Police Watch College Avenue

FAYETTEVILLE — Some motorists sneaking through one of the city’s busiest intersections after a traffic signal turned red saw a set of blue lights in their rear-view mirror Wednesday.

Fayetteville Police on Wednesday began what they called “directed traffic enforcement” at Joyce Boulevard and College Avenue, aiming to rein in aggressive motorists whose behavior sometimes leads to accidents.

Police Chief Greg Tabor said officers began monitoring traffic about 11 a.m. Wednesday and stopped 23 cars by Wednesday afternoon for a variety of offenses.

Tabor said he did not know how many citations were issued. The goal is to create awareness regarding dangerous behaviors that lead to accidents, particularly on congested College Avenue, he said.

The heightened enforcement will be used elsewhere on College Avenue in the days ahead. Officers will specifically be looking for drivers following too close, improperly using the center turn lane, failure to yield, failure to signal a turn or lane change, improper right turns and disobeying traffic signals.

The department will use marked and unmarked cars.

“We’re there to make sure people aren’t breaking the law,” said Sgt. Rick Crisman. “Obviously, if someone runs a red light, we’ll stop them whether it’s a marked or unmarked vehicle.”

Crisman said the targeted violations have been common contributing factors to traffic crashes.

“Our goal isn’t write everyone a ticket,” Tabor said. “It’s to create awareness.”

Johnson resident Shane Callcut said he and wife Anne often experience the traffic violations at Joyce and College.

“I know that when we are sitting at the light, we can actually count up to four or six cars that keep going through after the light has changed red,” Shane Callcut said. “People think just because the turn lane is in motion, they can just follow the car in front of them. It can be dangerous if you aren’t paying attention.”

“Sometimes, I say a little prayer for safety when going through that area,” he added.

Motorist Misty Head Atterberry said the intersection is too wide for a traffic signal that doesn’t stay green long enough.

“It only allows a few cars through at a time,” she said. “Even if you’re the second car crossing the intersection during a green light, you may only be halfway through before it’s turning yellow to red. If the police are worried about safety first, then logically, wouldn’t it be wise to reset the timer on the light to allow enough time for a reasonable amount of vehicles to pass through legally and safely?”

Tabor said his department has worked with the Traffic Department numerous times to lengthen the yellow light cycle. He said the light is adjusted to the longest time possible.

Terry Gulley, transportation director, said gaps in traffic often cause the lights to change.

“That intersection is almost at maximum capacity,” he said. “If the cars gap, the video on the traffic signal assumes there are no more cars coming so it will change. If you stay in a steady flow, it will stay green longer.”

Brad Anderson, traffic control supervisor, said resetting the timer for traffic signals wouldn’t keep traffic from becoming congested.

“I don’t know how to invent time,” he said. “To give anyone else more green time, you’d have to take it away from someone else.”

Anderson said better street infrastructure might reduce the number of accidents on the north end of town.

“Other ways need to be utilized to get into the shopping district instead of just using that one entrance,” he said.

Tabor said the city’s plan for a bridge in the engineering stage for several years, is expected to relieve congestion near College and Joyce. The city plans to build the bridge north of Millsap Road, routing northbound cars that use the bridge into the Northwest Arkansas Mall area near the Olive Garden restaurant or to the Fulbright Expressway.