This week I’ve driven past one of the intersections with cameras a half dozen times or so. Yes, I know I wouldn’t if I used the interstate, but I like the regular roads. I know that Knoxvillians got their panties all twisted over the cameras and I know what their arguments were. Every day, I watch the drivers pull into the intersection knowing that they are not going to be able to clear it and then just sit there in the middle of the intersection. The light eventually turns red and the ongoing traffic can’t move an inch because of the cars blocking the intersection. Then, and only then, do you see and hear the cameras clicking pictures. When that happened to the intersection blockers at the camera, I cheered. “Yay! You deserve a ticket Mr.Too-big-of-a-hurry-to wait-your-turn.” I’m evil that way.
You and GAC should get together.
I would contest a red-light ticket for blocking the intersection, unless the red light camera company can prove that the light was red before I started crossing the intesection.
Tennessee Code Annotated 55-8-110 says “(3) Red alone or “Stop”: (A) Vehicular traffic FACING THE SIGNAL shall stop BEFORE ENTERING the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection or, if none, then before entering the intersection and shall remain standing until green or “Go” is shown alone”.
If I’m already crossing the intersection when the light turns red, I’m not facing the signal; hence, I’m not breaking the law.
I LOVE the camera, because they issue the tickets to EVERYONE. Period. No looking for PBOE, or other Police Association Sitckers or Shields, no politicians getting a pass, etc. It tickets EVERYONE, including smartasses like Stormare Mackee (above) that can site the one law, but miss the whole point of “Don’t Block the Box” and the associated laws of “maintaining the flow of traffic.”
(But I am a smartass like that so…)
Latte Man, I appreciate your ad hominem, but if you’d ever turned through the intersection at Cedar Bluff & North Peters Rd coming from the interstate, you’d know that oftentimes motorists are blocking the intersection through no fault of their own. Right after the intersection there are several businesses, and cars stop to turn to those businesses, which stops traffic temporarily at the intersection. The only way to avoid this would be to cars turn one-by-one through the intersection, however, this would cause a gridlock at the interstate underpass. Go see yourself.
Last night (Thursday) at 9:15 PM, I was waiting at the red light in the far left lane, northbound, at the I-40/75 off-ramp intersection at Cedar Bluff Road. When it changed to green, I started to move and so did the northbound car to my right. Another car on the far right passed us and drove through the intersection onto the westbound interstate ramp. The camera triggered two quick flashes.
Ka-ching!!!