One of the universal laws for a driver has always been the ability to turn right on a red light. 

But with the addition of “No Turn on Red” signs across downtown Columbia, that ability has essentially evaporated.

Many roads in Columbia are state roads, and many are being expanded or upgraded. Part of the changes include more “No Turn on Red” signs.

Columbia residents have many opinions on how they feel about the effectiveness of them. 

Trevor Fisch, a University of South Carolina student from New Jersey, said there’s no such sign where he’s from, so they’re a bit of a hassle.

“Yeah, I mean, there’s way too many down here,” Fisch said. “I mean, I’ve got to be able to turn on red, like, when no one’s coming. … The lights are so long anyways.”

Fisch is also not the only one to feel this way about the signs. Payton Walther, another USC student from New Jersey, also thinks the signs are unnecessary. 

“Turn on red, it doesn’t matter, because they’re like from 9 to 6, you can’t turn on red, but why does it matter?” Walther said. “Like, if someone has stopped at the other light, why does it matter if you turn on red?”

There’s a reason, said Hannah Robinson, media relations manager for the South Carolina Department of Transportation.

“The most common reason in Columbia, near the USC campus, is due to the amount of pedestrian traffic,” Robinson said in an email to the Carolina Reporter. “… Vehicles trying to make a right turn during a red light would be looking to their left for oncoming traffic and may not see pedestrians crossing from their right.”

The traffic light for the street pedestrians cross is typically red when people are allowed to walk across the street, which is exactly what Brien Rich, a Columbia resident, is confused about.

It would be good to turn right on red, because that’s when the pedestrians are out of the way, he said. And around USC, the pedestrians are everywhere. 

“Let’s just say (the pedestrians are) obeying the walk signs, right? If that’s happening, there literally is not a point in time for you to be able to turn right, because the moment the light turns green, when the walk sign turns on, people start walking,” Rich said. “And they pretty much walk until the walk sign turns off, and maybe one car can slip by, you know.” 

A lot of people feel the same way about the annoyance of the signs in their daily lives, but Declan Fear, a Columbia resident, thinks that they are a good device to have. 

“I think the pros are that it makes it a lot easier to walk around Five Points because you don’t have to look as many ways whenever you’re crossing the street,” Fear said. 

Columbia has about 50,000 students at its handful of colleges at any one time, according to Columbia Economic Development. When school is not in session, that means a good majority of those students will not even be in Columbia, which leaves the town to locals and a few college stragglers. 

“When kids are gone, the city’s basically empty half the year, and you’re just sitting at a red light for 3 minutes and there’s literally no one there,” Rich said. “I have to like illegally turn right on red or I’m going to be late.”

With the time that the signs add to a commute, although it may be 2 minutes or less, can still be a bit of an inconvenience when people are just trying to get home after a long day. 

“The only cons, I think, are very small,” Fear said. “It adds a teeny bit of time to people’s commute through Five Points.”

Whether people agree or disagree with the use of the signs, the law is the law – to the dismay of many. 

“I think the big question for me is like, what like, what is the purpose?” Rich said.