Ottawa could eliminate red reverts at intersections
City councillors will soon debate whether to get rid of a red light technology that some say is dangerous for cyclists.
Red reverts, also called “revert reds,” pose a safety hazard to people on bikes, according to some councillors and cycling advocates.
Coun. Jeff Leiper is bringing a report to the city’s transportation committee next month aimed at putting an end to the practice.
“If you’re a pedestrian or you’re a driver you have some expectations about how a traffic light is going to behave. If you see that the traffic that’s crosswise gets an amber or a yellow light you have a really strong expectation that you’re about to get a green,” Leiper says.
“If an intersection detects that there is a cyclist at it that cyclist should get a green light no matter whether they’ve left the dots or not. The number of times there is a false detection of some sort has got to be minuscule in the grand scheme of however millions of vehicle movements we have in the city every year.”
What are red reverts?
A red revert occurs when a vehicle trips a sensor at an intersection, leading to a traffic light change.
Before the light changes, the sensor does a final check to ensure there’s still a car or bike on the sensor.
If there is, the light turns green. But if not, the light stays red and the crossing street returns to a green light after five seconds.
Where multi-use pathways intersect with busy city streets, those vehicles are most often bicycles. The danger comes in if cyclists start biking when the light in the opposing direction turns red, to maximize their time crossing the intersection.
“Should a person on a bike move off the sensor before the traffic light has turned green, a red revert will result in them ending up in the middle of the intersection while traffic in the crossing directions reverts to green, resulting in a safety hazard,” the report on Leiper’s motion says.
What is being proposed?
Leiper is proposing that multi-use pathway traffic signals hold the call for the light to change back to green, even if the bike moves off the sensor area. The adjustment would be made at signalized intersections that have a bike lane.
“While laws such as the Highway Traffic Act may expect street users to behave in a certain manner, street design should take into account observed behaviour, including human error - in this instance, by providing a buffer to ensure that people on bikes do not risk significant personal injury or even death because they moved off a sensor early and entered an intersection against the light,” the report says.
Eliminating red reverts would provide protection similar to all-way red lights at intersections, or timing signals at busy intersections that allow pedestrians to walk before vehicles get a green light.
The city announced in March that 192 intersections with sensors would be programmed with amber locks, which ensure the light stays green if the cyclist stays on the sensor until the end of the yellow light on the main street. Thirty-four intersections have this technology now, but Leiper’s report says the amber lock has not met residents’ expectations.
City officials opposed
City staff, including police and fire services, transit services and the public works department, are opposed to eliminating red reverts.
Ottawa Fire Services is concerned that the change would affect response times.
“Efficiencies in service delivery, realized through years of analysis and refinement, could be jeopardized,” they said in the report.
OC Transpo staff are concerned that some bus routes would have longer travel times, resulting in the potential for lower ridership and higher operating costs.
And city public works staff say the change would have a “significant impact’ on the city’s 1,000 intersections that work with detectors, including more instances of running red lights and jay walking, as well as delays and traffic congestion.
Leiper says the city needs to strike a balance.
“It keeps traffic flowing but the risk is that someone who doesn’t understand how the lights work is facing catastrophic injury or death,” says Leiper. “For the time savings that we’re talking about it’s not an appropriate balance to strike.”
Dave Robertson was crossing at an intersection along Carling Avenue late at night in early November. The light changed, but he moved off the sensor before the sensor’s ‘final check’. His expectation was the light would turn green; however, as he advanced through the intersection, the light never changed and the green light was returned to oncoming traffic.
“Some of us are aware of them and know where they exist, but this was at an intersection where I haven’t seen revert reds before,” says Robertson. “I didn’t really realize that traffic was going to be moving at me … I had a car running straight at me and didn’t expect that and it was scary.”
Robertson says the light has since been re-programmed and a sign has been installed to inform cyclist of how the system works, but adds his case was a perfect example of how people can be caught.
“I’d like the city to be sure that they focus on safety,” says Robertson. “If this is a type of signalization that’s going to potentially endanger lives, then I think they better review and consider removing these lights.”
Transportation committee will discuss the report at its Dec. 1 meeting.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.