There’s always one light that ruins your entire commute. You know the one. If you get stuck at this light, you’ll be stuck at the next five. So when it turns yellow, instead of slowing down, you pick up the pace.
This maneuver can be observed daily at several busy intersections here in Murfreesboro, and now the city is fighting back.
On Sunday, June 1, three traffic cameras at some of the city’s busiest intersections went live.
The first three cameras, at the intersections of Memorial and Northfield boulevards, South Church Street and Middle Tennessee Boulevard, and Rutherford and Mercury boulevards, are now in operation.
Once these lights turn red, any car entering the intersection will trigger a sensor. Once the camera is triggered, it takes multiple pictures of the intersection, which are then relayed to the police department for review.
Murfreesboro police say they hope the cameras will help dissuade motorists who are tempted to run red lights, and that they expect to see a 40 – 70 percent drop in the accident rate at intersections with traffic cameras.
For the next 30 days, drivers failing to obey traffic signals will receive warnings. The city will begin issuing $50 fines for each infraction the same day they institute the second phase of their traffic monitoring program.
Three more cameras, at Northwest Broad Street and Northfield Boulevard, Old Fort Parkway and Thompson Lane, and South Church Street and Northwest Broad Street, will go live July 1.
“There will be no grace period for the second period,” said Murfreesboro Police Officer Kyle Evans. “We expect to bring the next set of cameras on in July.”
Fines may be paid by mail or contested in court and do not affect a driver’s insurance rates or driving records.
City officials say it will cost $30,000 a month to operate their traffic cameras. That means the police department would have to issue 600 tickets a month to break even.
The city council unanimously agreed to the traffic camera plan last fall. Cameras were originally slotted to begin monitoring traffic April 1. Engineer issues and weather delays pushed the start date back.
