver behavior can change without a broader education campaign, but it’s unclear whether drivers will become frustrated by sudden changes in traffic light timing, leading to decreased traffic flow rather than increased speed compliance. Jay Beeber, chief government affairs and policy officer for the National Motorists Association, notes that drivers may not be aware enough or attentive enough to adjust their speeds based on traffic light timing.

A 2023 study on five rural and urban roads in North Carolina found a 43% reduction in total crashes after implementing the rest in red approach around the clock. While speed sensors are not necessary for effective implementation, cities like Albuquerque and Portland have seen success with more advanced versions of rest in red. This strategy builds on existing traffic safety concepts such as speed cameras, which have been proven to prevent speeding.

Albuquerque has combined its rest in red approach with speed cameras near the affected corridor, making the strategy even stronger according to officials. However, other cities like Los Angeles briefly experimented with rest in red but eventually abandoned it due to concerns about driver frustration. Ultimately, whether rest in red can be scaled up and implemented effectively across different urban environments remains to be seen.

As Rebecca Sanders, a national safety practice leader at Fehr & Peers, notes, the concept seems to work best on roads built for high-capacity traffic during the day but less congested – and therefore more conducive to speeding – at night. The success of rest in red will also depend on whether drivers can adapt quickly enough to new traffic patterns.

Local residents have noticed a big difference since the implementation of rest in red, with some reporting that careful driving habits allow them to get every green light along their route. However, as one resident points out, “the moment that one person is there, it changes that whole route for everybody.” As cities continue to experiment with innovative traffic management strategies like rest in red, they must weigh the potential benefits against the risks.

Reducing high-speed crashes and injuries is a laudable goal, but cities must avoid creating new problems or exacerbating existing ones. By carefully monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of these approaches, we can better understand whether rest in red – or similar strategies – will become a staple of urban traffic management. As our cities grow and evolve, so too must our approach to managing traffic flow.

Whether it’s through punitive measures, education campaigns, or innovative technologies like rest in red, the key lies in finding solutions that balance competing interests while prioritizing public safety above all else.