Cities across the United States are tackling chronic speeding on residential corridors by deploying dynamic “rest in red” traffic signals that default to red until an approaching vehicle is detected. Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Portland, Oregon, have upgraded this traffic safety concept by adding speed sensors that grant an early green light only to drivers traveling at or below the posted speed limit, effectively rewarding law-abiding motorists while halting speeders.
Albuquerque Curbs Corridor Speeding Through Rewarded Signals
Officials in Albuquerque spent years struggling to curb high-speed crashes along Lead and Coal avenues, a pair of parallel one-way streets cutting through a residential corridor. Traditional enforcement methods, such as simply punishing lead-footed drivers, failed to solve the problem, according to municipal leaders.
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The city ultimately turned to a dynamic traffic signal system that defaults to red. By integrating speed sensors, the system grants an early green light to motorists driving at or below the speed limit, while forcing speeders to stop at a red light. Jennifer Turner, Albuquerque’s director of municipal development, noted that the technology serves as its own advertisement. According to Turner, drivers quickly learn that speeding results in a red light.
Local residents report a noticeable change in neighborhood safety. Isaac Romero, who lives along the corridor, said he used to wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of drivers racing and witnessed multiple severe crashes, including one vehicle that ended up in a neighbor’s yard and another that slammed into a tree and shook his entire house. Romero stated that the new signal configuration has drastically reduced the number of vehicles flying down the street.
Portland Deploys Virtual Speed Bumps on Southeast Powell Boulevard
Portland recently implemented a similar traffic management strategy during late-night hours on Southeast Powell Boulevard, a busy state highway with a history of crashes and fatalities. Peter Koonce, who manages signals and street lighting for the city, described the approach as a “virtual speed bump.”
Early testing yielded promising results. According to Koonce, the rest-in-red system lowered average speeds at the first tested intersection from 63 km/h (39 mph) down to the posted 48 km/h (30 mph) speed limit. Researchers from Oregon State University assisted Portland in selecting its vehicle detection monitoring system and are currently evaluating its performance.
David Hurwitz, a professor of transportation engineering leading the Oregon State study, cautioned that it is still too early to draw sweeping conclusions. While Hurwitz noted that the method for increasing speed compliance appears to work well and holds potential, he emphasized that further research is needed to ensure speed gains are not offset by unintended consequences, such as an increase in drivers running red lights.
Pro Tip: According to transportation experts, rest-in-red systems tend to achieve the best results on high-capacity roads that experience heavy traffic during the day but become wide open and prone to excessive speeding at night.
National Advocacy Concerns and Alternative Strategies
Despite promising local metrics, transportation analysts and motorist advocates question whether the traffic signal strategy can change driver habits on a broad scale. Jay Beeber, chief government affairs and policy officer for the National Motorists Association, argued that changing behavior requires a comprehensive education campaign rather than automated signal changes.
Beeber expressed skepticism regarding driver attentiveness, stating that motorists will likely grow frustrated at unexpected red lights without understanding the underlying cause. Additionally, transportation consulting firm Fehr & Peers national safety practice leader Rebecca Sanders noted that while Boulder, Colorado, and Long Beach, California, have tested targeted efforts, Los Angeles previously experimented briefly with feedback signs that triggered red lights for speeding vehicles.
Other jurisdictions have explored variations without speed sensors. Aaron Moody, a spokesperson for the North Carolina Department of Transportation, pointed to a 2023 study across five rural and urban roads showing a 43% reduction in total crashes after implementing a standard 24/7 rest-in-red setup that halts all approaching vehicles equally without granting early green lights to compliant drivers.
In Albuquerque, officials paired the sensor-based signals with three nearby speed cameras to reinforce compliance. However, local resident Isaac Romero noted that community-wide cooperation remains essential, observing that a single speeding motorist can disrupt the green-light progression for an entire platoon of cars.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a “rest in red” traffic signal?
A rest-in-red traffic signal is a traffic control setting where signals default to showing a red light until an approaching vehicle is detected, rather than defaulting to green.
How do Albuquerque and Portland differ from traditional systems?
Unlike basic systems that simply halt traffic, Albuquerque and Portland use integrated speed sensors to grant an earlier green light specifically to drivers traveling at or below the posted speed limit.
Have studies proven the effectiveness of these signals?
Early data shows significant drops in speeds and crashes. Portland officials reported average speeds dropping from 63 km/h to 48 km/h, and a North Carolina Department of Transportation study noted a 43% crash reduction on tested roads, though researchers continue to study potential downsides like red-light running.
What are your thoughts on using traffic signals to manage speeds? Have you encountered similar systems in your city? Share your perspective in the comments below, and subscribe to our newsletter for more urban infrastructure updates.
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