I’ve heard people joke that a green light means go, a yellow light means go faster and a red light means stop. But I don’t think it’s a joke any longer: More people seem to be trying to beat red lights and they’re stepping on the gas when the light turns yellow.
Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Rich Celli says he hasn’t seen that as a general trend, although he does at times have officers stake out specific intersections where it’s common for “many people to try to beat the light” and often run the red.
Roileen Miller of Miller Driving School in Cotati does see more drivers pushing the yellow light as they try to beat the red. “A lot more” than when she started teaching new drivers in 1979.
“People have no patience any more,” she says.
Some drivers try to beat the light because they’re in a rush to get somewhere, and they’re trying to make up the time by driving faster, she says.
Some intersections are notorious for drivers trying to beat the red, she says, particularly Guerneville Road in front of Coddingtown Mall.
She said she was out with a student and four cars turned on a red arrow – “the light’s not even yellow. They’re running the red.”
Miller said you can tell if a light is going to change on you as you approach it so that you can be prepared to stop. One clue is if there’s a big gap in traffic in front of you and there are cars stopped at the cross street. Traffic sensors imbedded in some roads will detect the gap and will change the light, she said.
She said speed limits are used in determining how long a yellow light lasts to give motorists enough warning to prepare to stop: Four seconds for 40 mph, three seconds for 30 mph and two seconds for 25 mph.
I see two reasons for going through a yellow light: You’re already in the intersection when the light turns yellow or you’re too close to the intersection to stop safely, taking into consideration that if you come to a sudden stop, do you risk the driver behind you hitting you.
In addition to Guerneville Road at Coddingtown, here are a few more intersections where I often see cars push the yellow to the point of running the red: Baker Avenue at Santa Rosa Avenue, where northbound traffic are trying to beat the light to get onto Highway 101; Mission Boulevard at Highway 12 in Santa Rosa, pretty much all directions; and McDowell Boulevard at East Washington Street in Petaluma, again pretty much all directions.
Know of others? Let us know with a comment below.
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G
Try hanging out at the intersection on Stony Point between Hwy 12 and Sebastopol Rd, and you will always see at least 2-3 cars running a red turn light to make it into the Chevron gas station, only to be stuck in the intersection and obstruct traffic. I’m surprised there isn’t at least one accident there every day.
August 6th, 2012 7:45 am
Jeff
In my opinion, formed after driving in and around Santa Rosa since 1984, people are tempted to run reds simply because the are so $%! many of them. Very often, a light will turn to red for no apparent reason, leaving one sitting for 1-2 minutes (or sometimes more) staring at the absolute lack of cross traffic for the duration of the light. Travilling across town, a driver will be required to pass through up to 50 light-controlled intersections, and get stopped at a good 30 of those.
Is any of this a valid reason to run a red? Heck, no. It’s simply part of the reason people do it. Another part is the number of drivers who apparently think they are the only car on the road- I’m not sure what, exactly, they think all those other cars are. To those people, running a red doesn’t matter, because there’s no one else there, anyway- in their mind.
August 6th, 2012 8:08 am
Mad Biker
Once again these lights are BLIND to motorcyclist You sit ,you sit you sit waiting for that green that never comes forcing you to run it! There should be a crack down on these lights not the bikers, .
August 6th, 2012 8:32 am
Ronald Breeze
All of the left turn entrances to Costco, in Santa Rosa, are very dangerous as impatient drivers run red turn arrows to get to the store. The unlit left turn lanes are just as dangerous as drivers turn in front of oncoming traffic without regard for how close or how fast the oncoming traffic is going. Left turn drivers, into Costco, also ignore bicyclist and pedestrians who have the right of way crossing the entrances. Costco shoppers you need to slow down and think before you put yourself and others in jeopardy due to your impatience!
August 6th, 2012 8:42 am
Bill K
Any intersection on Santa Rosa Avenue has this going on. I notice this at Hearn and Yolanda really bad, also Farmer’s lane at HWY 12 is really bad for this. Guerneville Road at Stony Point, (this is probably with the timing on the east west directions having such a short time), Occidental at Fulton is really bad and has people aggressive to get to the left turn lane for Occidental west bound, people will drive into oncoming traffic over a double yellow to get to the turn lane.
Just to name a few. I drive through these intersections regularly and every time I stop, there are at least 2-3 that run a red light… just straight up running the light.
August 6th, 2012 8:47 am
Ben Johnson
Sebastopol Rd. at Stony Point is absolutely horrible. Cars run the red light going east bound and making the left turn constantly. Something needs to be done!
August 6th, 2012 8:59 am
Hector
Guerneville & Fulton roads are pretty scary as is the Highway 12 and Fulton Road interchange. Running reds is a standard practice in those locations. I have not seen any accidents in them but I sure do see a lot of headlight & taillight glass there.
August 6th, 2012 8:59 am
Deb McGauley
Two bad intersections:
1. Fulton at W. Third.
2. Guerneville Road at Fulton.
You literally take your life in your hands driving through those intersections. I wait 2 to 3 seconds before proceeding on a green light because I’ve almost been taken out by someone flying through on a red. Too many close calls.
August 6th, 2012 8:59 am
Julie B
Stony Point between Hwy 12 and Sebastopol Rd,
Dutton between Sebastopol Rd and W 3rd.
Anywhere is Roseland, pretty much…
August 6th, 2012 9:04 am
Julie B
whoops, meant “in Roseland” not “is”.
August 6th, 2012 9:05 am
Sara
I was going to say Stony Point and Sebastopol Rd too. I see as many as 2 or 3 people run that light at a time. They tail gait one another. I always wait a couple of seconds before I move on a light that just turns green because so many people run red lights now days.
August 6th, 2012 9:31 am
D
The westbound traffic on 3rd Street is constantly obstructing the Santa Rosa Ave traffic downtown. Sometimes you’ll have to sit through and entire green light because you’re blocked in by one or more drivers.
August 6th, 2012 9:36 am
JEFF FERDINANDSON
I hate red light runners! That being said, I think we have some very stupid wait times on a red and a lot of bad design and lack of forethought regarding the lights and traffic patterns. Also overcrowding seems to just lead to more lights.
August 6th, 2012 9:41 am
Lisa
Occidental Rd. and hwy 116. At least one car goes through a red light everytime the signal changes.
August 6th, 2012 9:50 am
joan murray
Yes, Jeff your so right about there being so MANY of them, how about Dutton/College, Hoen /Farmers Ln…. Hoen/ Yulupa… but theres not much we can do about that now that there here, except keep our heads up and slow down. Everyonen needs to slow down a little in this town anyways.. as sometimes I think im on a racetrack just getting on HWY 12 West…
August 6th, 2012 9:54 am
dfsd
The intersection of Fountain Grove Expressway and Brush Creek is very bad as well. There is even a “all red” delay built into the light switching but still many people run the red light even after the delay has expired coming down the hill from Fountain Grove.
August 6th, 2012 10:41 am
Logical1
Try the intersection of Lakeville Hwy and D Street in Petaluma, when turning left off of southbound Lakeville onto westbound D. This has become a very congested area (maybe because of the work being done on the rail?), with people turning onto D having to wait 10 or even 15 minutes to turn. I’ve actually seen people make the turn on red out of frustration of waiting so long.
August 6th, 2012 10:48 am
Captain Obvious
This has been going on for years, and all of a sudden people are noticing? I remember a letter to the editor from YEARS ago (when I actually used to subscribe), from an out of state visitor. He wrote asking what was the official number of cars that could pass thru a red light: 2? 3? 4? He could never get the rules of the game while here.
All the intersections mentioned above are horrific, as is the northbound Hwy 12 on ramp at Farmer’s Lane. No one’s stopping there when they’re going 45 mph and about to get on the freeway.
August 6th, 2012 11:34 am
Michele
I come ever two weeks from west county for shopping in SR and I am never surprised at how badly and how rude SR drivers are. While in town Saturday, one car deliberately entered the intersection on a Red light to get through.
I have also learned to look both ways before entering an intersection. I fail to understand where everyone is going in such a hurry that they take not only there own lives but others into their hands.
Slow down…take a breath…smile.
August 6th, 2012 11:37 am
Rob Weinstein
It’s just anecdotal, but I agree this is happening much more often. Santa Rosa from Baker down to Hearn seems to be a regular problem, with cars regularly running reds to turn into the Costco shopping center, or onto Baker to get on 101. Also at the Dutton highway 12 off ramp. But really it seems to be a problem throughout town, almost anywhere with congestion. It would be nice if some of the traffic cameras located at the problem intersections could actually result in tickets. That might discourage red light runners.
August 6th, 2012 12:11 pm
HANK
i agree 100% with everyone. I see drivers doing stupid things all the time. and what gets me is i have seen countless drivers running red lights in front of police and i look at the police driver and hes on his cell phone or not even paying attention. i see cops driving over town but i rarely see them pull anyone over. drivers out there probably know the cops dont give a crap anymore about minor traffic infractions or what ever they are. so thats why they are doing it more and more. i bet if cops started to do their job and pull people over for the “little” things, people would think twice about going 55 on a 35 and running red lights!
August 6th, 2012 12:27 pm
Smurf
Hank, AMEN to that!
August 6th, 2012 12:54 pm
Christina
Red light running is a very common practice down the entire Steele Lane/Guerneville Road corridor. I see blatent offenders all of the time. What I do not ever see, is traffic enforcement by SRPD. If it were my department, I would maximize enforcement and collect some huge revenues off of these idiotic, self absorbed, dangerous drivers.
August 6th, 2012 1:29 pm
Rex Faktor
“Dumb” traffic lights. Not only a contributor to the tendency to disregard the light by many, but also a major contributing factor to auto emissions (where are you on this one, BAAQMD?…don’t worry so much about the lawn mowers and wood stoves.) Many of our SR lights have broken or malfunctioning “detectors” (SR Ave, Fulton, etc) leaving us to stare, idling, as the vacant left turn lane stays green for 90 seconds or more. Or how often have you approached a green light at 30 or 40, only to have it go red for no apparent reason, as no other vehicles or peds are in the area.
We have the technology for “smart” traffic signals…they would reduce smog, traffic, and fuel consumption, and drivers would tend to respect more a light that worked correctly.
August 6th, 2012 7:38 pm
jero
Here’s a good one…I live on Sonoma Ave Near Farmers Ln. Every day I watch drivers southbound on Farmers Ln make a right at the red light onto Sonoma ave, flip a quick U-turn,(usually within 100 feet) and then make another right back onto Farmers Ln. ,continuing south!! Amazing !! I am SO glad I’m not that impatient !!
August 6th, 2012 8:26 pm
Paul
The intersection that irritates me the most is the northbound exit from 101 onto the Rohnert Park Expressway. Not only do I see red light runners almost every time I’m there, but almost inevitably someone will turn left from the lane next to the left turn lane. That lane is clearly marked to allow drivers to turn right or go straight into the park-and-ride lot, yet whenever I use the left turn lane I have to keep an eye on my passenger-side mirror to make sure someone hasn’t made an illegal left turn from the middle lane.
August 7th, 2012 9:22 am
James
Who would be at fault if a driver, who has the green light, proceeds straight through the intersection and is hit by one of the several vehicles that are still turning left against a red light in front of him or her?
If the driver going straight is deemed to be at fault because he did not proceed when it is safe to do so, (as if the red light runners are) then we are accommodating the red light runners, and those are the new rules of the road.
As for police enforcement of red light violations, step away from the donut and get out the ticket book.
August 7th, 2012 3:14 pm
greg
The issue in Santa Rosa regarding red lights is that once you have stopped at one then you get stopped at all of them, if you are head of the line. Once the gap is created in front of you the next light will turn red just as you get in range.
August 29th, 2012 8:07 am