I remember reading about how walking is something like 10-15 times as dangerous on average as driving, at least on a per trip basis, and that cycling is much safer than walking, at least when no sidewalk is present.

The thing that's supposed to minimize the chance of right hooks when walking is the fact that the pedestrian is supposed to be capable of stopping instantly, unlike the cyclist. Where I live, signs remind motorists to YiELD to pedestrians on green when making turns. Right-on-red is only supposed to be performed after stopping, and making sure everyone else has cleared before proceeding (of course enforcement may be lax... I wonder what would happen if the PD went to some of the busier intersections with right-on-red and ticketed those who don't bother stopping). Right-on-red is designed to be a fuel-saving device, since people who could be on their way would be idling at the red otherwise. It's been adopted in most parts of the world where there are not huge crowds.

If you're dealing with a place with heavy pedestrian traffic, then right-on-red can be prohibited at intersections for that reason. Maybe a pedestrian-only phase can even be worked into the traffic signal. Of course pedestrian traffic has to be heavy enough to warrant such treatment.