News | Peachtree City

Green light? Not good enough

Tue, 03/03/2009 - 5:00pm
By: John Munford

PTC police to ticket drivers caught in middle of rush hour intersection at hwys. 54/74

Peachtree City police are warning motorists they are targeting drivers who obstruct intersections, particularly at Ga. highways 54 and 74.

Officers will be “taking appropriate enforcement action” on motorists who block the intersection, officials said. Such incidents appear to occur more frequently during the evening rush hour between 5 and 6 p.m., police said.

Police noted they have received numerous complaints about vehicles blocking the 54/74 intersection.

According to Georgia code 40-6-205, a green or yellow light does not control a motorist’s right to enter an intersection if there is not room on the “other side” of the intersection for the vehicle.

Specifically, the code states that drivers may not enter an intersection “unless there is sufficient space on the other side of the intersection to accommodate the vehicle he is operating without obstructing the passage of other vehicles or pedestrians, notwithstanding any traffic-control signal indication to proceed,” police noted.

Police will monitor the intersection and “take appropriate enforcement action in accordance with Georgia law,” officials said in a recent news release.

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Finally, Thank God!
cowtipn's picture
Submitted by cowtipn on Mon, 03/09/2009 - 2:42pm.

I had PTC police on my speed-dial over the past few year to report people blocking the intersection. This is the best news I've heard in a while.

There are other cities that park empty police cars at troublesome intersections like this and it definitely works too!

Way to go guys!


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Pass the popcorn....
Submitted by scribbler on Wed, 03/04/2009 - 11:21pm.

The intersection is quite complex--

Everyone can operate in good faith and safety, in accordance with the traffic control devices in all directions; yet with plenty of time to spare upon entering the intersection.

AND YOU CAN STILL get hung out to dry in the middle of this 54/74 wonderland through no fault of your own-- particularly turning onto GA-54W from northbound lanes of GA-74 at evening rush hour.

AND THEN you get a ticket --- ???

Methinks there are better options than aggressive ticket-writing:

(1) Design improvements -- and/or -- Additional coordination of traffic flow & lights "downstream" of this area,

(2) Posting traffic officers in the heart of the intersection to direct and control traffic flow during peak hours...

Just food for thought...

Let's be careful out there!

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Finally?! Is this what it takes?
Submitted by Civic on Wed, 03/04/2009 - 6:47pm.

So they are finally going to start ticketing. That what they are saying atleast. could this have to do with a tight budget or is it just giving the police another reason to harass the population of PTC?

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green light ?
Submitted by Money minder on Wed, 03/04/2009 - 1:41pm.

This has always been illegal, why now and why not every intersection?
it's about time. but then again the people follow the example thats set by our police officers and lord knows they wouldn't do that.

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It's about time
JAFO 72's picture
Submitted by JAFO 72 on Tue, 03/03/2009 - 5:20pm.

“Ignorance can be fixed. Stupidity is forever”


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