Approximately three years after finishing its trial, a Brisbane politician is looking to bring back turning left on red lights. According to multiple online reports, Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has called on the state government to revive the road rule to ease the city’s traffic congestion.
Prior to the city finishing its trial, the traffic system was part of Brisbane for approximately eight years, and in that time it did improve traffic flow.
The road rule allowed drivers to turn left on red lights at various intersections in the city, provided they had given way to all other road users.
In a media statement, Mayor Schrinner said, “Reducing unnecessary delays will help keep Brisbane moving, which is why we support the use of left turn on red”.
“Our successful Brisbane trial of left turn on red proved it works and is safe. Drivers saved time by making more than 15 million left turns on red,” he added.
According to a 2021 report by the ABC, which referenced research by Queensland University’s Technology Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety, on average, Brisbane motorists saved nine seconds by using the road rule.
While it might not sound like a lot to the everyday driver, the eight-year trial saw 15 million movements through the permitted intersections, as reported by the ABC.
Despite helping ease traffic congestion, Brisbane authorities still decided to scrap the road rule amid safety risks for vulnerable road users.
In an interview with ABC Radio Brisbane, then Labor Minister of Transport Mark Bailey said, “essentially, for a very small time saving, there’s a real risk there to vulnerable road users, particularly pedestrians. The benefits just don't outweigh the safety risks for users of our roads”.
It’s worth noting that the turn left on red lights is nothing new in Australia, with various intersections in New South Wales, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory allowing drivers to perform the manoeuvre.
Does turning left on a red light save fuel?
Yes, turning left on red lights does generally save fuel. Perhaps the most famous real-life application of this road rule is the United Postal Service (UPS) policy of only conducting right-hand turns on red lights (as the US follows right-hand traffic).
While it might seem counterintuitive to avoid left turns, a 2017 report by Australian publication The Conversation said the courier “claims it uses 10 million gallons (approximately 37.8 million litres) less fuel, emits 20,000 tonnes less carbon dioxide and delivers 850,000 more packages every year”.
Jack Levis, the former UPS Senior Director of Process Management, told global news outlet CNN in 2017, “A left-hand turn is also less fuel efficient because your car’s idling longer, which is also not good for your vehicle”.
The postal service built its own navigation system, which it claims makes it more efficient for delivery drivers in comparison to commercially available models like Google Maps.
“We can differentiate more important left-hand turns from unimportant ones. Google Maps has no concept of not making a left-hand turn, it just shows the most direct way to reach your destination. We have the ability to penalise some of those,” Levis explained.
Additionally, the famous television show MythBusters simulated this traffic system around a 5.2-mile (8.4km) circuit. In the first test, the hosts used a combination of left and right-hand turns to deliver packages at six different locations along the route.
The hosts took 52 minutes to deliver each parcel, with the delivery truck consuming 6.8 pounds (approximately 3.084kg) of fuel in the process.
In the second test, the MythBusters hosts followed the right turn only route made famous by UPS and found that while they extended the total distance to 6.8 miles (approximately 10.9km) and total time to 61 minutes, the right-only method did lower their fuel consumption.
According to the MythBusters testing, the right-turn on red system led to their van consuming four pounds (approximately 1.81kg) of petrol, equating to an approximate fuel saving of 3 per cent.
Ethan Cardinal graduated with a Journalism degree in 2020 from La Trobe University and has been working in the fashion industry as a freelance writer prior to joining Drive in 2023. Ethan greatly enjoys investigating and reporting on the cross sections between automotive, lifestyle and culture. Ethan relishes the opportunity to explore how deep cars are intertwined within different industries and how they could affect both casual readers and car enthusiasts.
