Right on red can only make matters worse for beleaguered Staten Island pedestrians. It would also stand as a bad precedent for future attempts by pro-motoring attempts to extend the rule to the rest of NYC. In fact, the City Council's outgoing transportation chair, Noach Dear, has already stated that he viewed right-on-red in Staten Island as a test case for the rest of the city.

In the Senate, the bill has advanced to a third reading, which allows the bill to be acted upon. The Senate has approved the legislation in two of the last three sessions. However in the Assembly, the bill is in the transportation committee where a similar bill submitted by Assembly Member Elizabeth Connelly in previous sessions never made it to the floor for a vote.

Mayor Giuliani opposes the bill. The city's recent memo in opposition presents a cogent argument for the status quo, which authorizes right-on-red on a case-by-case basis (Staten Island in fact has many right-on-red intersections that have been OK'd by the city DOT). "...this legislation...would severely jeopardize public safety… allowing right-turn-on-red on Staten Island poses a threat not only to other vehicles, but to pedestrians as well." The memo notes that both NHTSA and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety have both found that vehicle crashes with pedestrians and cyclists tend to increase after right-on-red has been authorized.

In NYC, the leading cause of pedestrian fatalities is vehicles turning into pedestrians in crosswalks (see Right-of-Way's Killed by Automobile study which studied fatal crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists from 1994-1997 - MTR #212). Right on red can only worsen the situation.

Borough President Molinari has also made press statements saying right-on-red could make intersections less safe, and has refused to support the legislation. However, City Council Member and S.I. Borough President candidate Jerome O'Donovan has submitted a City Council resolution to support the state legislation. The Staten Island Advance also supports the change.