Right Turn on Red With a Conflicting Pedestrian
You are stopped at a red light in Edmonton, first in line in the right lane, intending to turn right. The cross street has a marked crosswalk on your right. A pedestrian is walking toward your corner from the far side, currently about 6 m from your curb, moving at a steady pace. A vehicle behind you is close and has edged forward, and its driver has gestured impatiently. The light for the cross traffic is green. There is a bus stopped in the curb lane on the cross street about 30 m to your right, partially blocking your view of that lane.
1. May you turn right on the red? What conditions must be satisfied, and do they hold here?
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A right turn on red is permitted in Alberta only after a full stop and only if you yield to pedestrians and cross traffic - it is never a right of way.
Conditions and whether they hold:
- Full stop first: yes, you're stopped.
- Yield to pedestrians in or approaching the crosswalk: the pedestrian is 6 m from your curb and closing - they will be in your path. You must wait.
- Yield to cross traffic: the cross-street light is green, and the bus 30 m to the right blocks your view of that lane. You cannot confirm the lane is clear.
- Pressure from behind: the impatient driver and close gap are irrelevant to the legal duty - yielding is mandatory regardless.
Conclusion: no, not yet. You must wait for the pedestrian to clear your path and get a clear view past the bus before turning. The blocked sightline is the hidden trap - a vehicle could be approaching in that lane unseen.
2. The pedestrian clears and the bus begins to pull away. What is your final check before turning, and why is the impatient driver a hazard rather than a reason to hurry?
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Final check: with the bus moving, re-scan the cross-street lane it was hiding - a vehicle may have been approaching behind or beside the bus and is now revealed. Confirm the lane is clear, check your right mirror and blind spot for cyclists or a vehicle trying to pass on your right, then turn into the nearest legal lane without swinging wide.
Why the impatient driver is a hazard, not a cue:
- Their gesture creates social pressure to turn before it's safe - the classic cause of right-turn-on-red collisions with pedestrians and cross traffic.
- If you turn early and they follow closely, a sudden stop by you (e.g., for a late pedestrian) risks a rear-end hit; if you turn into a gap that isn't there, you risk a side impact.
- Your legal duty to yield does not change because someone behind you is annoyed.
Judgement: the safe turn happens only when you have verified the pedestrian is clear and the previously hidden lane is empty - never because the driver behind you is in a hurry.