8 October 2018

Police crack down on motorists running red lights and flouting road rules at Canberra intersections

| Glynis Quinlan
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Despite getting traffic lights in April last year, the Barton Highway/William Slim/Gundaroo Drive intersection is still one of the problem locations to be targeted by police. Image supplied.

Despite getting traffic lights in April last year, the Barton Highway/William Slim/Gundaroo Drive intersection is still one of the problem locations to be targeted by police. Images: Supplied.

Police will this month crack down on driver behaviour at intersections which is the cause of around half of the collisions on Canberra’s roads.

Drivers failing to stop at stop signs and red lights will be under the police spotlight with the problem intersections to be targeted to include the two roundabouts where Parkes Way intersects with Anzac Parade and Coranderrk Street.

Police say other locations they will specifically target include the Athllon Drive/Drakeford Drive/Isabella Drive intersection, the Barry Drive/Cooyong Street/Northbourne Avenue intersection and the Barton Highway/William Slim/Gundaroo Drive intersection (which still has problems even though traffic lights were installed in April last year).

Almost half of Canberra’s collisions occur at intersections. Image: Supplied.

Almost half of Canberra’s collisions occur at intersections.

So far this year (January-September), ACT Policing has issued 959 traffic infringement notices and 688 cautions to people breaking road rules around intersections.

The three most common intersection-related reasons for motorists receiving infringement notices this year are for not stopping at a stop sign (161 notices), disobeying a no right turn sign (148) and not stopping at a red light (134).

ACT Traffic Operations Officer in Charge, Acting Station Sergeant David Wills, said Canberrans need to take extra care around intersections and pay more attention to the road rules.

“With one in two collisions occurring around intersections in the ACT we all need to slow down, be patient, be considerate of other road users but most importantly obey the road rules,” said Acting Station Sergeant Wills.

“When travelling through an intersection it may be common sense to follow the road rules but the number of collisions shows there are too many drivers who still just don’t get it.”

“Everybody has seen other road users pushing the boundaries or breaking the road rules around intersections,” he said.

“There is no excuse for driving in this manner and it is exactly this type of road user we will be targeting during October.”

What do you think are the main problems at Canberra’s intersections? Let us know in the comments below.

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Three issues totally ignored in this release are u turns at traffic lights, correctly performing a right hand turn at a multi lane intersection and how to correctly perform a right hand turn at a normal intersection (ie not swerve left and not cut the corner).

Whatever happened to traffic cops on motorcycles? Haven’t seen one in years, do they still exist?

Blen_Carmichael6:15 pm 09 Oct 18

How about an education campaign on giving way at roundabouts? An easy but much-misunderstood rule in Canberra.

Yeah but I’ve got a hot car with a loud exhaust and I want you to take notice of me. I might be a peanut in a back the front cap but I am awesome and my car is amazing.

Half a dozen full time traffic cops, on the road, day & night, sensibly enforcing existing road rules (not just setting up downhill speed-traps & cruising number plates), and you might actually get through to some muppets in this town. Little things like – red lights means stop; half a car length is not a safe distance at 90km/hr; indicate at roundabouts – hey, maybe indicate in general; keep left on arterial roads.

Capital Retro8:23 am 09 Oct 18

“….not stopping at a stop sign (161 notices)….”

They would issue more notices than that in one hour if they turned up at the stop sign at the exit from MLRMC at Mugga Lane. There is going to be a very serious accident there one day soon.

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