Right-Turn-Only Rules Already in Effect at Key Downtown Intersection

Drivers navigating downtown Riverside now face right-turn-only restrictions at the Market and Sixth streets intersection as the City implements new traffic patterns while formal approval from the City Council is still pending.

The newly implemented 12-month pilot project, which began Jan. 22, prohibits through traffic and left turns on Sixth St. at Market St., forcing drivers to make right turns only in both eastbound and westbound directions.

The project will go directly to the City Council for review after a Transportation Board meeting scheduled for Wednesday was canceled due to lack of a quorum.

"Should the city decide not to approve the proposed 12-month pilot project, city staff will remove the constructed temporary improvements immediately," the staff report states.

The project follows a successful one-month pilot conducted from June 3 to July 7, 2024, which demonstrated improvements in traffic flow at the intersection.

The proposed changes are consistent with traffic mitigation measures required in the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Fox Plaza Project, which were also applied to "The Mark" apartment complex located on the southeast corner of Market Street at Sixth Street.

Safety is a major factor driving the proposed changes. During a four-year study period from July 2018 to June 2022, 30 collisions occurred at the intersection, including 12 broadside collisions.
"The twelve broadside collisions included westbound through and left turn movements and eastbound through and left turn movements, could all potentially be eliminated with the proposed right turn only movements along both directions on Sixth Street," according to the Local Roadway Safety Plan case study for the intersection.

Even during the one-month pilot project, two collisions occurred involving vehicles traveling westbound through the intersection despite the restrictions in place. As a result, the 12-month pilot includes additional delineators in the middle of the intersection to further restrict the prohibited movements.

The current implementation includes pavement markings, delineators, and signage to limit eastbound and westbound movements to right turns only on Sixth Street. The City removed an on-street parking stall on the north side of Sixth St. east of Market St. to accommodate the taper length directing vehicles to turn right.

Ten-foot gaps in the delineators allow for pedestrian movement in the north-south direction, and additional lane line markings have been installed to align bike lanes through the intersection.

The Public Works Department plans to host a meeting with business owners in the immediate area during the pilot project to receive input regarding the traffic circulation modifications, perceived impacts, and to gauge support for potential permanent improvements.

The pilot project costs about $7,500, with funding from the Public Works budget.

The City had to cancel the Transportation Board meeting scheduled for March 5, 2025, after only four of the required five board members showed up. As a result of the cancellation, all agenda items, including the Market St. and Sixth St. traffic circulation project, will go directly to the City Council for consideration.