Police Crack Down on St. Cloud Red Light Runners

Just a few years in the past, after selecting up some take-out in Waite Park, I used to be rear-ended whereas at a cease gentle by a drunk driver who was working the purple gentle. He did not even see me stopped on the intersection in entrance of him.

I used to be okay. My automotive was totaled.

And the man did not have insurance coverage, so I received to pay my $500 deductible, too.

So, I do know first hand in regards to the risks of purple gentle working.

BAD DRIVERS IN ST. CLOUD?

There is a story of legend I’ve heard repeated over time right here within the Granite Metropolis. I do not know if it truly occurred, however the story entails a truck driver on Johnny Carson’s “The Tonight Present” who says St. Cloud is the worst place to drive.

Now, I do not consider we are the worst. However in the event you mentioned we had extra purple gentle runners than your typical metro space, I might consider that 100%.

And why do we now have so many drivers going via CLEARLY purple lights (taking a look at you semi-truck at Freeway 15 and Veterans Drive)? What number of instances do you will have a inexperienced or a left flip arrow and somebody two or three seconds later runs the purple proper in entrance of you? IT. HAPPENS. ALL. THE. TIME.

TOO MANY STOP LIGHTS

Merely mentioned, there are too many rattling cease lights in St. Cloud.

Severe.

Main thoroughfares — Second Avenue South, Division, Third Avenue North, Veterans — all have cease lights each few blocks. And if you wish to get wherever in a well timed method, you must pray for greens.

That, my good friend, hardly ever occurs. Oh, it DOES occur — however hardly ever. Extra typically, you will hit a number of purple lights in your quick journey.

Many people have quick consideration spans and quick fuses. So if we’re approaching an intersection and the lights flip yellow…that little voice typically tells us “gun it” and undergo the yellow which will have truly flip purple earlier than we make it via.

Generally folks simply run the sunshine as a result of they’re in a rush they usually assume they will get by with it.

Generally this ends very badly.

Based on The Insurance coverage Institute for Freeway Security, in 2021, 1,109 folks have been killed in crashes that concerned purple gentle working in America.

That is quite a lot of avoidable deaths, to not point out all of the folks harm and the property broken or destroyed.

So what is the reply?

ROUNDABOUTS

I am unsure what security statistics present for all these intersections with roundabouts which have popped-up lately throughout the St. Cloud metro. However from a driver’s perspective, I hardly ever must cease at a site visitors circle. If I DO must cease, it is for under a second. And though they’ve their very own points, site visitors circles/roundabouts preserve site visitors flowing at a slower pace and you do not have purple gentle runners.

LIGHT TIMING

I actually consider drivers would not run purple lights as typically in the event that they did not assume they’d get caught ready for what looks like an eternity at an intersection. Particularly once they have 5 extra units of lights straight forward.

STOP SIGNS, FLASHING REDS

What if we had some intersections that have been ALWAYS stopping intersections? If you realize you must cease at that intersection, you may plan for it. Yeah, it might be a ache, however you may plan for it. And it is probably safer as a result of it reduces speeds at a managed intersection.

MORE ENFORCEMENT

As anybody who commonly drives Veterans Drive close to the Nationwide Guard Armory is aware of, St. Cloud Police squad vehicles typically park within the Armory parking zone as a pace deterrent and to truly pull-over speeders. The pace restrict is 30 mph in that space and it would not take a lot to hurry.

Do I just like the police there on a regular basis? No. However one thing behind my thoughts tells me on Veterans, there is a pretty persistent pace lure and to SLOW. IT. DOWN.

It really works.

That is why regulation enforcement have been staging crackdowns on purple gentle runners not solely in Central Minnesota, however throughout the nation.

ST. CLOUD CRACKDOWN

In St. Cloud, Police Chief Jeff Oxton says his division just lately held a cease gentle enforcement element on Could 1 alongside the Freeway 15 hall the place at the very least two of these intersections are among the many high accident intersections within the state.

Oxton says three marked squad vehicles and one unmarked spotter performed enforcement at cease lights. The spotter would witness the violation, then marked squads can be notified by radio of the violation and would cease the automobile.

This enforcement ended with 15 citations and one arrest for driving beneath the affect.

“Enforcement efforts of the identical kind will proceed sooner or later,” he says.

The police chief has some recommendation for us all: “Finest recommendation is to decelerate and put together to cease at yellow lights and never attempt to pace as much as beat the purple.”

“Additionally, distracted driving additionally seemingly performs an element in drivers not realizing the sunshine they’re approaching is about to show purple.”