Politics
Nashville plans downtown no-right-on-red signs as councilmember drops bill
Metro Councilmember Sandra Sepulveda has withdrawn legislation that would have barred right turns on red at 59 intersections, saying NDOT will put restrictions in place administratively instead. The first 14 locations are downtown, with implementation expected within two weeks, she said.
Nashville drivers could soon face no-right-turn-on-red restrictions at selected intersections, even though Metro Councilmember Sandra Sepulveda has withdrawn the bill she introduced to create them.
Sepulveda said the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure will move ahead administratively with restrictions at intersections where officials determine they are needed. The proposal had initially covered hundreds of signalized intersections before being narrowed during council debate to 59.
The first 14 intersections are downtown and are expected to receive restrictions within two weeks, Sepulveda said. Work at the remaining locations among the 59 is expected to begin in three to four months. She said NDOT will also study more than 200 additional intersections.
The 59 locations were identified using pedestrian activity, crash history and proximity to destinations such as schools and parks. They include intersections along Broadway and Church Street downtown, as well as locations on Charlotte Avenue, Gallatin Pike and Nolensville Pike.
“The goal was simple, you know, to protect as many pedestrians as we could and prevent people from dying,” Sepulveda said.
The safety effort comes as Metro officials report 28 people walking or biking have been killed on Nashville roads so far this year. That exceeds the 27 deaths recorded during all of 2025.
Sepulveda said she plans to keep meeting with NDOT to ensure the changes proceed. She described the withdrawal as a shift in how the restrictions will be implemented, rather than an end to the effort to improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.