Turn left at red lights? Push to resurrect road rule in Brisbane

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has launched a renewed push to allow drivers to turn left at some red lights in Brisbane, which he spruiked as a practical solution to get congested traffic moving.

He told council on Tuesday he’d written to the state government asking for a law change permitting the road rule.

Brisbane City Council ran a trial from 2013 that eventually expanded to 50 intersections, but in 2021 the rollout was quashed by the former Labor government.

“If it’s good enough for Sydney, it’s good enough for Brisbane,” Schrinner said.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner is pushing to resurrect the left turn at red rule in Brisbane. Credit: Generic

“I’ve asked the Crisafulli government to … bring Queensland’s road rules into the 21st century.”

The rule allowed drivers to turn left at a red light at signposted intersections, if they’d come to a complete stop and given way to all other traffic.

Safety was flagged as a key concern by the former state government when it removed all approved intersections.

Schrinner told councillors this week more than 15 million cars were recorded during the initial trial, with just two crashes. No pedestrians or cyclists were hurt.

“It had a good safety record,” Schrinner said.

“That’s something that I think the wider community will support and something that we’re keen to continue progressing.

“It can help keep Brisbane moving, and it’s something practical we can do at a low cost to reduce delays for people.”

He did not outline which intersections the rule would apply at, but said only locations deemed safe would be considered.

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