Godfrey Timmins
Question:60 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for the Environment if he will amend the law to permit car drivers to go left when traffic lights are red where there is no traffic approaching from the opposite direction.
Written Answers. - Road Traffic Act Amendment.
The question of permitting "left turn on red" in the circumstances suggested was examined by my Department in 1987 when the conclusion was that the potential adverse safety implications would outweigh any advantages in terms of traffic flow, lower exhaust emissions and fuel saving. In the circumstances, it is not my intention to change the law in this regard. It is, of course, permissible for local authorities, with the consent of the Garda, to make provisions, through traffic signs and signals at particular junctions, to allow leftturning movements where these can be accommodated without adverse safety implications.